2nd Life ... or better to have a 1st

OK. Yes, I got suckered into checking out Second Life. Well, not sucked so much as "If 'Fast Company' is doing a profile, then it's legit and I should know more." I signed up online and within 5 minutes was walking around in the virtual 2nd Life world.

The first thing you do it walk around "Orientation Island" to learn how to make basic movements and manipulate the world around you. Then you customize your avatar and you're on your way.

I spent a few hours focused on my avatar. Yes, totally gay and in the end it was like playing doll - dressing up your character to look good. I even spent $4 (worth $1000 2nd Life dollars) to buy him some threads and plastic surgery. It's not really surgery but if you want the higher quality facial and body structure you have to pay some dough - the virtual world does have some advantages.

I haven't decided what to think of 2nd Life. Kinda interesting but nothing to keep me coming back. I guess if you like to chat online, this provides a visual component but I even found it hard to find people who wanted to talk. And if you want the element of fantasy to be something you're not it appeal to the local recluse.

Here is a picture of my avatar (his name is Lock) being a lifeguard at the beach.

Hollywood a bust

One of our favorite past times is attending the array of open houses throught LA. We usually stick to the east side since Echo Park/Silverlake is ideally where we want to live but today we ventured over to Hollywood.

After almost a year of househunting we realize the bubble hasn't popped in LA and a single detached house with a yard still runs over $600k. We also looked on the other end of the spectrum at the miriad of lofts in the still harsh streets of downtown. But the lofts are a risky investment given the glut of development and high prices.

Today, I thought we'd try a happy medium and look at one of the condos from one of the old Hollywood residences. Online the price listed at $550k which seemed reasonable so we made the treck west.

This place was incredible. The historic building built around a spanish courtyard by the architects Arthur and Nina Zwebell in the 1920's was like stepping into another world. The space was completely restored with high beamed ceilings and charming balconies. We fell in love and the real estate agent was really friendly. We might even secure him for the future.

Then the heartbreak came when he told us that the place was $750k (that was the cheapest of the three). WHAT??? It was such a horrible tease. Evidently, the person listing the place on MLS accidently listed it at $550k instead of the correct $750k.

Lesson learned. Never look at the house you can't afford - it will hurt!

Take me home, country road

It's been a long time since I've been home to Colorado in the summer. Maybe this is the year that I go back to afternoon thunderstorms, home town picnics, and A&W rootbeer floats. Can you believe it's my 20th high school reunion? It doesn't seem that long ago and yet it seems lifetimes away. I'd like to show Ruel the sticks and cruise Townsend & Main one more time.

National Geographic Picture of the Day

Worth putting on your Google homepage.

iPhone - iWant

I'm such a gadget geek. The new iPhone is beyond any other tech I've coveted. It's so simple, elegant and just plain cool. I'm not like the other applephiles who worship everything Jobs touches but I really believe the design of the iPhone is revolutionary. The coolest features include the visual voicemail, the touchscreen and landscape widescreen view.

Apple excels in showmanship. Take a look at the launch during MacWorld. http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/j47d52oo/event/

I don't care that it costs $600. It's worth every penny. I just wish Cingular was providing G3 services. June is too long to wait.

New Year

It's that time of year when we set up our calendars and think about what is to come in the next year. It's cliche but I thought I'd put down some of my resolutions so I can revist them throughout the year and keep progress. Here they are in no particular order and you'll notice that most of them are obvious.

- Consistency at the gym. I had good gym mojo going for two years and it's time to get back to being excited to work out.

- Money watch. Budget, track and discipline. If we ever want to buy a house I have become a saving champ.

- Creativity. I need to develop an outlet for me to enjoy creating things myself. I'd like to not be shy about taking photos and foster my inner photographer.

- Romance. We have a good thing going and I don't want to take it for granted. I want to keep surprising him.

- Español. I want my language skills to improve until I can hold a conversation.

Fred

I love my truck. I call him Fred. He got new brakes last week, a much needed car was and he's better than ever. I could spend hours just driving around if gas wasn't so damned expensive (thanks George). Even so, I know I should be driving a hybrid but I love my truck.

Pure Cheese

OK. I'm about to steal 11 minutes of your life, but I thought I'd help my buddy Gary get a few more hits for his YouTube video. It's funny if you like cheese.