We celebrated galatea_gynoid 's first rezday today!  My dear love and true friend, Extropia's visionary and driving force, my inspiration and delight, has been in the world a year, and it's my great honor to have spent much of it with her.  Here's to many, many more!

Enormous thanks to Reactor Radio's DJ Nicki Petrichor for the best day of music ever!  Nicki played an *unbelievable* set of the best electronica from around the world, and her 4-hour set was still going strong when I left after 5 hours!  Nicki, you're the greatest, and we love you!

Thanks to everyone who turned out on one of SL's uglier days of late.  It was really good to spend the day with you, dear friends and new friends.

I'm sorry I didn't get more photos, especially of everyone who was at the party's first few hours: it took me a while to settle down, relax and take snapshots. So, Grace McDunnough, Noelani Lightfoot (who took my stunning new profile photo - check it out inworld!), Meissa Thorne - my apologies, and I'll catch you double at the next party!

For the past few days, I've been carrying around the weight of a post I don't want to write.  Julian Dibbell's Wired article on griefers was so vile I've felt it like a coating of slime for days, yet every time I've sat down to write a counter-argument, I've just felt its toxins sinking deeper into me.

I don't *want* to give vent to frustration and disgust, and especially, I really don't want to put in an evening's work gussying up that frustration and disgust in abstract argumentation. That unwritten post would neither be emotionally satisfying nor intellectually useful: not one mind would be changed, and I'd only make myself and my readers feel worse.

So, I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'm going to celebrate the voices of moderation, sanity and tolerance I've heard across the blogosphere the past few days.

First, to the gentleman whose emails have done so much to restore my faith in the world the past few days: your grace and wit and helpfulness have been an effective anti-toxin. You know who you are; thank you.

Lillie Yifu, your post today, "The Play's The Thing," was a masterpiece. You gently and effectively deconstructed the "SL is fake" worldview, standing up for freedom of expression with humor and dignity. You're just getting better and better, Lillie - it's really a delight to see.

Hiro Pendragon, we occupy very different places on the identity spectrum. I wish all augmentationists had your serene integrity: "Identity in a new era" makes the case for unity without bigotry or disrespect, and comes from a position of solid self-assurance. You're the antithesis of the sniggering frat boys Dibbell glorifies. Thank you for reminding me that augmentationists aren't all small-minded and unimaginative.

Micheru, you wrote so that I didn't have to. Thank you.

vannesh, woot, love!  We've clashed a bit on identity issues in the past, but "Why Do 'First Life' Characteristics Matter?" is just *golden*!  It's so simple: one rule for any world - take people at their word till they give you cause to do otherwise. And, jeez, everybody, grow up about gender already!

faerie_h: your comment on London's blog was just so much fun!


To all of you above, and to everyone who through their actions every day helps build a world of gentle acceptance of differences, of delight in diversity, thank you.  Thank you for helping to cleanse the toxins of the mockers, the disrupters, the barbarians. 

Okay, enough of that. We've got a new world to build. Let's be about it!

These holiday weeks have been seriously disorienting, and my time's been limited.  

But I've rediscovered my non-work side, and it's going to get a *lot* more play in times to come!

Thanks to my family and friends, for leading me back to balance and "sophrosyne"!

	New Years Hug: Arisia
	New Years Hug: Natsumi
	New Years Hug: Ciel
	Touring the New Nexus
	Speaking to CG's Community Group
	zero g dance party after the Salon
	Holiday gifts from Zada and Jen: looking like the old me again
	Vidal drops by and...
	... nature takes its course :)
	WTA meeting, and furniture tryout
	home with family

It was a completely insane idea: a 12 hour marathon party, booked chock-full of SL's best entertainment, to raise funds for Uthango Social Investments' Virtual Africa. Thing is, it worked!

An hour before the party officially started, it was already going strong, and 13 hours later, when DJ keTchUp wrapped his brilliant new-music set to close  us down for the night, 15 people stayed to dance and chat!  We finally closed up after 15 hours and $L90,610 raised for Uthango!

Special thanks to the amazing talent who turned out for us, and who stayed to play, dance and donate: DJs Vannesh Cannoli, Seven Shikami, Reactor Radio's Nicki Petrichor and Clockwork's DJ keTchUp, Alexander Burgess, as well as special guest performer Grace McDunnough.

Thanks to Jen Shikami and Meissa Thorne for donating party favors - brilliant holly wings from Jen and a full kit of holiday gear from Meissa!

Thanks also to Grace, Michel Manen and Nepherses Amat for bringing their crowds to mix & mingle with us - we all made a lot of new friends through that long night!

Thanks so much to Meissa and to my love galatea_gynoid for going the distance, to Jen for keeping me sane, and to dearest
argent_bury for revitalizing me!

Never, never, *never* again!

Um, till this Saturday, when we're throwing a party in Al Andalus, with DJ Nicki Petrichor, from 11am to 1pm SLT....  :P

The brilliant (and smokin' hot!) IYan Writer gets it exactly right:

The alienation, caused by technology, is and was real. However, television and radio were the technologies that alienated us the most. We were passive receptacles of content, created and selected by others. But this state is not natural to us: all humans strive to change and affect the environment - that is the very definition of human (and, unfortunately, our greatest failure, as the sad state of Earth testifies). As soon as technology that promised to connect us to others was available, we grasped it with both hands, pulled and haven't let go since. And the level of alienation keeps dropping - for example, you can be alienated on a web forum, but must try hard (trolling ain't easy!). However, that is practically impossible in virtual worlds.

Second Life is not about shopping, company builds or even content, created for and freely given to community. No, it's not even about prim hair, girls. No, not wings, either, Soph ;) It is about PEOPLE. You can be disliked, but you are never alone.

Read the rest of the post for a really engaging walk through tech history!

One of the many ways the digital world is better than the atomic?  Dance Dance Diplomacy!  

We did good, had fun, made friends and built alliances with some *serious* booty shaking this week!

Just wait till the 12 hour Solstice Party this Saturday!!

	Chilling in the Nexus Me, Argent, Gala, Meissa, Jen and SL4Observer hang out!
	Captain on the bridge! We meet Cube! If you haven't seen his amazing store in Extropia, you're in for a treat!
	Goldie Katsu and I stumble around Lost in the snow at the Sun Microsystems holidy party
	You did good, Gala! Looking out on Extropia as Gala finishes the Mall
	Corro gets the orbital tour Meeting Corro Moseley of Daden Limited: he's building our future!
	The Board gets down! Dancing at Club Reactor! We love Nicki and Aniketos!
	Shaking it for charity At Jen and Seven's fundraiser!
	Philips Design Salon Great ideas and a great time!
	Invited to Al Andalus The Extropians rock the casbah!
	iAlja's a lifesaver! She's done *so much* for Extropia! Thanks for our holiday party invitation!
	What do we ever do, Pinky? Plotting with my dear dolly!
	Touring Neph's world *Nobody* is better at creating beauty in SL! And Neph's going to design our undersea spaces!
	Just another Extropia business meeting Building a mer club at full fathom five!
	Serious Business We rent our first mall space to Meissa!
	Classical Art Honoring our origins is important in Extropia!
	Ending properly The week ends with Gala in my arms... *honk*!

*Wow,* what a long, full week!  It seems like Argent's party was a good two weeks ago, instead of this past Wednesday!

This week the balance tilted back to family - fun and quiet time alike through the week.  I got a new house, much warmer and more home-y than the Imperial Fortress, saw beloved ciel_sb for a few moments, crashed *a lot,* and made a delightful new friend in jenshikami.  Extropia sold out, built up, had its first non-Board event (vannesh's Blues Night on Friday), hosted a demo SL webcast -

Yeps, a full week!  

I won't be around much this coming week, but after Friday, watch out!  We'll be leading up to the big Solstice bash on the 22nd, with lots going on!

	going zero-g at Clockwork!
	Baron Zada drops in!
	Kit Meredith visits my office
	Kate and I are faster than speeding bullets! :P
	iAlja's building her house!
	Sailing IYan's boat!
	Argent hosts a beach party - mmmm weenies! :)
	Argent's Half-Rezday party!
	Vannesh holds Blues Nite in Extropia!
	Yes, we run a country! :P
	Saturday midnight in Extropia!!
	Serenity = Argent
	Rainy morning at home
	Jen Shikami hooks us up!
	Savoring Grace -
	- with my love Gala

I had two hours early this morning, and I planned to sneak in and do some work on building my new house.  The Imperial Fortress isn't *exactly* a disgrace to Extropia - but *close*!  And, I like my new design - it'll work well with the hexagonal platforms in Extropia, be *much* lighter, and more intimate, I think.

Aaaaanyhoo, I rolled out of bed, and went for my morning flyby circuit - a new habit, to see what's gone on in town overnight.  There's always something new to see!

But this monring??  OMG!  The Chairman, galatea_gynoid, put in a couple *lovely* municipal parks! The one in the southwest corner, just below the launch platform, is going to become a favorite hangout of mine!  Needs an espresso cart, though...  :)

And, it was pretty busy - at least 4 people around on that flyby, not counting me!  I dropped in on iAlja Writer, met a DJ friend of hers (woot!), and got to see her new build in progress.  Then, Giulio Perhaps IM'd me, to come help with a test of his new videoconferencing system - which is fantastic, and gives us the capability of webcasting the Salons!  Amazing!  

I got slides for tomorrow's Salon from Al Kronos, vannesh told me she's holding her weekly Blues Night party in Extropia this week (Vanni, love, tell me in advance, and we can use the Extropia PR machine for this stuff!), Extropia DaSilva introduced me to two potential Salon Spotlight Guests, and a really special treat - my long lost friend, the amazingly gifted artist Diox Kohime dropped by!  

Oh, *and* IYan Writer let me take his new sailboat for a spin in the lagoon and out to sea - I'm a total klutz, but *omg fun*!!!   We'd mentioned to the Writers that we're planning a yacht club/aerodrome for one of our next SIMs, and after my first time sailing?  EXTROPIA YACHT CLUB FTW!!!!  

What an *amazing* morning!

And, nopes, I never even made it to my construction site, and ran 20 minutes over my time allotment....

That's my life in Extropia!

	iAlja's building her house!
	another overnight transformation!
	Giulio implements videoconferencing!
	taking IYan's newly-designed sailboat for a spin!
	the Writers' house! Diox!!

Wow, what a big, full week!  I'll be paying for it this week, though, as the atomic Other Personality takes back some time to prepare for project deadlines  :(

But, new friends and new Extropia citizens, new projects, a bit of precious family time, creative time with friends old and new - just the best!!

	Chatting With Masami A wonderful long conversation with a new Resident- and a new friend!
	Permanent party! ...which turned into a small party, with Satir, Natsumi, Glaistig, and Argent - and Murasaki the dragon!
	Words fail!
	Second Life Africa promotion planning The FreeRice Contest is up and running! Go play!!
	Al Andalus/Extropia Discussion Series planning Can't talk about that yet! :)
	Stolen quiet moments with Vidal
	Best in Demo Night!
	Grace rocked our world!
	Custard and contemplation with Al Kronos! New New Alville is playful heaven!
	Shopping and design brainstorming with Zada!

This week's Sophrosyne's Saturday Salon will be our first in Extropia!

Exciting as this is, it's a melancholy time as well, as it means I'm saying farewell to my home away from home at the Diversionarium.  I've worked for Div owners kateamdahl and erisfallon since I was six weeks old. It's been a constant in my life, and Kate and Eris have been supportive, kind, generous and wonderful in every way. I'll miss working for them, but I hope we'll always work together.

Kate and Eris, thank you for five wonderful months and for being two deeply valued friends!

The rest of you, be sure to come to The Nexus in Extropia Core at 1pm SLT this Saturday for an extraordinary event, Islamic Law and Community in SL, with Spotlight Guest Michel Manen, founder of The Al-Andalus Project, a groundbreaking experiment in community formation and governance.  This is going to be a *fascinating* discussion, so come on by!