Payment Issues

My former credit card expired in September and my bank sent me a new card for the coming three years well before the expiration date.

As the conscientious customer I am I immediately wanted to update my billing information with Linden Lab so that I wouldn't run into any problems with money in-world or tier payments for Southern Charm.

I am experienced in filling out forms of all sorts and foresaw no problems with doing this. It was easy enough to remove the old credit card, but when I got to the point where I wanted to plug in my new card there was no option to do that. The only option that was apparent seemed to be the PayPal. I did not want to use that option as I am at war with PayPal at the moment for their support of certain hate-groups.

Being a Premium Customer in SecondLife, I contacted the live support chat and was soon taken care of by a charming person with an exotic name that I cannot remember. I described my problem to him/her and together we tried to figure out a solution by looking at the form. Neither of us could find an easy or obvious way to add a new credit card to my account.

After a few minutes my support-person came up with the brilliant idea that I should log into SecondLife and try to buy L$ (the currency used in-world). When I followed the advice a form came up that allowed me to submit my new credit card information and get new L$. Mission accomplished both of us thought.

However, a few days later I received an e-mail from Linden Lab informing me with the following content. (Click to enlarge)

The e-mail is very friendly and understanding but obviously the information I had supplied once before was not enough it seems. 

Following the instructions I had soon added the new information and could authorize payment of the  tier I was due the next day. I also got an immediate confirmation that my debt had been payed in full and that my account status should now be active.

For some reason I cannot understand, it appears you must supply the same information for different uses with Linden Lab, one for buying currency in-world and another for paying tier. I don't know yet if Linden Lab needs the same information again for the yearly payment of my Premium Account.

It seems to me that Linden Lab should make it easier for the customers who are willing to pay for their services to do so without having to contact support or getting an e-mail about being late with payment.

P.S. And now I have started thinking I must have done something wrong when I removed the old credit card, but I cannot remember - and if the user makes mistakes wouldn't the payment system make allowances for that and let us easily correct the mistakes we make?

All Is Well In Both Worlds

"The Artists Mother" by Edouard Manet

Today mother is finally back home again.

My mother is tired and happy and has her oxygen plugged in while she rest in her own bed without lumps and with her own soft pillows and with her old companion pampering and fussing over her.

My father is happy and tired because he didn't sleep at all last night from was worrying that something would happen to prevent mother from coming home. (So now you know where I get my worrying from.)

I am just happy that they are both happy. What the future holds we do not know, but we will deal with it when it comes.

Coming Out

Tomorrow is the National Coming Out Day.

"The National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is an internationally observed civil awareness day for coming out and discussion about people that are gay, lesbian, bisexual,transgender (LGBT), etc. It is observed by members of the LGBT communities and their supporters (often referred to as "allies") on October 11 every year (or October 12 in the United Kingdom).

Despite its name, National Coming Out Day (so called because it originated as an event in the United States) is in fact observed in many countries, including Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Croatia, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (in the UK it is celebrated on October 12)."

All the above is excerpts from an article about the event on Wikipedia.

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I am one of the few fortunate - or perhaps unfortunate - gay men I know who never had to deal with a coming out process. Both my parents and my older sibling actually seemed to be aware of the fact before I even knew what the word meant.

There was a short period in Kindergarten that I sometimes would fall in love with women also, other than that I have almost exclusively had boys or men as objects of my affection or desire. To be quite honest there was a period between the ages of 12 to 17 that I sometimes could get sexually aroused by women also, but hell I was turned on by just about anything with a temperature and a pulse then so I am not sure that really counts.

The last phase was cured when I saw the movie "Amacord" by Federico Fellini at a film club. Do any of you remember the scene where the young Federico meets an older woman in a blue or green Angora sweater with humongous bouncing boobs that she presses against his face? Well, that scene permanently turned me off boobs forever and crushed any hopes my father my have had for my inclinations changing at puberty.

So as I was accepted and loved for what I was by my immediate family there was never anything dramatic about it, much the same as it is for most heterosexuals I believe. Of course I have also encountered bigotry but never in a way that made me question my self-worth. 

The only thing that I was sad about when I accepted my own sexuality was that I would never have children, but even that has changed nowadays.

Sour Grapes

Hilarious, someone takes himself very seriously.

Of course one can say that I am pretending not to care for something I do not or cannot have, but I feel strangely honored in being singled out for this treatment.

Bill, Mum & Dad

I have been thinking about Ars and this song all day, so let me share it with you all. I have posted it once before, but that was during this blogs Swedish era.

"Bill"
lyrics P. G. Wodehouse & music Jerome Kern

I used to dream that I would discover
The perfect lover someday.
I knew I'd recognize him if ever
He came 'round my way.
I always used to fancy then
He'd be one of the God-like kind of men
With a giant brain and a noble head
Like the heroes bold
In the books I've read.
But along came Bill
Who's not the type at all,
You'd meet him on the street
And never notice him.
His form and face,
His manly grace
Are not the kind that you
Would find in a statue,
And I can't explain,
It's surely not his brain
That makes me thrill -
I love him because he's wonderful,
Because he's just my Bill.

He can't play golf or tennis or polo,
Or sing a solo, or row.
He isn't half as handsome
As dozens of men that I know.
He isn't tall or straight or slim
And he dresses far worse than Ted or Jim.
And I can't explain why he should be
Just the one, one man in the world for me.
He's just my Bill an ordinary man,
He hasn't got a thing that I can brag about.
And yet to be
Upon his knee
So comfy and roomy
Seems natural to me.
Oh, I can't explain,
It's surely not his brain
That makes me thrill -
I love him because he's - I don't know...
Because he's just my Bill.

Helen Morgan completely owns this song and makes it all her own, in every little gesture, note and tone of voice. The excerpt is from the film musical "Show Boat" (1936).
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Now an update on my mother.

She is still in the hospital because the doctors decided it would be better to check where she is slowly bleeding from before sending her home. They suspect an ulcer or something in the gastrointestinal tract. This examination will take place on Monday, so we are all hoping she gets released from hospital on Tuesday.

All in all she is doing much better, even if she gets winded when she exerts herself. She is bored with the hospital routines and misses my father badly. Although my parents have talked with each other over the phone at least 3-4 times a day my father had only visited with her twice during these two weeks.

Every time I have asked father if he wants to come with me to visit her, he has said that his bad knees and feet were hurting him too much. My father was a very good soccer player in his youth, this career resulted in many injuries to his feet and knees which are unfortunately punishing him severely now.

So yesterday I meddled and told father that she misses him a lot. He answered that he misses her very much also but that his knees were hurting him really badly. Anyway, we agreed that I would take him there on Sunday, because we had a christening in the family today and I had to go there.

When I arrived for my visit with mother today after the christening, you can imagine my surprise to find my father already there. He had sneaked away behind my back and taken a taxi there while I was at the christening. They were both happily chatting away and both of them had roses on their cheeks and were in a really good mood.

It was good to see them. The love between my parents has always been visible and very strong. Through out my childhood and adulthood I can always remember seeing them light up when they saw each other. Their love made us, their children, feel safe and loved also. All was good in the world and would remain good as long as that love was there.

When I took my father home after his four hour visit, he was happy although he had severe pains.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2011

The Norwegian Parliaments Nobel committee today announced that the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to the Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (center), the Liberian civil rights champion Leymah Gbowee (right) and the Yemeni Tawakkul Karman (left) for their work for peace in Africa and the Arab world.

After the initial shock, that their laird had once again been overlooked, the announcement was followed by cries of jubilation and joy on the Southern Charm sim for the acknowledgement of the three women´s great, tireless and successful efforts for peace and democracy in their communities, countries or regions.

Rumors: Nobel Peace Prize to Bock?

As the week has gone by the McMillan household has ticked off the prizes as they have been awarded.

Nobel Prize for Chemistry NO
Nobel Prize for Physics NO
Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine NO
Nobel Prize for Literature NO

Of course the declared recipients are all well chosen and worthy, but are they really more worthy than the universal genius The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm and prince of Cascade Falls.

The laird - as we all know and recognize - is a man well known for his extraordinary mastery in several different areas of human endeavor as shown through his works and accomplishments?

The disappointment in the household was particularly large today as many had set their hopes on the prize for Literature.

Hopes are now mounting that the Norwegians tomorrow will show more insight than the Swedes have done and award the laird the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian travails and feats in both the virtual and the real worlds.