Willow Leafstorm’s new music venue in Steelhead Nevermoor opened with a set of truly cathartic 80’s dance music – almost everything was a remix or a cover. And unlike some “all cover” sets, each song was… great in its own right. I heard old favorites sound new – and had completely different reactions to some of the lyrics, because I was hearing them in light of some of my most recent experiences out there in untidy, noisy, fragile RL.

I stumbled into a fun game: “Kiosk Challenge.” There was a Relay For Life kiosk in the corner of the venue, and as it was a new one, it had a $L0 balance. So I automatically “fed” it a bit, as I do now when I encounter a zero-balance kiosk inworld. A bit later on someone else “fed” it, and I upped the ante – briefly. It went like this:

[19:32] Lelani Carver: Kiosk needs moar love! I will match everything up to $L1000 tonight.
[19:32] RFL of SL 2012 Official Kiosk Large: Thank you for your donation!
[19:33] [REDACTED Steelhead Clockwork Chum]: OK!
[19:33] Lelani Carver: Challenge thrown down!
[19:33] RFL of SL 2012 Official Kiosk Large: Thank you for your donation!
[19:34] [REDACTED Steelhead Clockwork Chum]: CLOCKWORKS RULE … the mail.
[19:34] Lelani Carver: ACCEPTED
[19:34] [REDACTED Steelhead Steampunk Chum]: ▣ ▤ ▥ ѕтєᴀмρᴜɴкѕ ᴅᴏ ɪт ωɪтн ᴅєνɪςєѕ ▥ ▤ ▣
[19:34] Lelani Carver: There, I’m tapped out – that was quick!!!

Second Life may have a policy against quoting chat logs without the permission of all participants, so I have cleverly redacted two entities without stomping all over the humor of it all. I invented the game after a few donations came in after mine; it seemed like a thing that you do. My little “challenge” was accepted and disposed of within a few seconds. I actually went a bit over my self-imposed $L1000 limit, because my little clockwork chum countered my last ante-upping with the whole thousand virtua-clams, which of COURSE I matched. Shortly afterwards, the Steelhead Salmons team captain, Fuzzball Ortega, remarked in group chat (he wasn’t at the dance) at how $L2240 had been donated in less than 2 minutes.

See, that didn’t take long!

I still don’t have much time for inworld stuff – I’ve managed to make it to some events, but can’t quite settle down to refresh my products and building skills just yet. I’ll need to immerse myself in work later, but right now… I need to just be, and listen, and chat, and laugh.

Most evenings this week we’ve been commuting to the border of the Undiscovered Country to watch someone we love wait, restlessly and impatiently, to cross over. There’s very little we can do. We’re going down tomorrow, and Monday too (though surely not, if there is a merciful Deity). We give love, we give support, we try to wrestle restaurant checks out of the hands of family members when we manage to drag them away from the Borderlands Hotel for a break and a meal.

Sorry for the obscurities, that’s the most detail I’m prepared to give.

Anyway, tonight’s gathering was what was needed, although some of the old songs gave me a start because certain phrases in the lyrics jumped out at me in odd ways. Like “Wouldn’t It Be Good” by Nik Kershaw. The remix we heard tonight was uptempo, faster, and not as long. But there’s a newer live version that Nik did in Norway (with some of his original band) that’s somehow deeply satisfying.

In the original video from 1984, the song’s protagonist was some kind of lonely, sick alien in a hep-cat multimedia zoot suit, a little like Ford Prefect putting out his electronic thumb and hitching a ride with the Vogons. Funny thought, that… laugh it up, Fuzzball!

But all this time we’re keeping vigil at the Borderlands lately, my mind is constantly racing. I lost it a little tonight (or at least, the typist did). So I turned the volume up and danced it back in.

I got it bad
You don’t know how bad i got it
You got it easy
You don’t know when you got it good
It’s getting harder
Just keeping life and soul together
I’m sick of fighting
Even though i know i should
The cold is biting
Through each and every nerve and fibre
My broken spirit is frozen to the core
Don’t wanna be here no more

Wouldn’t it be good to be in your shoes
Even if it was for just one day
And wouldn’t it be good if we could wish ourselves away
Wouldn’t it be good to be on your side
The grass is always greener over there
Wouldn’t it be good if we cold live without a care

You must be joking
You don’t know a thing about it
You’ve got no problem
I’d stay right there if it were you
I got it harder
You couldn’t dream how hard it got it
Stay out of my shoes
If you know what’s good for you
The heat is stifling
Burning me up from the inside
The sweat is coming through each and every pore
Don’t wanna be here no more

Wouldn’t it be good to be in your shoes
Even if it was just for one day
And wouldn’t it be good if we could wish ourselves away
Wouldn’t it be good to be on your side
The grass is always greener over there
And wouldn’t it be good if we could live without a care