Strange cross world moments in second life

It's been a while since I've had time to do anything on second life or the blog - I've realised that this really needs time and practice (and purpose, so that you can go on with a task and hopefully have someone who can advise).

Had a great meeting - unplanned - with Lulu Minnelli a couple of weeks ago. I had checked on quickly to have a look and remind myself of what we'd been doing, when Lulu came on line - just as well as I'd managed to fall from the Planet CLTAD platform, down on to the SLCF area and couldn't figure out how to get back to where I was supposed to be! I tried flying, jumping, hovering but couldn't get there and hadn't set it as a 'home' location - Lulu to the rescue! She created a wee teleporter box that would get me back - easy? Well in theory, but you have to select the thing and I couldn't remember how you did that, so I watched Lulu say cheerio and thought 'oh oh', I am still stuck here. Lulu to the rescue again! She came back and got me out, talking me through it - remember, you're typing on second life if you don't have a microphone, so it's a bit odd and slow trying to communicate. So Lulu suggested that I call her, and in second life, gave me her mobile number. As I sat in my office, looking at my virtual avatar Lyberty republic and that of Lulu Minnelli on my 24" monitor, I picked up my 'real' phone and dialed Lulu's non-virtual self in her office and she talked me through some of the basics - it was very very strange; in a nice way. The other - 'real' person behind Lulu is in my head as I'm talking to them, with the knowledge I have of what job they do, what they look like- yet I'm looking at our alter virtual personas and trying to problem solve for my other self - the one that feels completely like a 2 year old taking it's first steps! As we chatted in the virtual world, I told Lulu about the blog, and, in second life, within seconds Lulu was commenting on it - not, 'I'll check this later', but while we were still chatting in second life Lulu, through the power of a big screen, was able to multi-task - and due to my limited abilities on Second life, I was majorly impressed!

That's one of the strange but interesting things about second life - the avatar whose back of head you always see, as, just like in real life, you can't see your own face - however, unlike real life, you are outside of yourself as you look from the perspective of your avatar but with a slightly more encompassing view of the world in that you're in your own field of vision. It's full of odd dynamics like this - your clumsiness with the tools and controls feels exaggerated as you watch 'yourself' and perhaps that's what's so peculiar, you can watch yourself learn in second life - seeing and smiling at yourself as you make mistakes...