Spring Is Here

According to the Swedish meteorological definition spring arrives when the daily average temperature is rising and between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius (i.e. 32 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit) for seven consecutive days.

Well today was the eight day so officially spring has now arrived to the southernmost parts of Sweden, even if it is difficult to believe when you feel the cold winds sweeping around you every time you step outside for a cigarette. It´s not at all cozy and you hate the day you started smoking.

I am beginning to believe there is a conspiracy between nature, the Swedish legislators and my employer and they are all trying to send me a message of some kind...

At times like this it is good to have a second home to log in to. I keep Southern Charm on a sort of eternally mild summer, not too hot and not too cold and always with a slight breeze. Simply wonderful!

Mardi Gras at The Bullring

Although it was Fat Tuesday yesterday I was preparing for a peaceful evening at Southern Charm, perhaps some light gardening but nothing at all adventurous when I saw my friend missK calling us to a Mardi Gras party with DJ Hotboy at my co-blogger Torro Spyker´s club The Bullring.

Torro Spyker checking out a patron

I had never been to that club before so I thought to myself, "What the hell, the gardening can wait...". I threw off my shirt, threw on my beads and a mask and took the teleport.

When I arrived the small room was already filled by a few very good looking women and the hunkiest men in SecondLife, the pride of the gay community in our world. My fellow Swedes sometimes complain about my exaggerated height, but I believe I was the shortest man in the room this night.

Strangely enough there wasn´t much conversation going on although the room was packed so I am guessing it was all in IMs. The music was good and the sights were just fine too, so I stayed until it was time for bed and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

DJ Hotboy and Mercedes

Bock, shirtless with beads and mask

Blogger Jeff Ellsworth hiding in the rafters but I found him anyway

Are You Married?

On the amazing J.M.G. I saw this news.

If you are heterosexually challenged and married (hand-fasted, jumped over the broom or whatever ceremony was performed) to someone of the opposite sex but do not feel threatened by allowing marriage to be extended to same-sex couples there is a group for you to "Like" if you are on Facebook.

The group is called "Heterosexuals for Same-Sex Equality" (HSSE)

Link to the HSSE-group on Facebook. The group is presently running a photo campaign where you and your spouse can post pictures of yourselves. The HSSE also has a website.
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And as that group on Facebook must likely will only accept first life contributions I will offer my blog as an affiliate to it and will start accepting contributions from avatars in SecondLife.

The following rules apply
1. Heterosexually challenged couples
2. Married, partnered etc. etc.
3. A sign in the picture showing the message
"Gay marriage doesn't threaten our marriage"
4. Send  your contribution to my e-mail lundamats@gmail.com. or drop it on my SecondLife profile (make certain the picture is sent with full rights). Some editing of the picture may occur.
5. If you drop the picture on my profile name the picture with both the spouses avatar names. If you send an email tell me the avatar names in the message.

Cute straight couple

Example from Facebook, but hey play around with the theme!

A Welcome Change of Heart

In two previous posts (Stop Forced Sterilization and A Message from Love) I have informed you about the deadlock among the four parties that form the Swedish government on the issue of forced sterilization of transsexuals before being granted permission for new legal gender identity and gender corrective surgery. 

Although three of the four parties in the governing so called "Alliance for Sweden" and 90 % of the members of parliament as a whole were for a change of the law and abolish the requirement for sterilization the fourth party in the Alliance, the Swedish Christian Democrats, blocked any change of the present law.

The Christian Democrats is a socially conservative ("family values", i.e. anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, anti stem-cell research etc etc.) party heavily influenced by the "Word of Faith" movement and other fundamentalist Christian movements. 

Recently internal strife broke out where the party chairman Göran Hägglund was challenged for the leadership of the party by a candidate for the hardcore fundamentalists. The rebellion was successfully quenched by a humiliating defeat after which the party leadership - finally - grew a pair of brand new "cojones" and on Saturday declared that the party would no longer oppose abolishing the requirement of forced sterilization.

We can now look forward to a change of the anachronistic and discriminatory law.

Snarky Comments

Don´t ever tell me that SecondLife isn´t educational and a good practicing ground for personal development or adjustments in behavior.

Yesterday when I visited a certain Swedish venue for the first time. The first thing I saw when I had teleported in was a acerbic comment by one of the ancient Nordic gods-crowd, friends or relatives of the mudslinger, who said something like "Ooo look his lordship deigns us with his presence...".

All my life, first and second, I have never before accepted anything like that without talking back or saying something in return. Yesterday I managed to keep my cool and totally ignored the bitch and went on having fun with the other kind people who were at the venue.

I had a great time and would like to thank Fia Wycliffe and Helene Dragone for the great music, well most of it... and they know exactly what I mean.

I am very proud of myself and view this as a breakthrough in my personal development. Thank you, SecondLife! The next time will be even easier and it will continue that way until it finally becomes completely effortless.

The Last C&P Show

When I got the news that Circe Broom was shutting down the Laurel Arts sim I was devastated. I have spent many hours of my SecondLife there enjoying poetry, live performances, comedy acts and last - but in no way least - "The Coffee and Pajamas Jazz Show with Elfay Pinkdot" (C&P) together with Ars, with friends or on my own.

Circe Broom, owner of the Laurel Arts sim

I first knew off C&P and met with DJ Elfay Pinkdot at the Saturday and Sunday shows that were held at Second Pride Festival of 2008. I was blown away by this chatty DJ who played great music while having an interactive banter with those at the show in SecondLife or listening in on radio and who were sending her messages by text or mail.

DJ Elfay Pinkdot in action

Everyone didn't get or like the format of the show, which relies heavily on audience participation and Elfay´s communication with us throughout the show. But I was thrilled and excited as many of the regulars who lovingly came week after week for Elfay, the music and the other regulars (in that order). Circe herself and her lover Vince were almost always there. Circe acting as a safe anchor and participating with the rest of us.

Margo, Carol, I and Diana

After Ars passed away I rarely left the home sim for a long time except for sets by Bara Jonson and Strum Diesel or events at OrmDricka and the C&P. These places I felt loved, welcomed and fairly safe. I cannot say how I would have managed without them, but I am happy they were there when I was in need.

Margo, Carol, I, Joetonight and Diana

As I was preparing for the last show of C&P at Circe´s Sunset Jazz Club I was sad but at the same time happy, because although I knew this was the last time I would be going there I would also meet the other regulars who had become my fiends, Circe, Elfay, Diana, Carol, Joetonight, Margo, Ex, Mari (who unfortunately could not be there this Sunday), DoubleDown Tandino (whom I meanly have renamed DDT for short) and more, many more.

It is sad when good things come to an end, but I for one will relish in the sweet memories of those days until I lose my mind or die. The last show was a Valentines Day celebration, if you should wonder about all the hearts.

The regulars assembled for a last shot

Joetonight

Bock

Career Opportunity

Well, well, I got a semi-anonymous tip, from someone whom I choose to call "Idde", directing my attention to a post at Joe Jervis´s exceptional blog Joe.My.God. that I somehow had overlooked earlier.

It seems like my second most favorite suspected villain Julian Assange has now found new and creative ways to work from his house arrest in Britain, where he is awaiting the judgement of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on his possible extradition to Sweden (where he is to be interrogated on suspicion of two counts of rape).