Months of planning, weeks of recruiting to get the best staff available, days of training to make sure all the staff are on the ball, a week of music and parties at the main stages of SL10B and suddenly the first phase of this awesome community run project is over.
Like the dawn of time, the 22 sims settle into a more sedate routine as visitors to the sims go into Expo mode and wander around the builds that the participants have built for the enjoyment of the entire grid.
A first week of intense activity for the staff that volunteered their precious time, to work in the background, almost unseen, yet always there whilst the musicians, DJ's and live performers brought their special talents to life for the benefit of all that attended.
The first week is always hectic. There never seems to be enough hours in the day, yet mountains are moved to ensure that the visitors get the best experience that is humanly possible with minimal disruption.
As the sun sets on the sims, week two of this seemingly impossible event kicks in. The performers have left and the sims settle into a routine of exploration and delight as our visitors find the free gifts that the exhibitors have left out for them.
Staff are still around on the sims, volunteering their time right till the end. Are we crazy? Possibly. But we do this for the entire SecondLife Grid.
As the senior staff look at what has happened so far, where the successes were, where improvements can be made, the sims settle into a seemingly peaceful phase of serenity.
Who put all this together? Who made it happen? It wasn't one person, it was a team of people. A team that puts it's hands up every year to dive into the madness called SecondLife Birthdays.
There is not enough space to list all of the volunteers or performers here, and I certainly wont list who the senior movers and shakers are. They know who they are, they dont need to be glorified in print, one would hope that they realise they don't need their name in lights to realise that an appreciative SL grid thanks them from the bottom of their hearts.
On the 1st of July 2013, the sims get returned to Linden Lab to be recycled. The memories of this special event remain as pictures in inventories, or you can see them on flickr and countless blogs.
There will be folks that didn't like what was achieved, there will be doubters, there will be countless blogs that pull SL10B to pieces to try and destroy what was achieved. That is the curse of humanity.
For all of you that participated and gave your time freely and without conditions, a hearty round of applause and thanks.
For all the performers that entertained us, a hearty round of applause and thanks.
For all the visitors that came and enjoyed this wonderful milestone in the history of SecondLife, stick around. Enjoy what SecondLife has to offer, actively participate in it.
In closing, a huge round of applause for Linden Lab, for their support. For bringing the cornfield to the show. Next time you see a Linden, talk to them and thank them for bringing this virtual world to life.
