17 years ago…

It was the day after Christmas
and all thru the house
only Gino was stirring his coffee
while Discovery Channel he was watching.

He yelled to me. “Come see! Come see!”
(I was on my laptop and followed his lead)
“They are talking about something called Second Life
why don’t you check it out and see?”
and before I knew it, I had made an avatar,
called her Karima Hoisan…
and the rest is history:)

Today is my Rez Day (virtual birthday) 26th of December,
 17 years in the virtual world of Second Life.

If you have been following my blog for a few years, you know all this stuff…:)

I have written in past Rez Day posts about what I have learned in my 17 years here, the skills I acquired, building & creating, video making, the audio streaming poetry readings, my world on LINC Island that became a film set for so many machinimas I made with Natascha Randt and lately on my own.

    Besides making wonderful films, Nat (R.I.P.) was a great photographer

You know how I met my other creative partner Dale Innis, in Second Life 13 years ago and that last year we met for a 3 day whirlwind birthday party here in Costa Rica.

                                   Dale & I in our RL avatars at the beach at sunset

In Second Life, just like in the 1970’s, You can be whatever you want to be

                                            Mrs.& Mr. Merlin feelin’ Groovy

You know about my Pisces sisters, Suze & Diz
who have stayed close and tight for 16 of my 17 years

                                                                Suze, Kari, Diz

But today let’s talk about Menubar….not the little helper on an app but the one and only Menubar Memorial of Second Life,
My “Buddeh” for the last almost 16 years.

Here we are.. Menubar on the left yours truly on the right..
doing what we do nightly….
doing what we have been doing every night of the week
for the past (almost) 16 Years!!!

Except on weekends:) when we play games on his field of games (playing Greedy) A very addictive but fun dice game (no betting allowed)

See it’s just a set in the sky, but so cozy and perfect and Menubar designed it

Only in a virtual world can you have “sky box sets” like this one

Some of the first days it was pretty basic but with time Menu added…
 my cat’s pictures, posters from what we were watching,
All the poetry reading and video posters he made for me.. Just cool stuff
It’s full to the top of neat things now!! Even us at the end of StarTrek….I dressed the part:)

Lots of goodies all over the wall have been added in the last 16 years.
..and lots of shows
This setting is the “Twin Peaks Cabin”
based off of the cabin in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks:)
It has a coffee maker (with goldfish)
and  a plate of donuts, a log from the Log Lady,
an Owl and other fun Twin Peaks things.
One of the first things Menubar and I discovered is…we both adored David Lynch and so the first thing we did was watch ALL (even Eraser Head) of David Lynch’s movies…. Then we watched EVERYTHING else.

Here we are watching Mad Men on the Big screen in our high chairs.

One night on Halloween, I came with a ghoul friend on my back.

                 16 years of souvenirs and memories on the wall
And when we watched Dune, we were right there in the Dune desert
thanks to Menu’s Building skills:)

                               Karima whispers..”I think I heard a Sandworm over there”

Speaking of building skills. Menu has the coolest Second Life Store; “WaterMoon Breeze” He makes and sells anything from bird feeders (with birds) “Frog Rain” (rains frogs), an Ice Shelf for winter skating ponds, The greatest Bamboo windchimes and all kinds of windchimes…, weather makers (to make it rain and snow and even create a tornado)  You have seen me use many of his items in my videos:) He’s the best and his store is sooo much fun to explore and buy cool things in!!!

So many cool things here…I bet you want to get an avatar and explore all day:)  Just shop until you drop….Right?

OK commercial break over…..

I wrote this next part, years ago in my profile about Menubar and even though the list is way too long now to update..I will give you an idea of what you can watch in an hour if you watch every night of the week for 16 years:):)

Adore You Buddeh!

Well we have gone beyond “Lynch,” “Huff,” all 6 seasons of “The Sopranos”, all 8 seasons of “Trailer Park Boys” “Breaking Bad”, wooshed thru “Star Trek” at warp speed.. stopped to space-out with Stingray Sam and The Quasar Kid.. DR Who,Californication, Dexter, Arrested Development, and who knows what we will be watching for our 5th year anniversary of this very cool Video  Buddyship. (*We are watching Futurama!) 5Years in April!! and now “The Twilight Zone” Parks & Rec…more DR Who.. The Office! 2014 Boardwalk Empire! 2015- X-Files -2016 Wentworth/Once Upon a Time,Vikings,Mr Robot 2017- Lost-Twin Peaks Revival 2018: Shameless, Ozark. Expanse… 2024: What We Do In The Shadows, Our Flag Means Death, The Leftovers, Rectify, just finished 2 seasons of The White Lotus and this week we are watching House:) 
I don’t even own  a TV in real life.

Thank you MenuBar for the creative explosion that must have taken place to invent your Twin Peaks Cabin & your Video Dome. Speaking of the Video Dome…..

Dancing with Menu & Tukso (SL rockstar)
360 video surrounding us…Such A trip!

I cherish the experience to watch, laugh and learn along-side you.
I ended by saying, “I consider myself so lucky to have you as a real Buddeh..This is one of the coolest things I have ever done in SL….now pass the donuts please:)”



So the bottom line of this fantastic long running, Buddyship is
that Menu lives in Florida with his bird boy, Arcturo, who he is very proud of and…looks just like his avatar or vice versa…Menubar does…not Bird Boy and is absolutely the coolest person I know in SL!

Menubar in his Office.  Menu is a Graphics Designer in the real world 

My kids and me

and I live in Costa Rica and look nothing like my avatar…and that is the beauty of this friendship that could only begin and grow as it has in Second Life.. We have never met in Real life… likely never will, but if we don’t get that chance…
it would change nothing:):) We will be Best Buddehs..Forever!!

And now…I’m going to go out and dance my 17th Rez Day away……Here’s to another year…and another…InshAllah:)