Madelaine McMasters

Alicia Sautereau wrote: I`m notorious for making bad jokes with a grain of sarcasm or totally not understandable The title just asks to not disagree with something and duh, i know ofcourse most get along with most others while not always saying what they think, i`m doing that most of the day here :matte-motes-wink-tongue I disagree about disagreeing just for the sake of the dot: I love to play devil's advocate, though she usually cringes when I do. Years ago I attended a workshop on "brainstorming". The facilitator stood up in front of the group and laid out the rules of game, starting with "There is no such thing as a bad idea, so toss them in, no matter how whacky." I immediately put up my hand. She called on me and I said "There are countless bad ideas, and your stating otherwise won't make us somehow willing to aire them." We all learn appropriate social behavior and we all have thoughts that are totally inappropriate to express publicly. I can sit across the meeting table from a fellow with a horrific comb-over without telling him it's just icky that he's stooped to using ear hair to get the job done. I figure such things take care of themselves in the long run. But when I think my opinion can advance the conversation, I'm happy to voice it. As for your sense of humor, it may be like mine. Is it sarcasm or satire you employ? I often hear people say they love sarcasm when it's actually satire they enjoy. Satire attacks an idea, sarcasm attacks an individual. I recently heard a radio discussion on this topic. I grew up in a family that hurled "unsults" at each other. Our banter would appear sarcastic to outsiders until they caught the wink in it all. According to the radio program, this sort of banter is common to males, which gives me yet another reason to peek under my skirt for a double check. Maybe we need a word for fake sarcasm? Because I do love to tease, I try to make my affection clear, though not so much so that people get cavities.

Alicia Sautereau wrote: Disagree The ones who get along with every one else are the insecure ones who don`t dare to speak their minds for what ever reason, sheeple I know more than a few bright, confident people who get along very well with others. They may be imposing characters, but they are respectful, they listen, and they are not afraid to change their minds. And they do not look down on people who change theirs, which is what allows others to engage them without fear of humilation. There are, of course, people who back down too easily... and we all suffer for it. Confidence does not guarantee wisdom. Wisdom doesn't ensure confidence. Oh what a pleasure when both come together.

Staralien wrote: And everyone has one. The world is made up of many different kinds of people, from all walks of life, backgrounds, moral fiber, etc. Just because you don't agree with someone doesn't make them wrong. Unless of course they killed someone or stole something or are just a piece of crap that treats others like a piece of crap. Then it becomes questionable. Some people you.. Just. Don't. Like. Period. Doesn't make them a bad person, just means there is a conflict of personalities. Seems like the ones who get along in the world best are the ones who keep their opinions to themselves. All of us who post here just are not like that. :matte-motes-big-grin: Just my two pennies! Have a great day/night! I suppose people who keep their opinions to themselves might get along, but I wonder where they end up. I think it's quite possible to get along with people while still expressing your opinion. You simply do so civilly and you listen while others express their opinions, always with the goal of learning. I agree that my not agreeing with someone doesn't make them wrong, but I can disagree with someone because they are wrong. The trick then is to make my case clearly while allowing the other party to come around without losing face. We all make mistakes, we all get things wrong. There should be no shame in learning. Similarly, I rarely find myself in a position of such certainty that I can discount the other party's opinion. So, I state my position and the reasoning behind it and then I listen. And it's not uncommon to discover something new as a result.

I'm gonna guess that newborn Son hasn't feel unappreciated over the years, Imatest. I thoroughly agree that expecting a return on investment is a recipe for sadness. I can be powered through a day simply by the smiles I see on other people's faces. Knowing I'm able to put them there is satisfying, and actually doing so, I could argue, is self serving. If there's one thing I'm still learning, it's to graciously accept appreciation when I get it. It's as if I've gone a too far in setting no expectations. When someone gives me the gift of a thank you or a compliment, it can feel uncomfortable. But that's my problem. It's hardly fair to deprive someone else of the pleasure of putting a smile on my face.

Because of worsening allergies over the years, I haven't had a pet since I was a teen. But this weekend I was reminded of what that experience can be like. A big Black Labrador wandered into my yard and eagerly soaked up all the scritching I gave him. When he'd had his fill, he wandered away and I went to wash off. I'd never seen him before, I expect he belongs to one of my new neighbors. Later that day, he returned carrying a stuffed animal in his mouth. I scritched him up once more, we played a bit of fetch and off he went again, toy in mouth. A while later, I walked out onto the patio and his stuffed animal was there. I consider it a calling card. I'm sure you have memories like this you will cherish forever. I hope my little story reminds you that there new fuzzy friends and memories to be made, and the joy of sharing your life them them will come again. Grieving will take time, your memories will last forever, and I bet there's a lucky creature out there with your name on it. Hugs, Maddy

Sonja Smedley wrote: Well....I think it was time to make a review of what happened these 3 years I have been in SL...and I came to the conclusion that the more you give the less you get back. Pretty much the same as in RL but a bit more intensive here. I don´t know why maybe I was to good and took to much care of some people and it seems that I have wasted very very much of my time in SL to one particular person.And then after 3 years....puffffff....I saw what it was worth.Exactly nothing.Although one good friend warned me all the years after one time meeting her.I did not listen, I mean she was my one and only best friend here.The harder it is now to see that he was right all the time.:-(Hmmm...that gave me to think about the last days.And now after all I really start thinking that I do something wrong here. But it is just not only this person who dissapointed me so much...I nearly always seem to meet people who only take take take and I give and then they dissapear....slow and quiet...lol Is it really the way like....you get all when you behave like an as*****???? But I cannot act like this. I am who I am and I always thought that real friendship is worth more than only to see where you can get the next good place to live for free and to have enough prims for free use... I can't say what kind of friend my friends believe I am, but I've been on this second Second Life for nearly three years and most of the friends I spend (decreasing) time with are those I met at the beginning. My first Second Life lasted more than two years, during which I made a smaller number of friends, most of which I kept close right up until I left. But I did leave. I said my goodbyes, closed my account and never looked back. And my ability to do that sometimes bothers me. I know I'll do it again, as I have as I moved from venue to venue since first going online more than 25 years ago. I try to treat people as I'd like to be treated, but I have drawn a line between my online self and my offline self that I've never crossed. Knowing that I am a transient creature online, I have never expected anyone to return interest on my investments in them. So I can see myself on either side of your story. I am a person who gives with no expectation of a return and certainly no belief that my giving was wasted. It made me feel good. But I can also see myself as a "taker", in that I know full well that the friendships I make here will ultimately end. I've had people try to absolve me of any guilt I might feel over this by noting it's not much different than saying goodbye to friends when you move to a new city. But it is different. Nobody moves to a new city with the knowledge that all of the friendships will end when the next move comes. The maid of honor at my wedding has moved all around the US in the 21 years since that day, yet we are still in touch... not a lot, but enough to trust one of us will come to the other's funeral. It's sad that you felt your time was wasted. I had a roller coaster relationship in my first life here, as have many others. It was wonderful when it was wonderful, it was terrible when it was terrible and three years later I still don't think it was time wasted. She may have played me at times, but there were moments I don't believe she was and so I know that what I gave was appreciated... and I feel good about that. So, I'll remember the wonderful moments and forget the terrible. It's what I do. I hope you can find a way to look back and see that, although it ultimately didn't work out, you probably made a positive difference in people's lives here, and feel good about that. Let's call that your internal rate of return on investment. External return is a bonus.

Jewel Laurasia wrote: Not what I meant, but read into it for yourself what you will Another idea would be to tick off a check box in the edit shape window on values you don't want changed, so when wearing a new shape, those values would remain the same. That would be simpler than a notecard with values. Yep, that's an interesting way to handle this, providing you can understand the effect unlocked sliders would have on locked ones. As I mentioned elsewhere, I found the face to be immune enough from the effects of body sliders to allow me to "Frankenstein" up my current shape from more than one LL noob avatar.

I like the idea. I spent a lot of time trying out shapes years ago. It seemed that the faces I liked were always on bodies I didn't and vice versa. The face is terribly important, as reflected in the fact that it occupies about 3% of a human body's surface area and about 16% of the SL avatar texture space. I finally spent a few hours noodling with LL noob shapes, writing down all the numbers from regions of each avatar I liked and typing them into a full perm shape of my own. I was able to tease out those regions that don't interact with each other so much as to make co-mingling impossible. It was a tedious process and I don't look forward to doing it again. I don't recall if sliders like "Body Fat" have a large impact on face shape. While I think having the ability to swap a new head shape on an existing body is terrific, we won't see LL implement it. They've lost the ability to render my house completely and I'd rather they fix that before making this improvent.

There are very few pictures of Madelaine Marbach (my first incarnation) in existence. I deleted all but this one. This is from my second day in SL, April 8, 2008. I'd just been given L$250 by a kindly woman. I expressed my desire to purchase beautiful hair, though apparently not by actually doing so. As you can see, I'd not yet learned to dress myself...

Should people finding fault with SL/LL/TPVs be required to disclose any affiliations they may have with competing interests? So long as we are allowed to be anonymous here, I see no way to achieve what you are considering. Nor does my BS detector feel particularly deprived as a result.

Rolig Loon wrote: This whole discussion, while interesting, sounds a lot like the old Dear Abby thread in which people argued for months about whether toilet paper should pull off the top of the roll or the bottom. Top!

Dresden Ceriano wrote: Madelaine McMasters wrote: I've almost learned to take a broader view of a person than can be gleaned from one post. Sometimes one post is enough, but not often. Sometimes people only see that for which they're looking. ...Dres Your fly is unzipped.

...beams. Thank you, I like you too!

Dillon Levenque wrote: You got sumpin' against pervs? And instead of using the potholes for wordplay, perhaps you should be reducing their number. I mean, you do seem to be driving a backhoe there. Nothing against perves, I've just got a thing for firemen. There's something about flameproof bib trousers that makes makes my knees buckle. As for the potholes, if people are happy to fill them with pot, I won't waste good gravel. I'll save that for dinner with guests.

Sephina Frostbite wrote: Madelaine McMasters wrote: Sephina Frostbite wrote: Thank you and hope you have a nice day. I stopped wishing people a "nice day" long ago. Even when I mean it, nobody believes me. Now I tell them to get into trouble and report back. Even when I don't mean it, they often go off and do exactly that. Humans! The trick I'm still learning is how to detect when I am damned if I do, and damned if I don't. ;-) I never say have a nice day in a mean way even if I am being unfairly treated. I know how you feel. Thank you for your response before. You said it perfectly. I had no clue some would view my thread as drama or attention seeking. If they knew me they would know I actually am quiet and to myself. I am teaching myself how to build and create which is a learning curve so I am going to attend some classes. Creating drama is a horrible way to get attention one who think. I am sure if I wanted that kind of attention it would be easily gotten and wouldnt need LMs to find it. I love wordplay and I often purposely misinterpret if I think I can put a smile on someone's face by doing so. I believe the last sentence of your OP was misinterpreted by at least one and perhaps more. You said, and I quote... "apparently I befriended all the close minded pervs. lol". I think that was interpreted as you judging the people who walked away from you as "pervs." But if you change just one word in your statement, the meaning you intended becomes clearer. "apparently I befriended all the close minded firemen. lol". And now it becomes clear that you actually like firemen. Who wouldn't? Your mistake was to befriend only the close minded ones. I've almost learned to take a broader view of a person than can be gleaned from one post. Sometimes one post is enough, but not often. Ceka said, "Enjoy the ride, avoid the potholes." I'm not sure why people go around filling holes with pot, but if you get that stuff on your tires, you'll stain the garage floor. I'm guessing Ceka is speaking from experience. She usually does.

Sephina Frostbite wrote: Thank you and hope you have a nice day. I stopped wishing people a "nice day" long ago. Even when I mean it, nobody believes me. Now I tell them to get into trouble and report back. Even when I don't mean it, they often go off and do exactly that. Humans! The trick I'm still learning is how to detect when I am damned if I do, and damned if I don't. ;-)

Saraya Starr wrote: Caitlin Tobias wrote: Lucretia Brandenburg wrote: My impression from the OP is that most of those dumping her like a hot potato are "friends with benefits" or why dump her because they won't be getting a piece of the cookie any more? While say, sending out a group announcement or posting it on adboards would be a bit much, I don't think letting her friends know she's not interesting in bumping pixels anymore constitutes a desire for drama, especially if those friends are used to sticking their hand in the cookie jar ... sort of a warning, get away from that, or the lid is going to smash your fingers. OK, let me put it this way then: this whole OP is about the dramaz. Losing 'friends'over an 'announcement' or how you want to call it and then wonder wtf happened? But hey, that could be just me eh? Ok, I wasn't going to post in this thread, but my thoughts exactly, Caitlin. I have thought from the OP's first post that this is all about the drama. For the life of me, I cannot see why you (OP) even felt the need to come post about this at all. I don't see evidence that Sephina felt a "need" to post. I'm not even sure how a need to post reveals itself. You and I also posted here. Similarly, I don't see from Sephina the sort of shock or indignation that Caitlin's "wtf" insinuates. When a curious observation attracts a lot of attention, it can be difficult to see that it may have been little more than a curious observation. I've not read the whole thread, and so may have missed the mark, but it seems that Sephina has maintained her composure amidst the usual amount of misinterpretation. There may have been attempts to bring drama here, but she seems to be defusing them.

Trinity Yazimoto wrote: Madelaine McMasters wrote: Trinity Yazimoto wrote: Thanks Maddy ! Well now you pluck feathers ? and no more hands in pockets ? :smileywink: hugs Birds have pockets? Lol you use to say it yourself ... pockets are not really needed to put your hands in lol That's right. All I need to put "hands in" is hands! And between Snugs and me, we've got four of 'em! Cover your bums, everybody!

Good afternoon, Kids!!! Anybody seen Lia?

Trinity Yazimoto wrote: Thanks Maddy ! Well now you pluck feathers ? and no more hands in pockets ? :smileywink: hugs Birds have pockets?

Czari Zenovka wrote: ...Trinity Yazimoto (4 years) and... Me! (6 years) Birds of a feather have Rezdays together...or something like that! Happy Rezday, Trinity!!!! :heart: ...plucks a feather from each of you as a remembrance. Happy RezDay, Czari and Trin!

Dillon Levenque wrote: Perfect timing! It's someone else's 75th birthday today: Bugs Bunny. And because the Internet is so useful I even found a clip to share. I don't know that we have a Bugs on the Forum but I'm pretty sure that other guy is here somewhere. There's even a little something to remind us of 16—I just know she'd have loved those scooters :-). ... swoons.

Valen Serpente wrote: Life before the internet... sunlight and strange creatures. If you do it right, that's also life during and after.

Porky Gorky wrote: Life before the internet was one of standing around looking suspicious in newsagents waiting for the shop to clear so one could sneakily purchase a top shelf publication (obscured beneath a newspaper) with minimal embarrassment. All hail the interwebs and it's smorgasbord of free pornography!! For me, life before the internet was one of chatting with people on "The Well". Before that, it was chatting with people on the campus mainframe's inter-terminal messaging system. Before that it was chatting with people on local bulletin board systems. Before that, it was chatting with Dad at the terminal in his office from the terminal in my bedroom. There are days I think I haven't advanced one iota... nor need to.

Janelle Darkstone wrote: I wonder how many students finally graduate college, enter the real world and find out it's just easier to lie or not tell the whole truth unless you happen to be in front of a grand jury ( and even then you'll have a lawyer and, if he's a good one, lies and half-truths with the best of them ). Lying. It works for politicians, lawyers, policemen, ad executives, insurance salesmen, clergy, used car salesmen, new car salesmen.... Note to all students conducting surveys here: don't say anything, just ask your questions, form your statistics and bend them to suit your purposes like you would anyway. I think that's why it's incumbent on all of us to think critically, and to encourage and teach others to do the same. If you don't want BS to rise to the top, you've got to detect it at the bottom. I was lucky enough to work in engineering, where the laws of physics are strictly enforced by the greatest BS detector of all time... Nature.