we've tried the goodbye so many days

I...I can't even.



First line on her profile?

I am a redeemed child of the one and only living God and driven by my Christian faith.

I just can't.

From another random profile:

- I started putting in the same effort reaching out to you that you have to me. This is why we don't talk anymore.

That's fair in a lot of cases. I know people who unfriend when those friends stop initiating contact. For me, there are scores of people on my friendslist that are there because I used to talk to them. I'm the one not good at reaching out in many cases.

- Always beware of the fox being in charge of the hen house.

I get what they mean, but in a lot of ways, this is needlessly obscure. Just state it outright.

- If your presence can't add value to my life, your absence will make no difference.

See first point.

- When someone shows interest and passion for you and it suddenly disappears, they've already moved to their next victim.

A reference to the fox again.

- Someone's true colors will come out when you need them most and have nothing to offer in return.

Oh, always. A very old bumper from MTV once said, "If you truly want to know someone, and you don't have a lot of time, throw a glass of milk in their face." Because by doing that, you'll figure out how they deal with anger, hurt and shock all at once. It's valuable information in under a minute, if you really need it.

- Someone who has to be owned and controlled by another will never be loved.

Again, I know what they mean, but...obviously, I don't always agree. On the other hand, it's my choice to be owned. I know the parameters of that ownership. I accept the good--and the bad--within those parameters. And if I ever choose to walk away, I can do that too.

Not that I'd want to, but I am still an adult with choices. Choices I take responsibility for, choices I share responsibility for with another person. D/s, in this sense, is very symbiotic--both partners in the arrangement supporting each other.

Or at least, it should be. If one is owned in this sense, and it's only one way, that's not chosen, that's not submission under domination, that's just abuse.

- Love always takes time. You can't learn about somoene in an hour.

"Someone", and of course we can't. Second Life at large, though, falls into this trap quite often. I've told people in the past that SL is life in the spin cycle. People fall in love in an hour, marry over a weekend, divorce after two weeks. Every experience is more intense, more emotionally vital, and more emotionally devastating when it ends.

And I don't think, largely, that will change, because I see the same patterns of behavior in people who've been on the grid for a decade, that I see in people that just joined the grid. It's easy to be attracted to someone. It's easy to experience that first rush of infatuation. So of course it's as easy to get married, move in together, and, when something occurs that explodes that perceived level of connection and understanding, to storm off, unpartner, and move out.



In other news, running the advents again, I came across this lass. And I swear, when I first saw her, all I could think of was The Handmaid's Tale. I thought it was a scarily bold move to walk around in that particular attire. What a statement she was making.


That's when I realized no, it's just a holiday-red cloak and a white bonnet. Oh. I thought it made a bigger impact when I viewed it as political protest, but there you go. It's just fashion.