haishihongxia

The conversation kept returning to a single overriding concern, "Where 's Beth? Has anyone seen Beth? Is Beth coming?" Comments were made in a free-for-all of typing and live voice, the banter friendly, teasing, and often profane. Someone had just proposed that if Beth didn't show, we could simply "pretend" to light the candles - Beth was the only one who knew how Discount Paloma Picassomake the virtual candles actually flicker and glow - when a petite, dark-haired avatar wearing a plaid shirt and overalls landed on top of the lady in the flowered kimono. Awkward entrances are a common Second Life occurrence.Beth apologized for being late. One of her kids had been rushed to the emergency room because of a real-life mishap, but she'd made it back in time to bless the virtual candles with us. (Actually, this was only one of the six virtual-candle lightings she presides over each Friday,

allowing observant avatars from different time zones to participate without violating the Sabbath.) Beth greeted several of the congregants, reminded us that she'd be playing a bluegrass concert in The Ark - the neighborhood hot spot - at 8:00 SLT (Second Life Time - otherwise known as Pacific Standard Time), then streamed the music that accompanies the Discount Elsa Peretti over the candles.The room grew silent and respectful as the angel, the cowboy, the rabbit, the disco queens, and the Hadassah lady watched Beth perform the magic that makes the virtual Tiffany Sets on sale flicker to life. "Baritch Atah Adonoi, Eloheinu Melech ha'Olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav it'tzivanu I'hadlik ner shel shabbaf appeared in the chatbox at the bottom of my screen. "Amen," typed the angel, "amen," typed the cowboy, "amen, amen, amen," added each avatar in turn. "Omein," typed Shmoo, the rabbit who types with a Yiddish accent.

Jieux Shepherd passed out free bottles of "wearable mani" (miniature bottles of Manischewitz wine) that attached to our hands when we clicked on them and animated our avatars to drink. (Jieux had bought the Manischewitz as well as its facility to enact guzzling.) We resembled an AA meeting that had tripped and fallen down all 12 steps as the last bars of "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" faded Tiffany Pendants on sale our computer speakers."Shabbat sttahml" "Shalom haverim," "Gut Shabbos," appeared in the dialogue box at the bottom of my screen as the members of SL Synagogue wished one another a peaceful Sabbath.I sat at my computer in a suburb of Cleveland feeling warmed by the fellowship and quirky religious observance I'd just shared in a virtual world.