BETWEEN HOMES AND THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

By Debbie Bulloch



In the closing scene of Tennessee Williams’ 1947 landmark play, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Blanche Dubois utters these now famous lines: “Whoever you are - I’ve come to depend on the kindness of strangers.”

While sitting down to write the 100th post of the Between Homes (BH) blog I was sharply reminded of how much we at BH depend on the kindness of friends and strangers alike. Anniversaries are a perfect time for engaging in a bit of introspection; for looking back and for looking forward.

Between Homes: A short history

BH was born from my experiences as an SL newbie. Like every new avi, I was homeless when I first rezzed into SL. I can still remember my first visit to a newbie island; the island was full of avis, all speaking in a cacophony of languages. In fact, that first newbie island reminded me a lot of Mos Eisley Cantina in George Lucas’ "Star Wars." Like in the Cantina, there was too much noise, too many new avis, way too many “old timers” trying to take advantage of the newbies and the action was just too “funky.”



As Dorothy said in the “Wizard of Oz,” , "there is no place like home."



This is about the time when the idea to create a shelter for homeless avis was born. I wanted to create a place where newbies, as well as homeless old timers, could set as “home,” hang out, meet other nice people and just enjoy a different experience. There is usually, however, a huge gap between wanting to do something and actually doing it.

A chance meeting with Deneby Strauss helped get the ball rolling. I met Deneby one night while exploring around SL. I will not go into the details of that first meeting; suffice it to write that it involved a “rescue” and that it was Deneby, not me, who was in need of “rescuing.” Soon after that meeting, Deneby and I became good friends. During our many conversations I told Deneby all about my wanting to set up a shelter for homeless avis. Being Canadian, Deneby is naturally a good listener (Canadians are just like Americans, just more polite). He listened to my ideas and then offered his own ideas about the shelter. Deneby is a businessman in RL; he was full of good suggestions for how to set up and promote the shelter. Little by little BH went from a mere idea to an actual plan. Deneby even chose the name Between Homes – he probably did not realize that the group's initials, BH, commonly stand for Beverly Hill, a place where “being poor” probably means having to make do with a 10,000 sq. feet home, instead of a 20,000 sq. feet home.

Deneby, Yucca Gemini (whom I had previously met when she modded my first SL house), AlterEg Oh, (an early BH friend who has since found fortune and fame pursuing other endeavours) and I went about looking for land to build the shelter. In our search for land, we had two principal guidelines: (1) the land had to be inexpensive (the project had to be paid out solely from the Lindens I earned selling houses for ABC Homes and from donations to the group’s tip jar) and (2) the location had to be nice, away from crowds, strip joints, escort services and other favorite SL activities. Meetings these two requirements was not easy, so we spent a great deal of time looking for a place. Eventually, Alter told me about a small parcel of land available at Bluenose. The initial parcel at Bluenose met both our requirements, it was not too expensive and the land itself was pretty nice.

Yucca Gemini at the site of another of her projects.



After the group bought the land, Yucca went to work building our first apartments and landscaping the grounds. Back in those early days Between Homes was just a tiny 512 sq. meters parcel. We only had room for six apartments and some landscaping. Undeterred by the land's physical limitations, Yucca built and furnished six small apartments and then surrounded the apartments with beautiful landscaping. We were small, but we were well on our way to becoming what we are now.

On May 1, 2008, Between Homes officialy opened up its door to welcome new avis.

Here is a photograph, taken on May 5, 2008, soon after BH opened for "business." This was BH’s first apartment building and landscaping.



Deneby and Arcabulle Odriscoll, another close dear, friend and longtime supporter, went about looking for resources for our shelter. Deneby and Arc were in charge of “recruiting” new shelter residents. Like Deneby, Arc is also in business in RL - his business expertise and his fluency in French and English were of tremendous help to the new BH.

Monsieur Odriscoll at the piano.



Soon as word went out about what we were doing at BH we had no trouble at all signing up new members and filling the original apartments. It was also about this time that Deneby recruited Elron Priestman. Like Deneby, Elron is Canadian (it seems that everywhere I turn in SL, I run into Canadians – not that I am complaining); Elron owns and operates a very successuful comedy club, to donate land credits to BH. With the additional land credits donated by Elron we were able to purchase more land - BH was up and running!

It was about this time that another chance meeting turned BH’s fortunes around. One night, while looking for land I met a Canadian (what are you guys doing, taking over SL, eh?) by the name of Gloeing "Glo" Ember; actually “meeting” is not quite the right way to describe our first encounter.

While looking for land I saw out of the corner of my eye, a very handsome avi approaching me. I was not happy with the prospect that this interloper, handsome or not, might buy the land that I was looking at. So I did exactly what any reasonable, level headed SL girl would do. I rezzed a huge house that yucca had built and then I dropped it right on top of the stranger’s head. I can still remember the look on the poor guy’s face when my house literally dropped out of the sky and landed on him. Instead of cursing me out (as he had every right to do) Glo simply asked me (in a very polite way) to please remove my house from his avi. Needless to say, I was impressed.

After I “surgically” removed the house from Glo he and I spent the rest of the evening just talking. I really liked Glo but after we said good-bye that night, I was certain that I would never see him again – fortunately I was wrong. One night, while I was on-duty selling houses, he showed up again. We talked a lot that night; Glo asked me about BH and what I hoped to accomplish with the shelter. Soon after that, Glo went on a land-buying spree. When I met Glo BH owned 1536 sq. meters of land. After Glo’s shopping spree BH grew to just a little bit over 21,000 sq. meters of land spread over several different parcels at Bluenose.

Gloeing Ember, aka Moose!



Since that first night, when I tried so hard to scare him away from the land that I wanted to buy, Glo has become a very important part of my life. I’ve come to realize what a loving, wonderful, generous, and patient man Glo is. (By the way, someone else ended up buying that plot of land.)

Currently, BH owns over 21,000 sq. meters of land spread over several different parcels at Bluenose. Of that amount, over 12,700 sq. meters of land were donated by Glo. BH’s lawyer and dear close RL friend, SanPaul Held, has donated 1024 sq. meters of land. Deneby and Elron have each donated 512 sq. meters of land. My own contribution to BH is 4608 sq. meters of land.

BH's attorney, SanPaul Held, Esq.



BH’s main location covers 5632 sq. meters of land. The 15 units apartment building, the dance floor, the bar and lounge, the pond and a large pavilion are all at the main location. Other BH locations include: the Park Annex - large, open park area with a stream, a chapel and several, new rental apartments, (6064 sq. m.); the Japan Annex, complete with a Japanese house by builder Yucca Gemini (912 sq. m.); the Roses Annex, with a cottage also built by Yucca (512 sq. m.); the Northeast Campus (1536 sq. m.) and the Northwest Campus (4096 sq. m.) – these two parcels also contain future rental units; and the “new” parcel behind the apartment buildings (1024 sq. m.).

BH apartments



BH - A place for homeless avis and beloved dogs



BH - A place to gather, meet new people, have fun and even do a little dancing.



BH's pond - just be sure not to bother the fishes.



For the past 12 months we have attempted to live up to our original mission statement: to provide a place for avis to call home, hang around and meet new people. As we close on BH’s first year anniversary, we also look forward to the 12 months ahead.

Between Homes: The Future

As we look forward to the future, we want to build upon what we have already accomplished and continue to expand our operations. Accordingly, we are considering making some changes to the way that BH is operated. Our goal is to maintain a balance between BH’s original mission of providing a place for homeless avis to stay awhile and the desire to expand our services to more residents. In order to maintain that balance we are considering some of the following items:

1. Selling off the various parcels that BH owns in Bluenose and instead purchase one single, continuous parcel of land where we can set up the future BH.

2. Set up specific guidelines for assigning BH’s free apartments and for how long the apartment will be available to its occupant. Along the same lines we want to set up guidelines regarding how long “absent” residents can keep their apartment. Every week we receive four or five new requests for apartments - and the waiting list is growing longer. To accommodate the needs of all residents we need to set up residency guidelines.

3. We have already set up apartments on various parcels owned by BH. Soon we will make a formal announcement about the availability of these apartments, including rental fees and number of prims available. The idea is to make the apartments both nice and low rent.

4. We are planning to use some of the grounds as venues for concerts, parties, lectures, weddings or lectures. We have already spoken to a local (SL) musician who is interested in performing concerts at SL. Our own Elron Priestman has mentioned using SL as a venue for his comedy shows.

5. We want to work with builders and store owners to see if we can get them to set up freebie giveaways at BH. Clothing seems to be the most popular item, but furniture, skins, hair, etc., are also popular items. I have sent an IM to the owner of Alady Skins (she is a sponsor of an all-female homeless shelter) discussing the possibility of setting up a freebie dispenser.

These are some of the items that we are considering. If you have any ideas of your own, we, of course, would like to hear them.

Thank You…

No retrospective is complete without a list of “thank you” to the individuals whose kind support makes this project work.

Thank you to each and every BH member and resident. BH was created for you to use and enjoy. You make BH such a special place, without you there is no BH. So thank you.

Special thanks to individual members and residents who have gone the extra mile to help BH grow: Tetsuryu Vlodovic was among the first BH residents, his Tardis devices, his knowledge of all things related to Dr. Who and his creative imagination helped BH in its early days; Ballyhoo Flower, a dear friend and supporter, her faith in BH is remarkable and much welcomed; DavidB Ballyhoo, a charming and valiant dragon who is always at the ready to rescue a damsel in distress; Dylana Wetherby a new resident who is constantly scouting SL to bring us quality freebies or low prim goodies; Buccaneer Braveheart and Ariel Laks, BH's love birds, Buc's suggestions for this blog have proved to be excellent, the "old" cowboy's charming ways make him a welcome sight every time he rezzes at BH, his lady, Ariel is a writer who will soon (I hope) contribute some of her writings to this blog.

Tet in his furry skin.



A warm thank you goes to Matilda “Tilda” Little, Bird Thor, Lissy Tigerpaw and Teressa “Baby Tess” Adamski. Right from the very beginning all four of them have been an important part of my SL life. Tilda’s sense of humor and her wisdom have both been a major source of joy for everyone who meets her. Same is true for Bird, Lissy and Tess; they are part of what I affectionately call the Swedish “invasion.” All four of them have touched my life in a very special way.

Tilda relaxing.



Tess on her trike, being "guarded" by the two newfies.



Thanks also go to Rogers Albatros, Loke Hastings and Leo Eppenberger - they are the male side of the Swedish “invasion." Rogers is BH’s official Security Guard. Early on during its existence BH suffered a griefer attack. There have been no further attacks, but just in case, Rogers is on the lookout for unusual activity. Loke and Leo are BH’s goodwill ambassadors, they often direct visitors to the right place or hand them a notecard with additional information about BH. Loke and Leo also tell me about new visitors so that I may personally greet the newcomers.

Rogers at home.



Thanks also go to Adeel Cave. Adeel is at the top of my contacts list (it is arranged in alphabetical order you silly!); he was among the very first people that I met when I rezzed into SL. Since that time, Adeel and I have seen both bad times and good times. Even through the worst of times, Adeel’s wacky sense of humor and his endless "bad" puns have managed to bring a smile to those around him. No mention of Adeel is complete without also a mention of Cherina “Cher” Trappen. Because we are on the West Coast (or Left Coast to some), Cher and I are usually online at the same time. Our talks have been like a shining light, always guiding me.

Special thanks to Rachel Brimm. Rachel too was one of BH’s early residents. She has been a mentor and guide to countless new BH residents. Rachel's special talent in decorating using low-prim furniture has been a welcome asset to new members. Like me, Rachel suffers from occasional bouts of insomnia, so we two can stay up late talking about “stuff.”

Rachel, right before Halloween.



BH would not be where it is now without the help of residents from the “frozen tundra” or as us “southerners” call it: Canada. Canada is the land of Jim Carrey, Bill Shatner, Alex Trebek and Shania Twain (and the land that brought us Trivial Pursuit and the Four Seasons Hotel); Canada is also the land of Deneby Strauss. As previously mentioned, it was Deneby who helped me put together the plans for BH and it was Deneby who, through his early support, gave me the push I needed to get BH going. Thank you, eh!

No thank-you list can be complete without a mentioning Mickey Geest. As you probably remember, Mickey was my boss at ABC Homes. He taught me many valuable SL skills, like how to properly rezz a house (is not as easy as it looks), how to use a borders tool to size up a parcel and how to properly install TP devices in a home or building (I can’t even tell you how many avis I have accidentally orbited with an improperly installed TP button - sorry guys!). Mickey also taught me a few “choice” phrases that will come in handy if I ever find myself accosted on the streets of Amsterdam. Of course, I returned the favor by teaching Mickey the difference between an “inexpensive” home and a “cheap” one. Mickey’s biggest contribution to BH is the fact that when I wanted to quit SL for good (I was a very silly avi back in those days) Mickey offered me the job at ABC Homes and he did everything possible to keep me from leaving SL. Dank je!

Mickey in the Navy (isn't there a song by the Village People about being in the Navy).













On the subject of learning foreign languages, I have been blessed by meeting Arcabulle “Arc” Odriscoll, my French tutor. I met Arc at about the same time that I met Tilda. Both were introduced to me by an old friend – that chance introduction turned out to be quite serendipitous. In the time since I met him, Arc has been a true friend, a sounding board and a complete gentleman. Arc often contributes articles for the BH blog and he posts long comments to many of my own articles. In typical French fashion, Arc is a devoted follower of Jerry Lewis who, I am told, is considered to be quite a genius in France and more famous than even Charles DeGaulle. (OK, OK, I am kidding about the Jerry Lewis part.) Like me, Arc is a devoted cyclist, I look forward to watching this year’s Tour de France – with Arc’s commentaries as guides the Tour will be that much more fun to watch. Merci beaucoup M. Odriscoll.

I often receive IMs letting me know how beautiful our apartments are, or how well landscaped the grounds are (you should have all seen our last winter wonderland). Every time I hear someone praising our shelter I am reminded of the one person responsible for giving “physical” form to BH: Yucca Gemini. When I asked Mickey for a builder to mod my house, he introduced me to Yucca. I must confess that our initial meeting was not very auspicious. I am a talker (who would have guessed?) and Yucca is naturally quiet, especially when she is busy building. The first time I met Yucca I kept talking and Yucca kept ignoring me. I was not too happy until someone pointed out to me that Yucca was merely trying to save me money by working instead of chatting away. I am glad that Yucca decided to look past my chatterbox personality. Since that time Yucca and I have become inseparable friends. Yucca is more than the builder who built my private residence, more than the builder who gave me the gift of the Roses Cottage and more than the builder responsible for all of BH. Yucca has been a mentor, teaching me about Buddhism and about life itself. Yucca has been the one person willing to hold a mirror in front of me so that I can see myself for who I really am. Of course, Yucca can also be stubborn, obstinate and set on her ways, but then again, so am I – two stubborn “chicks” arguing over the relative merits of Heineken beer over Grolsch beer. Maybe that is the reason why we will always be friends. ¡Gracias Yucca!

Before I put all of you into a deep sleep with this thank-you-fest, allow me to indulge in one final GRACIAS. You have already “met” Glo when I wrote about how I dropped a house on his head. By now he is probably a tad upset with me for making such a big fuzz over him – well, “tough cookies buster!” If I wrote a thousand blog posts thanking Glo for all he has done for BH in general and for me in particular, I would still be approximately nine hundred and ninety-nine posts short of expressing my full thanks to my beloved "Moose." It has been my experience in life that gifts usually come with strings attached to them – not always, but often enough to make me leery.

Glo's gifts to BH, and to me, come with no strings attached. Glo once told me, "Deb, BH was your idea, I am only too happy to help you - whatever you decide to do is OK with me." He has been true to his word.

Glo, thank you for your faith in my visison and most of all, thank you for your faith in me.





This Friday is the official one-year anniversary of BH's opening. A lot has happened since Yucca put up that first, tiny apartment building. We hope that a lot more will happen in the future.

To help celebrate we are planning a party. Stay tuned for details.

And, again, thank you!