Church news

This Sunday, March 23, the sermon title at the First Church of Rosedale will be “He Is Rezzin’.” Services are at 2:00 PM, Second Life Time.

Last week, we were honored by the presence of JT Linden:

(He’s the one on the left.)

Naturally, we could not resist the temptation to ask him about the single most pressing issue of the day, what with Our Lord moving from CEO to Chairman of the Board. I am pleased to report that he assured us that Philip has no intention of giving in to the heretics, but plans to keep His hair as-is. We at the church were much relieved.

He Is Rezzin’!

Just in time for Easter… it’s a new freebie T-shirt from the Church of Rosedale.

Proclaim your faith in Our Lord Philip Linden!

Available at Samantha’s Shirts, on OnRez.com, and on SLExchange.

Our Lord works in mysterious ways

Before getting to the most recent development, I should say a few words about the First Church of Rosedale (Immersionist).

The First Church of Rosedale is founded on the recognition of one simple truth: in Second Life, Philip Linden is God. We leave all beside that to the individual parishioner. You may see Him as the Zeus-like head of a squabbling pantheon; you may see Him as the One and Only True God; you may like to think of a Trinity consisting of Philip Rosedale the Father, Philip Linden the Son, and the Holy Asset Server. To quote the Grand Flack from the First Latitudinarian Church of Celebrity Saints (in John Varley’s Steel Beach):

I don’t know if he was ever a true believer; hell, I don’t know if I’m a true believer. That’s why we call ourselves latitudinarian. If you have different ideas on the divinity of Tori-san, for instance, we don’t drive you out of the church, we give you a time slot and let you talk it over with people who agree with you. We don’t form sects, like other churches, and we don’t torment heretics. There are no heretics.

With that said, the latest message from the Lord clearly represents a significant spiritual moment. Is God being replaced? Is He moving to a higher level of divinity? Are we going to have to change our letterhead? I don’t think any one person can hope to have the answers, which is why I’m calling a special service for tomorrow, Sunday, March 16, at 2:00 PM Second Life Time.

I welcome believers, skeptics, and everybody else with open arms. Together we can get through this!

Right. Sorry about the delay…

My First Life avatar came down with a cold shortly after my last batch of entries, and then there was one thing, and then another.

On a side note, I hope the review in my last entry didn’t come across as disparaging or trivializing Sean’s book. I didn’t mean it that way at all.

Anyway, I’m back. It’s been an okay month, with not much to report anyway, until the lastest news from Philip Rosedale, which I’ll get to in my next entry. (Though I think my listeners at Triana’s Music Trivia may be getting a bit too used to my DJing. This past week, the songs I threw at them included “Hooty Sapperticker,” “Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh!” and “Bananaphone,” and nobody even blinked.)

Second Life In-World Travel Guide

You’ve likely seen the Second Life In-World Travel Guide reviewed elsewhere by now. It’s an adorable little book containing 100 destinations to visit in Second Life.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free copy from the author. I showed him a couple of places when he was researching it, and one of them (xXx Fantasy Escorts, which is one of the two places I call home) is included in the “Adults Only” section. So I’m not entirely unbiased.

But Sean’s a sweetheart, and there are worse ways to spend fifteen bucks.

As a travel guide, it’s not bad. Is it the single best 100 places in Second Life? I don’t think even the author would claim that. But it’s a good representative sampling of what’s out there in this great land of ours, and there are sure to be locations in there you’ll find of interest. Maybe you’ll even get around to visiting them. And I can see it being potentially useful for newbies who have no idea where to start.

Still, I think the book’s real value is not as a travel guide, but as a tangible photo album of Second Life at the time it was compiled. It’s pretty, and compact, and has many snapshots on glossy paper. Second Life is in a constant state of flux; you can keep this on your bookshelves and look at it ten years from now and marvel fondly at the goofy hairstyles, the primitive graphics, and how things used to be. I hope to include future volumes on my shelves and trace SL’s evolution over the years to come.

(I have only one minor quibble: “SIM,” “REZ,” and “PRIM” are in all-caps throughout the book, in defiance of normative usage and common sense. I can only posit a clueless editor who thought they were acronyms.)

Phil is love!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a unisex T-shirt from  the First Church of  Rosedale and Samantha’s Shirts. Remember the true source of love in Second Life… our Lord and Savior Philip Linden (Blessed be He).

L$25 for a pack with the black version and two shades of pink!

Available in Second Life, at SL Exchange, and at Shop Onrez.

First post!

Hi! I’m Samantha Poindexter, and this is my new blog.

Starting a blog is hard. I’ve been putting this off for ages, and this entry has been in draft form for months now. This is supposed to set the tone for everything that follows, or something, and it’s hard to know where to start. But, whatever. Here’s the quick introduction.

I’ve been in Second Life since February 2006. Since then, I’ve indulged in an eclectic array of pursuits. Among them:

I’m the founder of the First Church of Rosedale (Immersionist).

Located in Caledon Penzance, the FCR welcomes all in the spirit of fellowship as we sing hymns to Our Lord Philip Linden.

I run Samantha’s Shirts in Second Life and in First Life.

Samantha’s Shirts offers fine comedic T-shirts for Second Life denizens, all entirely original.

I’m the DJ at Triana’s Music Trivia.

Sunday nights, 7-8 PM, Second Life Time. Perhaps best described as “musical sadism,” past playlists have included an evening of mambos and another consisting entirely of covers of “A Hard Day’s Night.”

I’m a Mentor.

Each of us started as a newbie, and I’m not sure any of us would have gotten very far without meeting somebody helpful. I like being somebody helpful.

I’m a manager at xXx Fantasy Escorts.

I used to work there on a more regular basis, and I still live in a cozy skypod on the managerial level. These days, I mostly help edit the occasional notecard.

Other hats I’ve worn in the past include Tringo host, trivia host, and candidate for governor of Second Life.

And now I’m going to stop fiddling with this entry and hit “publish.” Let the revels begin!