Infrequency is the mark of the occasional blogger; such is the case with myself. I’m visiting friends in the Bethesda, MD area and – shocked to say – they don’t have internet! The neighbor has generously allowed me to use their wifi, but the signal strength is weak and thus unreliable. That, and a four-year-old who I’m caring for have conspired (that’s a power word here, so near DC) to keep me offline. I’ll be back in Minnesota next week. I’m meeting lots of new folks and it made me remark… about how small a person’s world can be.
Small world event 1: All is not fun and games here. We’ve put up an antenna (yes, no cable either), re-insulated the attic (pulled the old stuff out – nasty!), replaced electrical outlets, fixed appliances, rewired lights, lots of cleaning, and doing some VHS->DVD production work. All these projects aside, I did have a wonderful dinner with a Director from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and their family. NOAA is one of a few government organizations which has a professional island in SL (Slurl here). Looks like the build was done by a variety of MDCs. Second Life Insider has a old story about it. We spoke briefly about the island; pretty, but empty. I encouraged more live events to educate residents in addition to the static displays.
Small world event 2: The neighbor (the generous one with the wifi) grew up in the same city I live in currently. Graduated the same high school as my oldest is graduating in May. His son’s name is the same as my son’s. He works from home (ok, that one’s a stretch, I admit it). I think the odds are pretty long on that, especially coming from a smallish-metro city.
Small world event 3: While discussing with the many school moms I’ve met, one remarked about needing to ‘log in and check sales’. “What kind of sales?” I asked. Why, she has a clothing store in SL. So we talked about SL a bit, and retail sales dynamics (virtual and practical). What’s more surprising is that I found out that she has one of Leo’s original smart greeters given to her by a mutual friend. “It works perfectly!” she said. So, virtual kudos delivered in RL.
This has been a pretty emotional month for me on many levels. I tend to get thoughtful and ponder (ponderous? ponderful? one of those) when strong emotions swamp me. It has been a few years since I shared a life with a four-year-old, and it has had many challenges.. and rewards. I got some of the old kid-management chops back, aided by the near constant playing of kid music. Love it or hate it, “It’s A Small World” by Sherman and Sherman is probably in the top 10 most recognizable kid-related songs. So, you can see why I’ve titled as I have this post. Circles in circles. Deep, huh?
And, the last case of small world-itis: While finishing this post, I went looking for a link for the music and lyrics to “It’s a Small World”. First one I found was offered by the National Institute of Health (NIH). Which is in… huh, Bethesda, Maryland. Which is… oh, a block from where my friend lives. I can easily see part of their 3 acre campus by turning my head left and looking out the window.
Do you live in a small world? Perhaps you just need to look around…
Tags: fate, four year old, karma, National Institute of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NIH, NOAA, second life, small world, virtual kudos
