HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY - 2010

By Debbie Bulloch



Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, a day in which we give thanks for the people, events and “things” in our lives. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving Day is also celebrated in Leiden, in the Netherlands.

In the United States, it falls on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is Columbus Day in the United States.

The precise historical origin of the holiday is disputed. Although Americans commonly believe that the first Thanksgiving happened in 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, there is strong evidence for earlier celebrations in Canada (1578) and by Spanish explorers in Florida (1565).

The traditional origin of modern Thanksgiving in the United States is generally regarded to be the celebration that occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in Massachusetts, in 1621. The Wampanoag Native Americans helped the pilgrims who arrived in Massachusetts cultivate the land and fish, saving them from starvation. This harvest celebration occurred early in the history of what would become one of the original Thirteen Colonies that later were to become the United States. This Thanksgiving was modeled after harvest festivals that were commonplace in Europe at the time.

Many of the Pilgrims who would end up at the Plymouth Plantation resided in the Dutch city of Leiden from 1609–1620.According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of thanksgiving for the relief of the 1574 siege of Leiden.
The history of Thanksgiving in Canada goes back to an explorer, Martin Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean. Frobisher's Thanksgiving celebration was not for harvest, but for homecoming. He had safely returned from a search for the Northwest Passage, avoiding the later fate of Henry Hudson and Sir John Franklin. In the year 1578, Frobisher held a formal ceremony in Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving the long journey.

French settlers who came to New France (Canada) with explorer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century also took to celebrating their successful harvests. They even shared their food with the indigenous peoples of the area as well as setting up what became known as the "Order of Good Cheer."

Regardless of the origins of Thanksgiving Day, this is one of my favorite holidays. It is a time for friends and family to gather and spend time together. It is also a time to give thanks for the many blessings that we enjoy.

This year, as in past years, I have much to give thanks for. I have been blessed in ways that I cannot even begin to understand. There is much that I have to give thanks for. I give thanks for a daughter who is truly the apple of my eye and a treasure beyond compare. I give thanks for my Father; even though he left this world long ago, I feel his presence and his strong, guiding everyday single day of my life. I give thanks for my Mom and I especially give thanks to God who saw her safely during her recent surgery. I give thanks for things big and small; I give thanks for my country and for the brave men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the country that I love, I give thanks for my dog who eagerly awaits for me, with a smile on his sweet face, when I return home for work, I give thanks for my bicycles that carry me far and wide on such wonderful adventures, I give thanks for my friends who are always there to support and encourage me.

I also have much to give thanks for in my SL “life.” It is funny how a “game” has now become such a big part of my life, to the point where when I give thanks for my blessings, I include my many SL blessings.

I have been a resident of SL for over three years. During that time, I have met many wonderful, awesome people; yes, I have met a few “clunkers” but for the most part the overwhelming majority of the people that I have met in SL have enriched my life. There are many special people in SL who have made, and continue to make, a lasting impression on my life. These are people with whom I have shared my moments of joy as well as my moments of sadness; people who have seen me through the good and the bad times; people whom I miss terribly when I come in-world and they are not here.

There is one person, however, that I wish to single out for special thanks. I met Teressa “Tess” Adamski almost three years ago, when she was an “SL baby” and her SL mom, Bird Thor, used to bring her over to my house to play by the beach. In the years since that first meeting, Tess has blossomed into a wonderfully creative person, an invaluable ally, a fierce protector of me and Between Homes and a dear, dear friend.

When I am sad, Tess is quick with a hug or a funny story, to make me feel better. When I am happy, Tess is happy for me. We spend a lot of time talking about all kinds of subjects, including U.S. movie and TV trivia (of which Tess has a HUGE amount of knowledge), vikings, politics, pets, food and even IKEA furniture!

Tess, this Thanksgiving Day when I give thanks for my many blessings, I will especially give thanks for you and for the friendship that you have given me.

Tack sa mycket!

Thank you very much!

I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT

ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COOLEY – I’d Really Love to See you Tonight (video)



I’d Really Love to See you Tonight (lyrics)

Hello, yeah, it's been a while.
Not much, how 'bout you?
I'm not sure why I called,
I guess I really just wanted to talk to you.
And I was thinking maybe later on,
We could get together for a while.
It's been such a long time,
And I really do miss your smile.

I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing the stars around,
And I'd really love to see you tonight.

We could go walking through a windy park,
Or take a drive along the beach.
Or stay at home and watch t.v.
You see, it really doesn't matter much to me.

I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing the stars around,
And I'd really love to see you tonight.

I won't ask for promises,
So you don't have to lie.
We've both played that game before,
Say I love you, then say goodbye.

I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing the stars around,
And I'd really love to see you tonight.

ARMISTICE DAY - 2010

By Debbie Bulloch



On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in 1918, men of good will sat around a table, in a railway car, and together signed a peace treaty. The men who met that day in the French town of Compiègne intended that by signing the Armistice to end the First World War, they would forever end all wars.

Sadly, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. A little over 20 years after the signing of the Armistice, German troops led by a man hell-bent on world domination, invaded Poland. Soon after that, German storm troopers spread across Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and France--the word’s bloodiest and costliest armed conflict was well on its way.

Almost a century after the signing of the Armistice to end the war that was supposed to “end all wars,” the carnage of war goes unabated. For all of our pretentions to civility, for all of our accomplishments in the arts, science and philosophy, for all of our claims to biological superiority, we humans are no better than baboons. We continue to send young men and women to fight senseless territorial wars, we continue to lay waste to this beautiful blue planet that is our home and we continue to treat our own brothers and sisters with savage brutality in the name of religion.

On this Armistice Day, I encourage you to find ways to wipe wars from the face of the Earth. Become better educated and hold our so-called leaders accountable for their decisions. Take responsibility for your own actions, become a good steward of our planet and the animal, and plant life in it.

One more thing: if you meet a war veteran or a current soldier, please stop for a moment and thank him and her for their service. Remember that soldiers serve under difficult conditions; whether we agree or disagree with their mission, they are our brothers and sisters and fully deserve our support and appreciation.

Peace out!

REQUIEM FOR A FRIEND

By Debbie Bulloch



My mom’s recent surgery made me face the prospect of potentially losing my one remaining living parent. The realization that I could lose my last remaining living parent, forced me to embark on a journey of self-discovery. The initial steps were not easy ones, especially when those first steps took me back in time to a part of my life I would have preferred to remain buried and out of mind. The journey is far from over, but I am happy to report that I have already gained valuable insights about myself and about family relations.

No journey of self-discovery, however, is ever complete; there always remains some unfinished business. Today, on the drive home from work an old song came up on the car’s radio. Listening to Dave Mason’s song about a long-lost love (“We Just Disagree”) reminded me that there is still one piece of unfinished business that I have to take care of.

Bur first, a little background.

I joined Second Life on July 2007. Back then, when I took my first, newbie baby steps, I had no way of knowing that more than three years later I would still be coming “in-world.” My initial reason for joining Second Life was simple enough: I was curious about this strange new computer world. Curiosity got the best of me (what is that about “curiosity killed the cat?”) and so here I am, three years later and I still visit SL on a regular basis.

From my very first newbie day, I was astounded at the ease with which I could meet people and build friendships with people from all over the world. From day one, I took each avatar that I met at face value. Like watching characters in a play or a movie, the avatar became the character that I interacted with. I did not stop to think, however, that just like in a movie or a play, each fictional character is actually played by a real-life actor.

Because it is so easy to meet and befriend people in Second Life, it becomes equally easy to forget that behind every single avatar there lives a real life person. Although our avatars are made of thousands of pixels floating somewhere in a Linden Lab server, the person behind the avatar moving on our computer screen is a real life person, made of real life flesh and blood. Every single avatar that populates Second Life’s world is powered by a mind that is capable of real feelings and emotions; inside every virtual SL character, there beats a real heart that can at times be easily hurt.

Early in my SL life, I had my heart broken by someone for whom SL was a game. I wish that my experience had taught me to be a tad more careful with the feelings of the people that I meet in SL. Instead, I ignored Second Life’s cardinal rule that every avatar is in fact a real life person. In the process, I callously hurt a person whose big RL heart I once held in my avatar’s little hands.

This is then my mea culpa for the wrong that I have done. It is my requiem for the friend that I treated so badly. It is a cautionary tale of what happens when we forget that avatars are more than just pixels.

Back in May 2008, while looking for land to build my new home, I met a wonderful person. He was kind, considerate and as gentle as a big Teddy bear. In fact, he was everything that the man who had previously hurt me was not. Even when I was not on my best behaviour, he never got angry with me and never even scolded me. We spent many hours chatting the night away. It was during these chats that I became aware that in spite of his soft-spoken demeanor, this man was also possessed of a keen intellect, who could give me a run for my money in any debate about any subject. Still waters run deep indeed!

As our friendship deepened, I became aware that he was hoping that our SL relationship would eventually lead to something more—a RL meeting or perhaps a RL relationship. From the very first day we met, I was honest with him by letting him know that I did not want to mix RL and SL. The heart, however, wants what the heart wants; I could see that he was falling deeper and deeper for me.

During the course of our conversations, he learned about “the Wall” that to this day surrounds me. He then became genuinely interested in helping me break down “the Wall.” His efforts to make me come out of my self-imposed seclusion, however, met with obstinate refusal on my part. Instead of seeing that all he wanted to do was to help me, I got angry at his efforts and in many occasions, I told him to simply “let me be.”

In retrospect, I should have “let him go” (for his own good). Instead, I let things go on. They say that in the trial of one’s mind, we only call witnesses for the defense. I suppose that that in my "defense" I can make a feeble argument that it was so easy to bask in the warm afterglow of his incredible friendship that I forgot that the avatar in front of me was man with real feelings. I took him and his feelings for granted; in the process I hurt him incredibly so. He generously gave of himself. In return, all I did was to selfishly take and gave nothing in return.

It has been almost five months since I last saw him online. By now, I have given up hope of ever seeing him online again. The last time that I received an e-mail from him, he assured me that there was nothing wrong--I know better. Once again, he is being true to form--polite, caring and not wishing to hurt my feelings in the least bit. He has finally done what I should have done long ago; he has bowed out gracefully to spare himself further pain and frustration. I can’t blame him.

There is a line from one of his favorite movies, “Bladerunner,” that goes something like this: “The candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long.” His presence was a bright, glowing candle that burned brightly in my SL life—through my own fault, it burned only for a short time.

Dear one, if you are reading this (and I hope you are) please accept my apologies for all the hurt that I have so grievously caused you. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

For the rest of you, please don’t forget that every avatar that you meet in SL is a RL person; treat him or her as you would want to be treated yourself. Don’t make the same mistakes that I’ve made.

DAVE MASON - We Just Disagree

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

By Debbie Bulloch



California, the Golden State; the place where dreams of movie stardom come true, the land where big fortunes are made, America’s last frontier. No state in the USA, and perhaps no other place in the planet, holds such fascination and inspires so many dreams as California does.

Even in its current situation: high unemployment, sky soaring taxes, near bankruptcy and a recent election that offered Californians a dismal choice between a washed-out, ex-governor or a billionaire carpetbagger, no matter how insurmountable our problems may seem to the rest of the world, California is STILL the place to be.

Moreover, no other place in the world has inspired so many songs as California has. DO a Google search and you will see that the list of songs about California goes on and on and on.

Here are five very different songs about California, my home state.

Enjoy!

PHANTOM PLANET – California



EAGLES – Hotel California




THE MAMAS AND PAPAS – California Dreaming



THE BEACH BOYS – California Girls



THE 5th DIMENSION – California Soul