Fear of Flying...

A 'flying' visit to Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library...

I arrived in UCD Library for the first time to find it completely deserted. This suited me initially as I wanted to just ramble around and see what was there. I was rather tentative about touching things, in case I 'broke anything'. I explored some library buildings nearby, but again there was nobody around. This bothered me a little, as I had expected more of an actual presence on the part of librarians. In some of the libraries however, there were signs saying Such and Such Avatar is off-line. This at least implied that if I came back, I'd be able to talk to someone.

Because nobody was around, I decided it was obviously time to get some air miles under my belt! I had tried some tentative forays into the stratosphere already, but this time I really let rip. (I find using the arrow keys on the keyboard more user friendly than the little gadget that you can pop up onto your screen.) I clicked on Start Flying and quite literally took off like a rocket. It's exhilarating the first few times. Now I no longer need to envy people who dream they're flying, which is something I've never dreamt. I was a little over zealous with the forward key however, and I ended up in the middle of an apparent ocean. Luckily, I had learned about the map which shows your own location while I was in the tutorial area, so I was able to make it back to terra firma, but I landed in a very strange place. The avatars were dressed (those who were dressed!) in what could only be termed S&M gear. One avatar was flying very low in a craft which resembled a Stealth Bomber. I got enmeshed in this craft for a while. Meantime, some highly inappropriate conversations were going on around me, and I got offers which I would regard as anatomically impossible, even for a virtual being. Unfortunately, I hadn't activated a lot of my more negative gestures at this stage, so I maintained a dignified silence and discreetly teleported back to the safe haven of UCD Library!