Conference, Dancing

Workshops completed: 1 (good); Librarians carried on virtual bus tour: 16 (good); conference discos attended in RL: 1 (tiring)

Have completed 2nd workshop at LILAC conference. Seemed to go fairly well, and had extra time so was able to fit in tour of island. This was using Mystihud device where you can create chairs which follow you around (in fact can specify that they follow around anyone in vicinity so envisage some merriment in attaching sets of follow-chairs to unsuspecting friends).

Tour guide effect was heightened by fact that Pam, Ishbel and I were carrying lilac umbrellas so that could be readily identified by delegates. Anyway did indeed feel like guided tour as zoomed along towing rows of seats, and only had one real glitch when initially pressed PAGE UP when meant to press PAGE DOWN so almost got lost in stratosphere right at the start. Much jocular talk from passengers of feeling sick, can imagine might feel a bit odd. Though of course when new to SL this is probably just one more piece of oddness.

Was helped by PG student Alane inworld and was only after session was over that realised that hadn’t actually communicated to him fact that had ended. Hopefully disappearance of avatars signalled end but still was rather rude and hope has not soured good staff-student relationships etc. etc.
In session itself had usual issues of box opening, wearing carpets etc. and because of proliferation of conference boxes on ground at one point wasted some time trying to get delegate to copy someone else’s box, felt v. stupid.
At end of day lots more people signed up to Information Literacy Group, hurrah, and have promised to organise more events.

RL conference dinner on previous evening held in Liverpool City Halls, v. grand. As usual included disco after dinner and enjoyed disporting in party frock. Various pros and cons to RL vs. SL dancing.
Pros of RL dancing:
- exercising, therefore healthy;
- general enjoyment of bopping around to beat;
- can make whatever movements you want, within physical limitations, thus expressing individual creativity.
Cons of RL dancing;
- get tired when have been dancing for – well, for not very long, really;
- feet start hurting unless wearing v. sensible shoes;
- cannot adjust volume;
- no dancing and drinking at same time;
- spontaneous synchronised group dancing impossibility unless happen to REALLY be in film version of your own life.

Show me the way to go home

Pringles consumed in SL: Countless (bad); Startled awakenings slumped over bar: 1 (bad); Units of alcohol consumed: 0 (good, but makes other items worse somehow)

After computer had crashed out of disco for umpteempth time take it as Sign, and head off. However, before retiring, also decide to revisit IH's home to create Landmark which had omitted to do in rush of excitement. Go home & change into fetching outfit seen on right. Once at IH's, have a look round countryside as have decided will put foot on rung of property ladder quite soon. See various bits of land, do some land searching and then want to tootle home again.

However, seems all travel in SL is out of question. Try teleporting to various shops and own office multiple times. Only get increasingly irritating tinging noise as left flapping arms and feeling idiot.

Somehow feel not right to leave avatar hanging over strange landscape. Therefore gird self for major long distance flight. Even with Large Map difficult to see where one is and in end give this up too as seem to be flying in circles and keep bumping against invisible walls of forbidden land plots.

Finally discover CAN teleport to San Jose State University campus, which seems safe sort of place. Stumble towards deserted bar, waste idle minutes pretending to be barman (i.e. click on BARMAN pose ball and watch hand make wiping movements and disappear into bar top, see pic.) then log out.

When log in next morning find am still alone in bar. Cannot resist Wearing box of Pringles that had picked up free in late night sortie to Blogger's Cafe. In RL have not been able to face Pringles since ate a lot of them one Christmas immediately before going down with violent gastric flu. Two things were unconnected, but unfortunately since then smell of Pringles is wedded to nasty feeling one has immediately before dashing to bathroom.

Try to Sit on bar stool but find have disappeared completely from view. When press Stand Up find am standing on top of grass umbrellas over bar. Very odd. Try Sitting on umbrellas and discover that instead am trapped UNDER umbrella, still stuffing Pringles in mouth, or at least thrusting them in general direction of face. Can just see self in last photo. Since am (as previously established) 6 foot 5 inches tall, umbrellas must be size of barn, or perhaps like Tardis bigger inside than out. Recover self and as Transportation now a viable option, go home to office.

Of course now realise that IH would probably not have minded me sleeping over in her house, thus avoiding sordid bar and Pringles incidents.