Second Life of My Dreams

I traveled to Ukraine and Poland last summer with members of my family to visit places where our ancestors were rounded up, put on trains and sent to die in gas chambers created by the Nazis for the express purpose of killing people like me. It was an experience I am still processing emotionally.

My grandfather left Poland before the war and came to New York, leaving his wife and child behind. Seven long years later he had saved enough money to send for my grandmother and my uncle. My father was the first of our family to be born in America.

Leaving everyone they loved behind proved to be a stroke of luck for my grandparents because their families and most everyone from their town ended up on those trains or were shot as they stood on the edge of a mass grave they were forced to dig themselves.

There are lots of people who have stories of the Holocaust like mine -- second hand tales of the deaths of relatives we never knew. The truth is our stories are not nearly so powerful as the words of someone who lived through the events.

Fanny Starr is a Holocaust survivor who regularly speaks in Second Life. This past week she was interviewed by Pookey Amsterdam and a local Denver Television station. Please go here and read the news story. More importantly, please watch the video and listen to Fanny. Her story is in her voice as much as her words.

When we got our parcel on Harbour we were pretty focused on creating the space on the ground. I rezed a sky box so we could have a private place for ourselves but it was always meant as a temporary thing. Now that the build on the ground is in place I keep looking at the sky box and wanting something different. What? I have no idea but a box isn't it.

I started looking at prefab houses thinking I could mod one into something that would work for us. I looked at about 323,234,678 prefabs. I am stunned at the poor quality work that some people are selling for very high prices. I looked at a lot of houses and thought "I can make this myself." But in all honesty, I am feeling a little (a lot) pressured for time and I don't really want to build a new house.

There are a lot of amazing creations out there, don't get me wrong. There are many realistic houses with attention to detail that is just incredible. But I sure don't want a kitchen or a bathroom or a closet. I want a structure that suggests "home" with places to sit and to cuddle but I am not a fan of replicating RL architecture in SL. I have a 2 story colonial in RL and I just don't need another one.

What is a person to do? You guessed it.



I will let you know if anything worthwhile comes of this.

The creators of Alpha Point, Masoon Ringo and Sweetlemon Jewell, say the sim is still under construction. I found plenty to see and will certainly go back to see this dark, mysterious art build again.

If you are looking for a place to hang out and have a thoughtful conversation or a dance Alpha Point is a great choice. There are spots for meditation and a cute table where you can enjoy a cup of pixel tea. Photographers will certainly find ample inspiration in the shadows and light that play across the build's interesting architecture. I hope you enjoy your visit as much as I enjoyed mine.