May 2, 2009 - AM Radio's The Red and The Wild I have always gotten an emotional response from being in AM Radio's builds, and that is no different with his newest build, The Red and The Wild. ..actually even more so there. AM's SL houses are always much more than they seem on the surface, as houses always are in RL. I have found his houses to be peaceful, quiet refuges on one hand, but at the same time with a strong emotional element underlying everything. At the new build this is even more apparent with his newest house. At least for me anyway, it strikes a deep chord of memory, and emotion. In fact the whole build, has quite an emotional effect on me. It is like significant elements of a dream dotted over a great expanse of water, which Jung felt represented our unconscious in dreams. I loved the water aspect of Husk, and here the water is even more compelling...something about its vastness and especially its color, I think. In RL, I have always had a strong need to be close to water. I grew up and have spent most of my life very close to the Atlantic Ocean. It has become something that I find not only familiar, since it does trigger memories of childhood, but absolutely essential in my life. The sounds of the ocean and the birds, the unique strong smells of the sea, the sand, the seaweed, the salt marshes and the vast ever changing views seem to have such restorative powers for me. I can never be far from it. Going back to dreams and Jung, he felt that houses represent ourselves in dreams with the various rooms reflecting parts of ourselves. There are things familiar and comforting, some represent our dreams, hopes and aspirations, but then there are also doors we dare not open, or even fear to open for what may lie behind them. So much goes on in houses...the places we retreat to, or ones we try to escape from. It is a silent witness to so much of what happens in our lives..the good and the bad. I think that large red flowing object connected with the house at the build, for me, now represents all of what is unseen..the good and the bad. I don't look at it as flowing in, or bursting out, but ever present, like a never ending flow, that may change at times but will always be there. I am not sure what it is exactly about this particular house of AM's that has triggered so much emotion for me this time, but I think it might quite possibly be connected to the fact that my RL house which I am living in, and which I designed and built, really looks so much like this house..to an amazing degree actually. With the steep gable.. the less than full story on the side walls of the second floor .. the porch around the same two sides as mine, open like this with no railings. Same lattice underneath..same three steps with no hand rails up to it in the same location , even to the pile of logs in that exact location on the porch. The door placed to one side, although in my case, mine is on the other side, like some of his other houses. It is quite remarkable the number of similarities, and being there one night recently when hardly anyone was there, allowed me to really feel those emotions much stronger than I had before, and inspired this series of fairly dark pictures..dark because of the impending storm, and dark because of the deep emotional feelings the build seemed to conjure up for me. Thank you again, AM...for your friendship, and all you create in Second Life. I find myself at a loss for words to tell you how much I appreciate the work you do in SL, and how much your builds have added to my experience in SL. I especially thank you for inspiring me so much every day that I am in them, and in this case, for the inspiration that led to this darker..on all levels..series of a such a personal nature for me. -Hitomi Note: This series of pics is quite dark so best viewed larger.

This was THE best adventure experience I've ever had! I was very apprehensive at first because there were so many things involved that I had never tried such as Abseiling into a cave . But I made it and loved it all. I drove with my friend to Waitomo Caves (which is on the West side of the Northern Island of New Zealand) where you can view "Glow-worm" Caves which I have now discovered is just a fancy word for maggots!! The tour consists of 8 people and 2 very gorgeous New Zealand guides;-) You start by learning how to abseil into a very small but deep hole that takes you down 50 meters into the start of the cave system. You do this with no help from the guides and only if your rope fails you and you plummet down, screaming HELLLPPPPP, do the guides grab the rope for you! You then continue on for a walk/climb in the dark with the only light coming from your helmet. You reach a point where the only way is further down, so the Guide hooks you up to a "flying fox" and sends you over the edge. You fly down the cable in complete darkness and pray to God that you don't hit a rock wall at the end. Thankfully one of the guides is there to catch you by the feet....he is your brakes!! Once there, you are given an inflatable rubber "donut". We are then directed to the edge of ANOTHER cliff and low and behold what can we see down there.... a river where the water is very black and is only a refreshing 10 degrees!! We are given some chocolate and a hot drink and then told to hold the "donut" tightly against our BUTTS and to jump right on in- Butt first....the drop is only 5metres into total darkness. All i could say is that I've never felt water that cold in my entire life!! I'm also surprised I didn't bounce right off that donut when I hit the water!! You then raft/float down the river and see the Glow-worms. That part is the relaxing time. You then pack away your donut and walk, crawl, swim and stagger through the cave system. By now its time for a snack break again and toilet break (you can use your imagination about that one) but everyone was quite happy to hold on!! Since everything that "goes down must come up", or is it the other way around!!??;-) we had to then start making our way up again. This involved climbing up against 2 waterfalls and twisting my body into positions I never knew were possible!! At one stage my short, little legs would not reach where they were suppose to, and I needed a helpful "butt push" up onto a rock ledge...otherwise I may still have been there!! We then had to "bootcamp" through a tunnel the size of a mouse hole.... headfirst on elbows and tummy. Let me tell you, I had to suck it all in just so that i wouldn't get stuck;-)!! We had one more steep climb up a rock face after that, and then I saw day light at the end of the tunnel! I was so exhausted afterwards and most of my body ached but I would definitely do it again:-) THE END.