I have always identified myself with the character Walter Mitty from the movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring Danny Kay. The short story is nice too, but I love Danny Kaye, and the movie is so much better.
If you are not familiar with the story, it is about a man with a normal life and an abnormal ability to have heroic daydreams. Any real world event can trigger a fantasy with Mr. Mitty as the star who saves the day.
I am not quite the daydreamer that Mr. Mitty was, but I have an annoying habit of making up stories about my own life that sound surprisingly like movies that I have seen. My kids hate that. We will be watching a movie as a family and I will start off with, "You know, that is a lot like how your mom and I met. You remember honey... I was the super strong super hero, and you were the free wheeling stretchy girl. Battling villains side by side. But then we were forced to settle down and hide out, never revealing our secret identities to anyone. Remember that sweetheart (in case you are wondering, I am describing The Incedibles)?" By this time all three of my kids are yelling at me to stop.
This is wonderful entertainment to me. Sometimes I will mix stories together like, An Officer and a Gentleman and Top Gun and see if I can confuse my wife who tries to keep up with me. This little game of mine can come into play at anytime, and any place. Outsiders overhearing this storytelling will surely think I have lost my senses, maybe they are right, but I will continue this game. It has nothing to do with me being unsatisfied with my life. I have a wonderful life. I just think telling these stories is funny.
Knowing this about myself, it is shocking to find out that I am having the hardest time understanding Second Life. There are few rules and you can be whatever you want to be. Yesterday I met a lady in SL named Pearl. I just started talking to her, and she being the more experienced SL'er, recognized that I was a noobie. Soon she just starting giving me stuff. Clothes, skins, hair and even some bling. She was very into having me change my look. I must admit to feeling just a little like a dress up doll. It was nice that she helped me but my outward appearance is not very important to me, even in SL.
My real life is filled with fantasy, but Second Life has none? Shouldn't it be the other way around? I suppose the real problem is that I insist on labeling the experience instead of just accepting it as it is.
2 comments:
The only thing about walking around looking like a newbie, Al, is that you look like a hundred other guys. You need to express your style. It's a window into your personality in real life.
Yes, but I am afraid that I have no style. If it wasn't for
Geranimals I wouldn't know what to wear!
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