I intended to post daily from the Second Life Community Convention — but then, I intended that at Internext, too. It’s amazing how busy a convention can be when you’re working. The sex & relationships panel today went well but as always we ran out of time for Q&A. Please, if you were there and we didn’t get a chance to talk, email me or join the Sex Drive forum and start a thread.
One of the wonderful aspects of SLCC is that people come here for fun. This isn’t a convention your boss sends you to, where you have to See And Be Seen and maybe even Learn Something. This is a community gathering, with many interesting seminars, with organized events and disorganized ones (heh), and with time to hang out with people in their bodies for a change. I’m loving all the people I’m meeting who have been in love for a while and who just met in person this week. Some are getting married in world tomorrow. Others are floating around, starry eyed, hoping the storms will come back and strand us here.
That’s my thing, you know: stories. Talking to people about what they are learning about themselves and their relationships, what the virtual realm means to them and how they balance their lives and loves.
I wandered out of the hotel tonight and discovered a music-beneath-the-stars event across the street in the beautiful park. (Dunno what park; it’s bordered by Michigan Ave, and we can see Lake Superior Michigan (duh!) from here.) I got there for the last 20 minutes of the set from Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie and danced like…like…like an avatar! I find that the lone dancers tend to congregate near the stage, so I threaded my way up and got in with the three or four soloists, which meant I was conveniently placed when the band played a waltz, and one of the nice gentlemen led me through it. (I’ve never formally learned to waltz.) I bought a CD as a souvenir but of course don’t have my CD drive with me (keeps the laptop lightweight).
Speaking of CDs, the musicians here at SLCC have been wonderful. Can’t wait to listen to your album, Manitoba Hal.
SLers are a lively, talkative bunch, the ice broken long ago in-world, the sense of play and creativity evident in how we’ve adorned ourselves. The Eros Masquerade Ball is next — I gotta hit the shower — and you can just feel the quivering excitement as folks talk about what they’ve created, costumes and props and so on. Even I, who have no design skills whatsoever, am cautiously decking myself out in … well, wisps of things, and hoping to go unphotographed or at least not wind up on the SLCC Flickr stream.
Ok so that’s not a lot of specific sex-tech info but I’m too tired, too giddy and in all seriousness I haven’t had enough time to think through the insights and stories I’m gaining here. Those observations will filter into future columns and blog posts, I’m sure. Certainly I’ll try to bullet list the highlights of the sex & relationships panel when I have some time to think through it.
7 responses so far ↓
1 mystica_incognita58 // Aug 26, 2007 at 5:14 am
DRATS….if I’d had known you were swooping into town (my bad) would have made an effort to head downtown to catch you.
Had to snicker (just a smidge) about your comment on being able to ’see Lake Superior’…that’s actually Lake Michigan. Sounds like a grand fine time had by all, delighted you found Chi-Town tickled your fancy and you were able to take in some of the local ambiance while getting your groove on.
Be looking forward to further posts on the SLCC convo and your perspectives from this event.
2 chiraven // Aug 26, 2007 at 5:58 am
And that would undoubtedly be Grant Park, the very same one as the scene of the riots over the Viet Nam War during the Democratic National Convention in 1968. All of which proves once again, of course, that it IS better to make love than war, as so many of the hippies of the ’60’s were saying.
3 regina lynn // Aug 26, 2007 at 7:51 am
LMAO!!! You’re right, Lake Michigan. See, that’s why I shouldn’t blog when I haven’t had enough sleep.
4 woodyeagle // Aug 27, 2007 at 6:51 am
I was visiting Chicago. I had no idea that was going on.
5 mystica_incognita58 // Aug 27, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Caught a good recap piece in today’s Tribune, along with another item from Friday’s edition:
Second Life sees its biggest crowd yet
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/columnists/chi-mxa0827second_archiveaug27,0,3007048.column
Great quote to end the article
“I used to think I was very hot, racy, [on the] edge,” said one of them, Surreal Farber, a Philadelphia resident.
“Then I came to Second Life and discovered I’m vanilla.”
Here’s the link to Friday’s article as well:
At conference, Second Life meets real life
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/columnists/chi-mxainternet0824aug24,0,1857213.column
Wondering if the panel mentioned in the article from Aug 27th might’ve been one you particiapted on this weekend. I’d enjoy any further insights, observations or personal anectdotes you care to share, along with your own take-aways from teh weekend’s festivities.
6 regina lynn // Aug 27, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Mystica, yes! I’ve got several great stories - I’ll have to check with their principals to see how anonymous I need to make them. LOL
I realized where I got that Lake Superior thing - the mystery novel I was reading is set in Duluth and they keep mentioning Lake Superior. LOL
7 regina lynn // Aug 27, 2007 at 3:43 pm
A correction to the Chicago Tribune piece — the reporter said “But Fatale’s query [about who had in-world sex] — which was not followed by a question about who in the room has had sex in real life — was just the beginning.”
But the reporter was wrong. Fatele’s next questions were “who in the room has had sex in real life with the person you’re sitting next to now?” and a few others around “sex in real life” — but people were laughing so hard by then that the reporter probably just didn’t hear the questions.