Word As Image

(via copyranter)

The challenge: Create an image out of a word, using only the letters in the word itself.

The video is made by Ji Lee (이지별) a designer who was born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in São Paulo, Brazil, and today lives in New York, U.S.A.

I totally love this, apart from the fact that it makes me miss my BIL Andrey!

On Moderation of Comments

Photo by Nam in Geum

I always like to tell people "I am the most patient man in SecondLife, absolutely everyone tells me so!" Those who know me well and love me - like my Ars, Guyke, Andrey and perhaps Millimina also - laugh in my face when I say this because they of course know damn well it is as far from the truth as you can get.

All the same I still persevere in telling all and sundry this as soon as I can possibly squeeze it into a conversation, in the vain hopes that someone who has known me longer than 15 minutes will one day agree.

The last week I myself  feel I have shown an amazing restraint that would rightfully make me entitled to truthfully keep on stating that I am in fact am the the most patient man. Alas no one seems to have noticed...

The Swedish SecondLife bloggers have been... hmmm... "discussing" the question of whether they - and everyone else - should use pre-moderation or post-moderation/reactive moderation on the comments made on a blog. There are of course valid reasons for each approach. I found an excellent summary here "Everything in Moderation - On Four Types of Moderation".

On my blog I have lately chosen to switch to post-moderation/reactive moderation primarily because I have had no experience with any misuse by commenters and I believe that a free flow of opinions between the commenters is of vital importance.

It is my personal opinion that it must be the choice of each blogger which type of moderation they choose. This choice must of course always take into account the experiences the blogger has had earlier, for instance it is well known that the Swedish blogger PetGirl Bergman with her blog Tinas universum has is the not-to-distant past had problems with defamatory personal attacks on herself and on others by anonymous or signed commenters.

Photo by Natalia Luzuriaga

The Swedish bloggers war was raised another notch when my bosom-buddy Apmel Goosson, the enfant terrible of Swedish SecondLife with the oldest Swedish SecondLife blog "Min avatar heter Apmel" (My Avatars Name is Apmel) the other day stated that he would link differently to blogs that used pre-moderation.

This decision by Apmel caused one blogger to stop blogging altogether and another blogger to express hurt feelings on being negatively discriminated against by not receiving the same exposure as post-moderated blogs.

It is my firm belief that every blogger has the prerogative to choose not only which blogs he wants to link to or not to link to, but also how he wishes to link to them as long as it isn´t done in a derogatory or defamatory way. There is no human rights issue involved in this, nor is it an infringement on anyones freedom of speech or expression.

I have actually kept myself a bit distant from these discussions where I have many opinions, in a way that is totally unlike me in these situations, so thats why I believe I now deserve at least a plaque or  medal telling the world that I am indeed the most patient man in SecondLife.

(The pictures on this post were chosen solely for their beauty and calmness so as to sooth any hurt feelings of my readers.)

It Isn´t Rocket Science

Kids can do it well, so can you if you only try!

Hey excuse me, but I am Swedish and hugging is our favorite pastime. We hug a lot, no one is safe anywhere.

I am getting totally disheartened by the lousy and sloppy hugging going on in SecondLife. I have only met two outstanding huggers, my Ars and my son in-law Janttu. Guyke is getting much better - much thanks to Janttu´s training , I am sure - and so is my brother in-law Andrey, but the rest of you desperately need lessons.

It really isn´t rocket science, as the headline states. Hugging just takes a bit of concentration and knowing who does what. So here is a short excerpt from the "Hugging 101" class at "The Lairds School of Animation" (a part of the BMcM Corporation)

1. Someone sends you an invitation to hug.(Sending the invitation and standing still is pretty much what the hugger needs to do.)
2. Check - and double check - who you the hug and decide if you want to hug the person or not.
3. If you do not want to hug that person, click the "Decline"-button and say something nice about why not in local chat. (I cannot stress enough - nice!)
4. If you however decide to accept the hug, follow these steps
a) Locate the person who wants to hug you.
b) Go stand in front of that person.
c) Make sure you line up properly and squarely in front of that person (not sideways, but facing them directly).
d) Check - and double check - that your AO (Animation Overrider) and any dance-HUD is turned off..
e) NOW - and not before - is the time to click the "Accept"-button.
f) Enjoy the hug, do not rush through it or stop it prematurely. Just go with the feeling. (If you feel that 1-2 minutes of your precious time is too much to sacrifice, it is better to decline the hug than cutting it short.)

Please note:
1. It is always the huggee´s privilege to decide whether or not they want to join in a hug or not but it is also the huggee´s responsibility to make sure that it turns out well by following the measures above.
2. The guidelines given above work for all animations in SecondLife (kissing, dancing, f**king and getting bitten by noob-vampires, whatever).
3. To avoid the noob-vampires, get the Garlic Necklace. Wear it and click the appropriate button and then take it off. You are now pretty safe from the noob vampires. (If you cannot find that necklace, send me an IM and I will send it to you.)

Hugs are healing!

Perfect Timing

I got a heads up from my mate Sarco today about the upcoming 4th Anniversary of DJ World on August 28th 2011..

Just look at that lineup will you! Some of the best DJ´s that gay SecondLife has to offer, and if you don´t mind me mentioning it half of those guys are actually on my friendslist or relatives of mine. (I am so going to bite the head off my brother in-law Andrey for keeping this a secret.)

The best thing is that I have time off from work the week before and after that weekend so I can most likely be there the whole time. Woohoo!

Now what should I wear for such an occasion, I wonder if I have anything suitable in my Inventory? 

Perhaps I should ven call on my own personal shopper to drop his d**k and get his ass online and take me to the cool stores? Janttu can play with himself an hour or two, or even three.- if he doesnt want to come along... he will most likely survive...I think...

My BIL and I

Andrey´s comment when he saw me was, "Well I am happy we do not have smell in SL yet!"

When I logged into my alternate life yesterday I was still in my goldfish outfit from the previous evening. Before I had time to rez properly and even start to think about changing to something more comfortable I had my Brazilian brother in-law (BIL) screaming out his undying love for me in instant message.

I of course responded in the same fashion, I always do. Andrey is a warm and caring man with a heart of the purest gold, not to mention a real Brazilian hunk who has heads spinning all over SecondLife whenever he shows up.

As we hadn't met for a little while I teleported him over for a hug and a little heart-to-heart talk so we could get updated. We talked about life, love and Russian hurricanes and everything in between. I always enjoy being with Andrey.

We have been so close and share so many memories together - about Ars and our whole SecondLife existence - that even if we haven't seen each other for a little while we immediately reconnect on the deepest level.

Thinking about our talk yesterday I was reminded of this American saying that I stumbled across somewhere a long time ago; If life hands you lemons, throw them back and yell “I WANTED CHOCOLATE!”.

I Am Leaving Facebook

As some of you may have seen in a comment on this blog my beloved brother in-law Andrey Messmer has been kicked out of Facebook.

This fact and all the other rather disturbing facts that have been unearthed considering company controlled social networks like Facebook and Google+ have forced me to come to the following conclusions,

1. I will delete my account on Facebook at the latest on August 1st, 2011. (I understand that it may or may not take longer for my profile to disappear there, but thats Facebook´s problem.)
2. I will never create an account on Google+ or any other of those similar social networks.

I no longer wish to be part of any "network" where I, my family and my friends are not welcome!

Bock McMillan is as much I as the person with the name I was given at baptism. In fact there is only one single Bock McMillan while there are a multitude of men in Sweden who carry my real life name. (...and playing around on the web I actually just found another man with my exact full name - two first names and a surname - but 4 years older than me living in Minnesota, U.S.A.)

Bock may in someway be even more me than my real life self, because being Bock I can do and say things that I only think about doing or saying in real life. Through Bock the parts of my personality that are otherwise censored or subdued  due to "other considerations" are allowed to show themselves.

UPDATE. The deed is done! My account will stay deactivated for a period of two weeks before it is permanently deleted, the message from FB said.

Handsome Men in SecondLife

There are too many images of women on this blog right now for a gay male blogger, so I thought I would give you some male beauty too.

Let me first tell you that I am purposely leaving out my Ars from this short list, because I cannot look at him objectively. Secondly, I am not even going to pretend I remember all the handsome human faces I have seen in SecondLife, so these are just the ones that pop-up in my mind at this moment. I may continue the list at a later time though.

Cats are not included in this list for the obvious reason that there is only one cat that could make the list... ´nuff said...

So here are the three avatars I would like to introduce you to today (in no particular order).

Andrey Messmer, my beautiful Brazilian brother in-law (BIL). His looks change constantly, but he always remains stunning.

Andrey - courtesy of himself

Fabrice Snook, is a stylish French avatar in SecondLife. I have never talked with Fabrice that I can remember and the only time I saw him personally he was a participant at a drag contest in one of the craziest outfits I have ever seen. This picture is from Fabrice´s profile.

Fabrice Snook

Loch Wolfhunter, is a sexy Brit whom I first saw at one of my BIL´s sets. Andrey tells me he has the sexiest British accent he has ever heard and that he is a great builder. This picture is from his SecondLife profile.

Loch Wolfhunter

Isn't it a bit strange that they are all gay?

Meeting Beelly

Yesterday I met my nephew Beelly Blanco for the first time in-world. Lets see how do I explain best how we are related in SecondLife?

You already know of my Ars´s brother Andrey Messmer, my BIL (brother in-law). Well, Beelly is the son of another of Andrey´s brothers, hence he is my nephew by marriage. Got it?

I was very happy when I got an IM from Beelly while I was at a celebration of Sweden´s National day before my own upcoming happening (The 1st International Kiss-A-Swede Day in SecondLife).

Beelly had seen my posts about this on Facebook and wanted to collect on his kiss early because he lives in Australia and it was getting very late for him. Of course I was very happy to oblige him, so I immediately sent him a teleport to where I was.

As soon as he landed I pounced on him and gave him a nice big kiss, to our and the rest of the guests enjoyment. Then we had a pleasant conversation for a few minutes before I sent him off to bed.

Fifth Day of Second Pride

Oh  what a wonderful party we had yesterday with legendary DJ Sarco followed by DJ Jerrod, both are of course old time friends of mine (*cough cough* Did´ya notice my namedropping?). Australian DJ Sarco had gotten up at 3 am his time to give us this marvelous time.

And if I was complaining about not knowing a soul at yesterdays party, this evening I knew nearly them all, well no there were a lot of cute guys and nice girls from 2010 and 2011 also.

Enough talk! Today I will mostly show you the party pictures but let me tell those of you who weren't there: YOU MISSED AN AWESOME PARTY!

JPS Anatine, beautiful as ever

Andrey and I - Why does he always look better on pictures than I do?

Andrey and I showing off

Andrey and I give it all we can...

DJ Jerrod - steampunking it

DJ Sarco - the Man, the Myth, the Legend

Elorian Scarbridge having a good time

Sweet Kolja Shan

Myles Sperber hotter than ever

Minoah Palen & Joeh Acker

Myles Sperber showing off on the dance floor

NakedCarl (blogger) grooving

Mr Gay Pride 2011, Regi Yifu in the mood

Meeting Derek

Well yesterday started out very poorly. I actually missed Butch´s set at Pride, the one that I had plugged myself on this blog. How that happened I am not sure, but I would like to tell Butch I am very sorry for that and that I was pleased to notice that he actually had a good crowd there even without me! And I got to hear the last tune he played - thats something!

During my rantings about my awful mistake to myself and the people that happened to IM me when I logged in-world I also got an invitation to come visit with my brother in-law Andrey and his new boyfriend Derek Pevensey. So after hearing Butch´s last tune, I went over to their place.

Derek, Andrey & Bock (Photo by Andrey)

It was very nice meeting my BIL again but most of all it was a great pleasure meeting Derek. Of course I had already listened to Andrey talk about him for hours and hours, I had also talked to Derek myself a few times - giving him a deep probing interrogation on what his intension's were with my BIL and if they were in any way honest and honorable. My BIL is precious to me, I would not willingly see him date a scumbag.

Andrey and Derek

Well I am very relieved to tell you all - and myself - that Derek passed the tests with "summa cum laude". He is a pleasant, friendly and intelligent man with a good sense of humor. I can fully understand why Andrey is madly in love with him.

The best thing is that he doesn't mind getting Bock-crazy relatives because, as I carefully and clearly informed him, I come as a package-deal with Andrey.

Second Day of Second Pride

The second day of Second Pride 2011 and I went to the party at the LGBT-sim. The first DJ there was my old friend from Boots Beach, Jerrod Roddenberger. He was really great to my relief!

Jerrod was so sweet to refer to Ars and myself as his mentors from his early days in SecondLife. I am sure I do not deserve such an honorable mention, but Ars was always good at looking after others and helping out as best he could. He is well worth any praise he gets.

The second DJ was Sasch Petrov, who is a sure card from the old days too. I used to go to the German gay club Arsenal to listen to him DJ. Sasch is still going strong, also to my great relief!

Well to fit the occasion I had made a special outfit for myself and a rainbow Jesters Hat. I thought I looked pretty stunning, but some still mistook my hat for hair which kind of upset me a little until I decided they could not be true fashionistas.

The club was filled with the most awesome male avatars I have seen in a while, well except for other members of my SecondLife family that is. Andrey, Dejerrity, Jeb, Guyke and Janttu are hard to beat when it comes to stunning avatars. One of the men caught my special attention, his name is Jimmy Windstorm. I would love to see him photographed by Eddi Haskell someday

 

I took a whole lot of pictures the first hour but was too tired when Millimina had joined me, which I really regret now because she looked beautiful as always. Life is too short for regrets though, so here are some of the pictures I did take.

One of the nice things about Second Pride is you get to meet people you haven´t seen for the longest while, nice guys that you have met earlier and become friends with but somehow your paths never cross - except for at Pride. Of course an explanation to that could also be that I have been pretty reclusive the last year.

Oh I mustn't forget to mention, I gave a guy an interrogation on behalf of someone I love dearly. He passed all my tests with flying colors so far, but I am not completely done with him yet...

Sweet Memories - UPDATED

YMCA-dance 2007 (Jerrod 1st from left, Drizz 3rd, me 4th, the female DJ 5th and Andrey 6th)

Today I read an interview with Jerrod Rodenberger which was published on the Gay Archipelago Blogs yesterday. You can read the full interview here: VIP Interview Jerrod Rodenberger by Hunter.

Jerrod is an old friend from my earliest days in SecondLife. We met on the friendly and caring Boots Gay Beach which was a safe haven and school for everyone, but gay noobs in particular.

At Boots Beach we partied, but we were also thought the basics of how SecondLife works and all the do´s and dont´s; What settings to use to get a more beautiful life. Where to shop for anything you needed. How to build. How to fit clothes and hair. How to script (advanced classes which I did not take I am sorry to admit today) and yes a few also got lessons in good manners and etiquette if it was needed. In short we got a run through everything that is needed for any fashion conscious gay man or boy in-world. I should think the closest comparison to what Boots Beach did for us would be to say it was like a Swiss Finishing School for young women.

Jerrod Rodenberger

In the interview Jerrod reminds me of a wonderful and funny evening we shared once when we were following Ars around the gay clubs of SecondLife.

That was way back in the days when people still talked in local chat, so suddenly someone commented on that a few of us looked like different characters in the Village People. Then someone said we should do the YMCA-dance and handed out the dance animation. I do not remember who the female DJ was but she started playing the song for us over and over again until we finally gave a reasonably synced rendition (it was my fault of course that it took awhile, but they were all very patient with me).

I laughed so hard my stomach ached and we all had a wonderful time. It was one of those truly magical moments in SecondLife when everything sort of connects, everyone is included and love of mankind reigns supreme.

Sadly I could not find the pictures when I did a quick search of my Inventory, but I have probably just not labeled them correctly.

Thanks for reminding me, Jerrod, and thanks so much for that great picture, I will treasure it!

Matchmaking

Andrey photographed by Andrey

Well, with a hot brother in-law like Andrey you have to be proud!

This is a Google-translation to Portuguese of parts of a very old Swedish song, if it turns out obscene blame Google:
"Ele anda como um homem
Ele parece um homem
Com um corpo como um homem
E ele beija como um homem.

Ele tem o charme de um homem
Ele é frio como um homem
Casualmente como um homem
E ele se move como um homem deve"

In English it would be:
"He walks like a man
He looks like a man
With a body like a man
And he kisses like a man should.

He has charm as a man
He is cool as a man
Casual like a man
And he moves like a man should"

If you want to get to know this wonderful, loving, sweet, studly and perfectly breathtaking piece of man please drop your written application in a note card on my profile. I cannot emphasize enough that you must have brains, brawn and a big heart to apply! Oh and you need to have a penis also! 

Andrey speaks Portuguese and English fluently.

The note card must be in any of the Scandinavian languages or English and must contain at the very least the following:
1. Your name
2. Your age in both lifes
3. Your interests in both lifes
4. A picture of your face and your body in SecondLife taken in full day light (full frontal nudity is encouraged but not mandatory)
5. Any further information about yourself that you wish to share

Do not send written recommendations from your mother, ex-lovers, employers etc. until you are asked for it during the screening process.

Bock McMillan
The McMillan Matchmaking Agency (a part of the BMcM Corporation)

If you pass my scrutiny, I may introduce you to this undisguised diamond.

What Makes A Good DJ?

Bock looking at Ars

I have spent most of my second life hanging around with - and surrounded by - some of the best DJ´s in SecondLife; Ars, Andrey, Sarco, Harley, Martial, Yannis, Zno and the rest of the Sarco Sound (link not active) crew and many of their DJ friends.

Over the last year I have mainly stayed in the Swedish clubs in SecondLife and there are some good DJ´s here too, the first names that pop up in my head are Frost, Lucien and sirhc, at Erotes I enjoy the music of Butch Diavolo and Arc - but I am not making a list so if you don´t find your name here don´t be sad.

My Ars used to say "Everyone thinks they are a DJ in SecondLife" by which he meant that playing records isn't all there is to it. Now first listen to what a real DJ can do, just lean back and enjoy. This remix was made by DJ Markus Schulz.



I found this summary on What Makes A Good Club DJ? by ElGringoSalsero;

Each year, DJ Magazine publishes its list of the top 100 DJ's based upon public votes. I would consider the top ten identified DJ's to be reliable experts on what it takes to be a good DJ. Here's what they have to say on the subject: 

#1 Armin Van Buuren - "Timing and character."
#2 Tiësto - "A great DJ can adjust to the crowd, make them go crazy but still be able to do his own thing."
#3 David Guetta - "A great crowd."
#4 Above & Beyond - "Good taste in music, an open mind and experience."
#5 Paul Van Dyk - "The confidence of knowing what your own sound is. And not being a snobby ass and playing for yourself."
#6 Deadmau5 - "Their taste in music. It's a little bit of technical know-how, but 90% of it is the music you play."
#7 Ferry Corsten - "Knowing how to entertain the crowd. You're not there to educate. You should present new music without forcing it down people's throats." 
#8 Markus Schulz - "Unique style and understanding of the momentum in the room."
#9 Gareth Emery - "Knowing the crowd is a fundamental requirement and looking like you're enjoying it."
#10 Sander Van Doorn - "A lot of interaction with the crowd. Playing a set is about educating on one hand, but also playing music that the people are there for."

---

My own two cents on this subject, from my perspective as part of the crowd:
1. Be prepared, for Gods sake plan your set! Adapt the music you choose to the event that is planned and the crowd you expect to be there. Always make sure you have enough music to go overtime if something should happen that requires it and enough to adapt your set if it should be needed.
2. Be aware of the crowd and work with it (it´s not a wanking session after all). Being arrogant and snotty is a definite no-no, you are there to entertain not to be a condescending s.o.b. This also means do not badmouth any other DJ´s, words spread.
3. By all means take requests if you wish to do so. It isn't necessary to play the requests straight away. play it later if it fits better there and if it doesn't fit tell them.
4. If you don´t have charisma or a personality don´t bother!
5. Most important of all be true to yourself; If you don´t like the music, don´t play it!

The technical stuff can all be learned as you go along.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness, but... Updated

Ars was a good father and he taught our son well.

One of the things that really irritated my Ars the most was disorganization and untidiness and that is one of my main hang-ups too. But sometimes it is taken much too far...

The day after Andrey´s and my rezday party I discovered that "someone" - and mind you I am not mentioning names here - had been back at the party scene to clean up. Which was very good of them, but imagine my disappointment when "someone" - and I am still not mentioning any names - had carried their fastidiousness too far and also removed a small addition to the party scene that I really loved.

So I am sort of sending out a message here that should be interpreted something like this; "Drop your c**k and grab your socks and mosey your sweet li´l ass in-world to get that extra sign back up straight away or I´ll have to have a serious talk with you, dude!"

I hope my message was clear enough.

UPDATE
Thanks so much "someone"! Love you! xoxoxo

Oh What A Night

I am totally exhausted today after the wonderful rezday celebration yesterday for my BIL and me - and so happy and fortunate to be surrounded by these caring, loving and wonderful people in my SecondLife!

For now I will only say thanks to all who came and took part in celebrating Andrey and me on our fourth rezday but in particular I would like to thank the following for organizing and participating in making this amazing evening and night possible.

Andrey, my wonderful BIL and a fantastic DJ with one of the biggest hearts I have ever met, for talking me into doing it at all at a time when I wasn't particularly thrilled by the idea of a rezday party, in fact I had just a few days earlier turned down suggestions from Guyke and Millimina.

Millimina, Guyke and Janttu, my always supportive and loving family, who organized the most amazing and hilarious party imaginable in a very short time. (...and then calmly saved the day as the first thing I did when I got there was to derez the party venue.)

Strum and Stirred, two of the most beautiful souls in SecondLife and one of the most beautiful, witty and touching voices on the SecondLife music scene (...and I only mention one voice because I haven´t had the privilege to hear Stirred sing - not yet...). I am so proud to count both of these dudes among my friends.

Bara, my amazing and lovely buddy since for ever, who always hits every spot possible in me with his songs and his warm voice.

Sarco, the iconic and legendary DJ and my friend since the earliest days. Oh yes I do admit there were times I did not love him but that was mainly due to my ignorance, my Ars always loved him and at the end and they had made their peace. I will always rely on Sarco´s excellent memory reminding me of events that I have long since forgotten, that always bring back the love I had for Ars and the love the two of them had for each other through all the turmoil.

There are four more I would like to mention here and they are, Svessa, Frost, Mialinn and Blanche. Thanks to you all for accepting my outstretched hand over the rift that has divided the Swedish/Scandinavian SecondLife community.

In these days when the earth shudders, when nuclear power plants explode, when dictators are toppled and go down slaughtering their own people I have been immersed in my own private affairs. True it may be pathetic but it is also very human I guess. During days like these I have also realized how petty the fracas and in-fighting has been.

Stay tuned for updates with amazing pictures from the party as soon as I have gathered the energy to sort out all my impressions and all the wonderful things that happened. And dealing with a bit of real life in between.

I love you all, all who were at the party and all who sent greetings but couldn't come because they had other obligations to deal with in First Life and in SecondLife.

Oldies but Goldies

Photo courtesy of Janttu Winkler

You are all welcome to join my brother in-law Andrey Messmer and me for our joint fourth rezday party!

When: Saturday March 19th, 2011, from 12 PM (noon) SLT until we all drop
Where: Southern Charm
Theme: Nope just come as you are, but please be aware that it will be a mixed company...

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

The party organizers Millimina and Guyke are promising a special surprise for Andrey and myself (and all of you too of course) at 1 PM SLT... I have been trying to get it out of them, but they just give me lip and call me awful names when I do that.

BIL & Bock Teaser

Andrey Messmer, my darling brother in-law (BIL), and I will be celebrating our fourth rezday in SecondLife together on Saturday March 19th, 2011.

Everyone is welcome to celebrate this momentous day with us so you better be there or be square!

This party starts at 12:00 PM (noon) SLT (20:00 CET or 07:00 PM GMT) and goes on until next weekend or some point before that when we all get too tired.

I know there are a lot of other huge Swedish and International events going on at the same time, so it´s totally understandable if you cannot come or just drop bye for a glass of champagne and a piece of birthday cake.

For more information and updates please visit my sister Millimina Salamander, our party organizer together with my son Guyke , blog "Magasin Millimina".

---

I have already been asked several times what I wish for my rezday and my answer is always: "Something you made yourself!"

Here are a few suggestions
- a sonnet in my honor or to my beauty, boldness or whatever,
- a poem declaring your love,
- a picture of yourself (nudity is optional) or
- a colored ball or a cube or anything else you have made yourself.
Just keep it personal.

Touched by Ars

I had been dreading this day for weeks, the first anniversary of the day that my Ars/my Doug passed away.

Everytime I thought about this day my stomach bundled up into a hard knot and I got more confused and worried than I usually can be at my very worst.

It got so bad I had to delegate the planning of the details of this gathering of Ars family and closest friends to my son Guyke and my sister Millimina. The two of them of course did an excellent job, we think alike the three of us and our tastes are similar. They checked in from time to time about some detail, I always confirmed their ideas.

I shouldn't have been so afraid, Ars was watching over me and all the others of his family and close friends. We who had loved him and who had been fortunate enough to be blessed by his love.

The day started out splendidly when I received an answer to my invitation to Doug's sisters in real life to join us for the gathering. Sadly they couldn't join us but the mail was not at all a rejection, it was full of love, caring and shared emotions.

In anticipation of the gathering in the evening I wanted to be well rested, so I slept in long and took many catnaps during the day. Each time I dreamed of Ars. Well, I had one nightmare about a cat jumping up at my face to scratch my eyes out also but mostly I dreamed of my Ars. I heard his laughter and I heard his voice in my dreams.

When the time for the gathering finally came they all rallied in to support me and to be supported by me and each other on this day. 

Dejerrity, who came early to have a few moments with Ars by himself, Millimina, Jeb, Andrey, Sarco, Yannis, Guyke and Janttu. Orchid, Yannis wife, dropped in for a brief visit also.

We had a truly magical and wonderful evening as we shared many happy memories about my darling Ars and some sad ones to. A few misunderstandings were cleared up. We laughed a lot and I often had tears in my eyes. but the tears were both of joy and sadness. All of us who were there were loved by Ars in some way and we all loved him right back. He touched our lives and still does.

Photo courtesy of Millimina Salamander

I never once wept - not until afterwards - and then it was more out of relief and when all the apprehension and tension left my body. 

I am so grateful to all those who were there with me at this time in my life. What could have been a terrible and lonely day, become a day of love, loving support, caring and sweet memories. My deepest gratitude goes to you all for being an important part of my life, I love you all dearly!

Ars forever, forever Ars!