Ars in Memoriam 2020

Joseph Douglas Wilson Jr., in SecondLife known as Ars Northmead.

★ April 21, 1953 (First life)
★ October 25, 2006 (SecondLife)

† March 12, 2010

Ars Forever, Forever Ars!

Thirteen - I Cannot Believe It

Today I celebrate my thirteenth rezday in SecondLife, it's almost impossible to fathom all the joy, sorrow, loving, shopping, flying, playing, teleporting, friending and un-friending (not so many, but still some) that have occurred during those many years.

I first joined just to check it out, who knew I would still be here and having fun. Many times before I have said that I'll probably be here when Linden Lab pulls the plug in San Francisco, now I actually believe it.

At Cape Dejerrity

Today, while I was waiting for my husband to log into SecondLife, I went for a walk around the home region and ended up at "Cape Dejerrity", which is what I call the hook of land where my late brother's parcel used to be.

The wind was howling and I felt alone while I reminisced about my obstinate, cantankerous, sentimental, loving and lovely brother. I miss him a lot and feel sad about his untimely death, especially the fact that he was all alone and probably frightened when he passed. 

The Laird's Lament

Commoners don't always fully appreciate what a burdensome undertaking it is to be a Prince of the Realm. 

Not only have I inherited two castles, three manors, 15 villas, and uncountable other domiciles, all over the world, but the upkeep and maintenance alone also takes a sizeable portion of my income. However, it falls on me as the head of clan McMillan to keep the lazy princes and princess, the staff and all the other greedy buggers who hang around with roof over their heads.

Bock with Tiara, by JJ Goodman
(The lower part of this wonderful picture has been edited out for Facebook's,
Blogger's & Twitter's modesty's sake. You can see the full-sized photo here)

In this beautiful picture of when I am taking my morning bath, by my beloved brother Prince George (aka JJ), I seem to be alone and in a pensive mood. Not true!

Truth be told we were surrounded by at least twenty courtiers and even more servants. There was The Sergeant at Arms, The Carrier of The Royal Chamberpot, The Royal Fluffer, The Royal Towel Maiden, etc. etc. Although I am only wearing the simple and unassuming Brandenburg Tiara in platinum with gigantic drop-shaped pearls, the crown is an essential attribute.

Sometimes being a laird is simply no fun at all.

Brexit Day

At 12 AM (midnight) CET tonight, January 31^st, 2020, the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.

In commemoration of this solemn occasion Bock MacMillan, the Much Honored Laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls, etc, etc, has issued the following statement.

"A slim majority of Britons voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in 2016 (51,89%) and again in the general election 2019, which was to a great extent focused on the Brexit issue. The Conservative party (who supported Brexit), won 365 of the 650 seats in the Parliament, thus a very comfortable majority. 

In my opinion, it is a sad occasion which I believe the Brits will come to regret. To me, the EU has always mainly stood for a peace project. An effort to bring together "the usual suspects" (i.e. Germany, France United Kingdom, and Italy) and the smaller European countries to work on joint projects and solutions of common issues with the goal of peaceful coexistence in the longterm. 

It is unfortunate that the UK now leaves the community due to a resurgence of nationalism, populism, and isolationism. The question of whether the Brits have been misinformed or lead astray is now moot. We must accept the results of their will as it has been clearly expressed. 

I wish the Brits all the best for the future."