Saturday, November 8, 2014

Update on My First Life

Sweetie and I at Salazar Jack's great grandfather's shack in early 2007.
What, we are wondering, will the future bring?

If I've been inactive on this blog of late, it's because in real life the notorious avatar known here as Sweetie and I are purchasing a house in Ringwood, NJ. Closing is scheduled for noon on Monday.

It's been a struggle. The house is barely with our means (prices for homes and property taxes are notoriously high) and there has been drama with inspections. Will the 40+ year-old septic system have to be replaced? Who will pay for mitigation of the high radon levels that were discovered. Will the bank approve the loan? OMG, the huge french door refrigerator won't fit through the front door? Or will it?

Next week will be a whirlwind, what with cable/internet installers, carpet cleaners, appliance deliveries, and packing up Sweetie's apartment so we'll be ready when the moving truck shows up at 9 am on Friday.

After we have unpacked enough to make Sweetie comfortable I'll be driving home in my Miata to pack up my house and put it on the market. As a first step I'll move about half my stuff into storage so the house will be uncluttered when prospective buyers walk through it. I'll be in New Jersey for Christmas and New Year's Day and will stay here for a month or so before returning to Georgia. The holidays are a bad time for home sales, but spring comes early in Atlanta, and with luck I'll be bidding Atlanta adieu in early 2015.

Sweetie and I will marry some time in January in New York, where our marriage will be legal.

I am missing Second Life (as is Sweetie), but we should be back in world soon.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Counting Train Rides-- Update


Since I installed this sign on 28 September, the Whimsy steam train has made 206 trips (many with multiple avatars). The current count stands at 23,651. That's an average of 5.6 trips per day-- about what I estimated.

That would suggest some 13000 trips since Whimsy was born in April, 2008. Since at least half the trips carry more than one avatar, 23,6521 trips seems a reasonable guess. I'm leaving the sign as is.