For Blanche and the Swedish Cancer Fund

"Blanche" courtesy of Blanche Argus

Yesterday parts of the Swedish community in SecondLife came together to celebrate our dear friend +Blanche Argus, who for a very long time was a part of the core if the Swedish community, as a creator of many cultural events and also as well-known blogger with her blog Blanche's Arena.

Some months ago Blanche revealed to us all that she had been struck by cancer in her right eye and that, as she only has loco-motor vision on her left eye, this meant that she was virtually blind and could no longer enjoy +Second Life.

Yesterday there was an event to celebrate Blanche and what she had meant for us all and at the same time a fundraiser for the Swedish Cancer Fund (+Cancerfonden).

Blanche was with us through Skype and everything that was said in local was read to her by her first life sister, Second Renoir, or by Rultan Zeppelin, one of the event organizers. 

Blanche spoke to all of us at length and told us about how she was presently doing and how much she missed SecondLife and the lovely people in it. Her love was duly returned and shared copiously, in a more substantial way, with the Swedish Cancer Fund. Everyone donated generously!

Bosom buddy Apmel Goosson, one of Blanche's closest friends

Kandinsky Beaumont

For more about this event please visit

My Avatar's Name is Apmel: Blanka's Friday and My View of Second Life (Rultan Zeppelin's blog).

Hanging With the Guys When Blanche Comes By

The very first thing I did when I got in-world this evening was to put on my regular skin again, which was a great relief. I had started looking at my shape settings when my buddy Butch called and wanted to come over for a visit.  We compared a few measurements and then he told me to drop the silliness because he thought I looked quite acceptable. (I will probably revisit the issue later though.)

A while later I saw my stepson Guyke come in world so I asked him to join us, which he said he would in just a second. He didn't turn up until a million seconds later, luckily form hijt as I was going to give him a good talking to.

Guyke

We had a great lazy evening hanging, just talking about nothing special and everything and being in each other's company, relaxing after a - for various reasons - rough week.

While we were sitting there I got a call from my Swedish friend and co-blogger Blanch Argus, who is on a long vacation in first life at the moment. She had dropped in for a few short visit with friends, so I invited her over.

I and Blanche

The four of us had a good time chatting for a while with Butch sharing how he really is a closet heterosexual and had done horrible ewwwwwy stuff with women. He claimed to have been reformed, but I for one am not talking his word for it but am going to keep a close eye on him in the future. Hopefully he should end up with nice gay man who will treat him right.

Guyke & Butch

The four of us and the always present Ars

Blanche had to leave for fer first life commitments a while later but the rest of us remained sitting long after the sun had set over Southern Charm. Butch seemed to be smoking a bit more than usual, but that was most likely his way of relaxing, and with him being Ditch I was not at all certain that all he had in those cigarettes was tobacco. I was to polite to ask about it...

I, feeling comfortable in my old skin

Guyke & Butch

My Radio Interview

Recently my ex-missus (from the April Fools Day prank) Iendi Laville asked me if I would consider being interviewed on her weekly radio show on her radio channel Iendi's Transistor in SecondLife.

After thinking about it for a moment I happily accepted.  We agreed to do it live and without any limitations as to which questions could be asked by Iendi or the audience. As I told Iendi, "I am a big boy, if I do not like or wish to answer a particular question I will say so when it is asked."

My sister Millimina Salamander and my buddy Apmel Ibetsson came to give me support

The interview started at 12 PM SLT today and lasted for approximately an hour, but the time passed extremely fast. I am not quite sure how it went really, but Iendi and I had a good time talking although I can hardly remember what we talked about. I will have to listen to it when Iendi posts it on the radio's blog, Iendis Transistor..The interview was in Swedish so I am afraid most of you will not understand much of it.

After the interview I danced with Blanche Argus
with Holy Archer looking on in the background

NOH8 Avatars 24

Blanche Argus

For more information about the The NOH8 Campaign and how to join it in SecondLife please read my previous post The NOH8 Campaign in SecondLife. There you will also find instructions on where to find the necessary duct tape and cheek painting free of charge.
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If you would like to be a part of the NOH8 Campaign on this blog please send me your picture (fullperm), I will be happy to post it. Name the picture NOH8 and your avatar name and drop it on my profile or send it to my email lundamats@gmail.com.

Just Because...

Today I received two pictures from my friend Blanche Argus. She wishes to support the NOH8 Campaign. The pictures don't include the essential duct tape and cheek painting.so I had to inform her she could pick up those props at Kahvy Sands venue Big Momma´s Ballroom free of charge.

As I loved the pictures Blanche sent me, I have however decided to post one of them anyway, just because I can and want to. This is what a supporter of the NOH8 Avatars Campaign looks like!

I am hoping that I will receive the lovely Blanche´s official contribution to NOH8 Avatars soon!

More On NOH8

My dear friend Blanche Argus, with the blog Blanche´s Arena, asks what the NOH8 Campaign is all about. I am grateful to Blanche for asking the question outright because it gives me the opportunity to explain.

The video above should answer some of her, and others, questions but I will nonetheless say a few things more.

The campaign first started out as a grassroot reaction when Proposition 8 was passed into law by a ballot measure in California, U.S.A. The proposition added an amendment to the California Constitution whereby "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.". Same-sex marriages were thus effectively outlawed in California. The NOH8 Campaign has since developed into a silent photographic protest against homophobia and discriminatory legislation all over the world.

An infamous Swedish Internet-troll in a comment to Blanche´s post makes the interpretation that the campaign suggests that we shut down communication by covering our mouths with duct tape. I am guessing she must´ve failed miserably in the courses on "investigative journalism".

Contrary to the troll´s  stupid assumption, the symbolism of the manifestation should of course - as most reasonable people will understand - rather be interpreted as "you may try to shut us up but be will not be silenced". The campaign makes use of the well known adage that "a picture is worth more than a thousand words" which refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image.

For more information you should visit the website NOH8. Campaign.

A Whole Lotta´ Kisses

The long awaited day was finally here, it was time for the second annual International Kiss-A-Swede Day in SecondLife!

You can send out invitations, but if you don´t ask for R.S.V.P´s you never know how many may turn up. I knew from the start that it was an awkward day and time for many non-Europeans. After all the Kiss-A-Swede Day hasn't been made a holiday in most other parts of the world, not yet.

Too my great pleasure many friends and other people did come to the event and quite a few from the American continent too. Actually they came in such droves that I wore out my kissing-HUD. It simply stopped working halfway through the event. Luckily for me many of the potential kissers had HUD´s of their own.

I would like to than all for who came to join in the fun and especially FelineFemme, who was an amazing DJ at the event, and my sexy buddy Butch Diavolo, who helped me out with the hosting.

Here are some pictures from the event, please enjoy! ... I should also have some of me kissing with my CTO Vampi Twine and with Helene Dragone and Fia Wycliffe, but somehow I cannot find them. (I was too busy focusing on my own kissing, but I heard and saw quite a few others going at it on their own - hopefully I will be able to link to other blogs later.). As always you can click the pictures to see them enlarged.

For even more pictures from the event please visit my friends blogs!

1. My Avatar´s Name Is Apmel; Kissing Swedes
2. Ziggy On The Edge Of Second Life; Bock McMillan´s International Kiss-A-Swede Day Party
3. Free Your Mind; Kiss(ed) By a Swede
4. Jasmines Little Corner; Kyssar i mängder

Studly Ziggy Starsmith pounces sexy Butch Diavolo

The gorgeous holyarcher and myself going at it, with Jasmine Cazalet as chaperone

Butch (as the Swedish chef) and myself hugging

Kissing the beautiful Jasmine Cazalet

Butch sharing his love with Jasmine

Awesome DJ FelineFemme gets a welcome-kiss

The unique Bejiita Imako and I in a sweet embrace, Cute Fia Wycliffe pretending she isn´t looking

My stud-buddy Ziggy Starsmith and I in a deep kiss

Hot Larz Kaz has pounced me

My darling "sarge", sirhc DeSantis, and myself sharing saliva 

Kissing with the beautiful Blanche Argus

My friend the always beautiful Gittrika Mint and I in a loving embrace

I have pounced my dear brother in-law Dejerrity Mycron

Jasmine gives me a deep kiss in a "special" spot

Kissing with the wonderful Anne Waco

Kissing with my sweet friend Carol Pixelmaid

Kissing with hot buddy Butch (now out of disguise)

My sweet sister Millimina has pounced me

My bosom buddy  (always the fashionista) Apmel Goosson and I

Closing in on the sweet Carol Pixelmaid (Photo by Carol)

Whaddaya Know?

cbreak has logged into first life for a short while and the first thing that happens is that his wife Blanche Argus is seen out on a hot date with a hottie.that has not yet been identified.

I am in a state of utter and complete shock, who would have thought...!???

Blanche in an intimate tête-à-tête with unknown stranger

Well, "when the cat´s away the mice will play", is all I have to say about this. From what I heard the organizers at the "Feed A Smile" benefit had a hard time breaking up the couple, who were going at it in plain sight. The sim was after all only General, not Adult.

Two Pictures

While I was in-world yesterday I wasn't in a good mood and just wanted to stay on the home sim. While I was walking around on Southern Charm, checking the place to see all was good and safe, I talked with a few of my friends.

Two of them sent me these pictures and they did cheer me up a bit, so I wanted to share them with you.

Butch trying out his new rocking chair (Photo by Butch Diavolo)

"Farmer Bock" chewing a straw of barley (Photo by Blanche Argus)

Life Is Like a Bottle of Ketchup

Whiskey with Blanche

...first there is nothing and then - suddenly - it all pours out.

The object of my secret meeting with a woman the other day has now been disclosed.

Blogger and friend Blanche Argus has now published the interview she was doing with me at the time so you  can stop thinking that I am venturing to "the other side".

The interview is in Swedish of course but if you wish you can read it on Blanche´s Arena: Interview with Bock McMillan. I must say that sharing the bottle of Jack Daniel´s with Blanche seems to have worked; I talked too much!

"Ich Bin Ein Prim Teamer"

The title of this post of course alludes to a famous speech given by the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Berlin, West Germany, on June 26, 1963,

On February 21, 2012, a new Swedish virtual worlds blog appeared. The blog, called Prim Team, was not really discovered by anyone before blogger Blanche Argus posted about it on her blog Blanche´s Arena on  February 28.

Little or nothing was known of the blogger/bloggers as they chose to remain anonymous, other than that they claim to be a group of people with technical interests "who together have more than 25 years of experience in virtual worlds". All might have run smoothly for them if they had not chosen to unearth and regurgitate the old Scandinavian civil war in SecondLife by four posts focusing on the old witch hunt theme again.

With those four posts Pandora´s box was opened and the scab was ripped off the old wounds which have seemed to be healing since summer. Their rehashing of history made it very interesting to know who was really behind the "insightful" blog.

For me knowing who wrote something is of interest in determining how much faith to put in what they write. Admittedly most of us in the SecondLife blogosphere go by our avatar names, all except my bosom buddy Apmel Goosson who is out there with his first life information also. But even if it is "only" avatar names that in itself is important information, because we know them as well or little as we know people in first life by their identities.

Three people came forward and declared emphatically they had nothing to do with the blog. These three were Blanche Argus, Gittrika Mint and Walentine.

In comments on the Prim Team blog and/or on other Swedish SecondLife blogs it has also become apparent that neither the mudslinger or her"cousins" are part of that particular team. The team behind the blog have also chosen to clearly state in a post that my buddy NEO Timeless is not part of the team.

I am rather sensitive to the use of language and after reading the blog for more than a week I ventured a qualified guess, by the language used in and the topics chosen for some of the posts, that one of the persons in the Prim Team is in fact Sven Idyll, latest known in the virtual world blogosphere for his blog Svens(k) Idyll (recently shut down).

Strangely this time the Prim Team chose to respond that "maybe he is or maybe he isn´t". Based on the fact that they have previously stated outright if someone wasn't a member of the team this answer - in my mind - is a confirmation though non-denial that Sven Idyll in fact is a member of the group.

In my response to this I decided to declare myself as part of that team. I still await their answer to that claim, which should be interesting however it turns out.

Oh and I should add that I have a growing suspicion about another member of the team. She is a highly intelligent woman, who has always been kind to me but is vehement in her dislike and disapproval of the so called "witch"

They should have discussed their policy on the anonymity issue better.

Tableaux Vivants, Lag & Sim Crashes

"Lag is a state of mind" a wise, semi-old but still extremely hot and sexy avatar once said, who´s name escapes me at the moment.

That is of course very true but sometimes SecondLife tries it´s very best to destroy a good party. Terrible lag, a sim crash and a sim restart almost succeeded at Kandinsky Beaumont´s and Apmel Goosson´s party at Solace Island yesterday. Luckily most of us who were there were old troopers at dealing with such misfortunes and we came back as soon as it was possible every time.

Tableaux vivants means "living pictures". The term describes a group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move. The approach thus marries the art forms of the stage with those of painting/photography. (Wikipedia).

"The Extraordinary Adventures of Kikas and Marmaduke" give SecondLife a humorous and modern day interpretation of this 19th century art form. No show is ever the same because of the interaction with the audience at each performance.

Due to the delay caused by the misfortunes I unfortunately could not stay through the whole show and the party afterwards but had to log off at midnight, but as long as I was there I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Without further ado, here are some pictures from the show. Please note that I am only showing a few of the pictures and not in the order the tableaux were presented.

Enthralled audience; Bock, Emarald, Mid, Ziga, Blanche, Kandi & Apmel

Besides myself, the sim was full of all the avantgarde art elite in SecondLife. Here are a few more shots of the audience.

SaveMe Oh trying to catch the eye of some rough trade

DJ Eifach

SEMA 2011 - Oh What A Party

Finally the long awaited evening arrived. As an old hand in SecondLife I arrived early at the venue, The Fallen Gods Club at Yadkin. I have missed to many events before by not getting my ass on the sim in time.

The laird resting before the party stasrts

Once I was safely there I could take a smoke, eat a little and prepare for the party to start.

Oh what a great party it was! All the men were stunningly beautiful and the women looked reasonably OK too, even if some of them were showing a lot of their legs and boo.. uhmmm lets say chests.

Apollon Allen, DJ and one of the organizers

Emarald Harvey (in the background) with his partner Zigadena Gabardini 

Iendi Laville

Svessa Hax

My Sergeant at Arms sirhc DeSantis-McMillan

Vira Broome, one of the organizers

Blanche Argus, cbreak, Apmel Ibbetson and Kandinsky Beaumont

Chaplin Early and his partner Stella Guardian, Aake Roffo in the background

Some cute stranger

NE0 Timeless, one of the organizers

I had a wonderful evening and an unexpectedly great time, most people actually spoke with me. It was good to be able to in some little way show my appreciation of the hard work the event makers do for us. All in all I had a splendid time with no bad lag surprisingly because avatars were crashing left and right.

I would like to finish by once again thanking Apollon Allen, Vira Broome and NE0 Timeless for giving me this opportunity to extend my thanks to the event makers. I know I didn´t get all of them on my camera, for which I especially apologize to Vampi Twine-DeSantis-McMillan-McMillan (honorary and through handfasting), Midnattsdotter Fride and Gittrika Mint. All three of you looked wonderful, but my pictures of you were ugly and not publishable,

I just noticed that my bosom buddy Apmel Goosson has also been working hard and has already published his great pictures from the event here (url).

Even more pictures from the event at Blanche Argus blog now (url) and on Ewa Aska´s blog.

UPDATE:
Oh, I forgot, the evening actually ended very well when Blanche Argus finally found the humongous and  enormous tip jar for the event makers.

I understand her completely because I have been there myself countless times! Sometimes tip jars are just too big to notice, one cams above, around, behind and under them... I cannot remember all the times that Guyke, Ars or some other friendly soul has had to drag me in front of them for me to see them.