Going Corporate.

My initial intention for this blog would be to update it every day to let you know about how my attempt to make money is going. As it happens, I fell at the first hurdle in terms of updating it every day. I went out last night for a few drinks, and completely forgot about this blog. What a crazy, fun-loving guy I am!

So here's the update you may or may not be interested in. That trailer that I was so happy about? Gone. The bastards took it from me. Apparently, I wasn't meant to be renting it, and it was reserved for a bunch of race car drivers. Bloody race car drivers in Second Life. Why the hell do they need their own trailer?

For the first time last night, I drove a vehicle in Second Life. It was shit. It was really, really shit. I don't like making hatreds for things that don't exist, but I've managed to develop a hatred for vehicles in Second Life. I went to some sort of "mall", and there was this guy on a motorbike, looking very hardcore. And what was the stupid bastard doing? Crashing every two seconds into the doorway of an innocent looking sex toy shop. When he eventually got in, he decided that he'd probably be best to stay on his motorbike. In a confined space such as that, it was basically like a fucking pinball machine.

Five minutes later, I saw him again. He was still driving his motorbike and crashing into walls. The only difference was that this time he had a giant penis hanging out.

Moving swiftly on from the subject of motorcyclists' anatomies, I was quite depressed at the removal of my trailer. Fortunately, the owner took pity on me and he was more than happy to take my SLExchange box and keep it on his land for L$50 a week. In hindsight, I think he may have ripped me off a little bit. Because right after I handed over that box, I decided now would be a good time to try out the tip jar I had just stolen from someone else and modified the coding to look as if it was mine made.

As it happens, the tip jar wasn't my best idea for global domination of Second Life. Though the life of a busker appeals to me (and I just have too much dignity to camp for hours on end), it turns out that nobody will ever want to hand over some of their cash for no reason. They can be quite mean like that. Also, it's difficult to "rez" a tip jar in land that you don't actually own, so I spent a good twenty minutes just looking for somewhere to put the bloody jar down in the first place.

Eventually, I came across a quaint "mall": Hangflame Plaza and Mall. Incidentally, this was the same "mall" mentioned above. I got the tip jar and the badly modelled Statocaster out, when all of a sudden, I saw the only thing I've ever wanted out of life. A tiny, market stall: 15 prims, L$75 per week.

Before I could remind myself that impulsive spending was the whole reason I was on this quest in the first place, I had already been added to the Store Owners group. "Just make it your own, mate", said the wonderfully pleasant JohnnyD Posthorn. And so I did. I created the very first branch of Amin's Musical Interlude.

I couldn't fail! With a ever-so-slightly narcisstic shop title, and a slogan bound to appeal to the masses of apathetic consumers ("We express yourself... so you don't have to!"), Amin's Musical Interlude was bound to be the greatest shop this side of Second Life has ever seen.

I've already put up a piano for sale, which is quite good for the price. And I've already created a small vendor for my songwriting business (which amazingly, I still haven't given up on). And best of all, I've now got a title above my name: "Store Owner". I want to make a business card based on it. AMIN PAINE: STORE OWNER.

I've yet to make any actual... ahem... money from the stall. But it's early days yet, and I'm sure this mall is going to be super famous pretty damn soon. It's a great wee place, actually, and although it's not the size of a country, it's got a great charm about it. And I don't often have anything nice to say about Second Life. Not since it RUINED MY LIFE.

For the record, that's Hangflame Plaza and Mall. I'm not being paid for this advertising it, but seeing as I'm a Store Owner there, I suppose it's only my duty. Although, why aren't I being paid for this advertising? It might be worth talking to JohnnyD about.

Also, I sold a song on SLExchange. Hurrah! I can almost feel the £30 back in my hands already.

With Love,
- Amin.