Yes I'm still here but sadly an old friend is not

I have been hugely busy working in real life so I haven't any spare time to attend to my blog or login to SL much. My girlie needs a vacation. :(

Last month I was completely caught off guard by the RL death of an old SL friend, Tav Palen. We had been friends since early on in SL -- both of us hanging out at and eventually working at Blackhearts Cafe. Even dating a few times.

A few months ago, Tav told me in IM was trying to beat back cancer and I was stunned. From then on, I kept checking on him via IM but there came a point where he wasn't online any more. I found out about his passing through a mutual friend of ours who was connected to him in RL. Tav was a free spirit in SL and wore his heart on his sleeve (a silly expression but in Tav's case it fits).

Sigh. Most of the time when people disappear from SL, they've either become tired of it or have found RL alternatives that suit them better. I really wish that had been the case here.