Joie de Vivre

On Saturday I caught my boys, Guyke and his husband Janttu, dancing on the fountain in their dance area, it was a perfect image of the ebullience of the joy of living. Once in a while they happened to pushed each other off the fountain, but soon they were both up there dancing again.

Sunday, which was the last day of my summer vacation this year, my local news paper had a headline saying "The summer comes next week". It had been a rather wet and chilly summer so far with the temperatures between 12-15 ºC (54-59 ºF). And the meteorologists were correct, the weather has become much warmer and finally feels like summer.

Monday was a good day, I love my work and like the people I work with so it was good to be back. When I came home I went to bed for a short nap at 6 PM and did´t wake up until 7 AM this morning, so I guess I was tired again. Today I have resisted the urge to take a nap but will get an early night of it instead.

My healing after the recent operation is progressing much better than the doctor expected and I have had none of the complications he warned me about, especially because I am a smoker. Well, not yet may be best to add.

The Norwegian Example

A year ago we were reached by the horrendous news that 77 people were killed through the actions of a hateful man. The world seemed to stop spinning for a few minutes as the reality of the tragical atrocities sunk in.

Today we should take the time to remember the victims and honor their memory. May they all rest in peace.

Oslo City center (8):
Jon Vegard Lervåg, 32, Oslo.
Ida Marie Hill, 34, Oslo.
Hanne Ekroll Løvlie, 30, Oslo.
Tove Åshill Knutsen, 56, Oslo.
Hanna M Orvik Endresen, 61, Oslo.
Kai Hauge, 32, Oslo.
Anne Lise Holter, 51, Våler.
Kjersti Berg Sand, 26, Nord-Odal.

Utøya (69):
Karrar Mustafa Qasim, 19, Vestby.
Andreas Edvardsen, 18, Sarpsborg.
Ronja Søttar Johansen, 17, Vefsn.
Emil Okkenhaug, 15, Levanger.
Åsta Sofie Helland Dahl, 16, Sortland.
Monica Iselin Didriksen, 18, Sund.
Rune Havdal, 43, Øvre Eiker.
Tore Eikeland, 21, Bergen.
Espen Jørgensen, 17, Bodø.
Karin Elena Holst, 15, Rana.
Aleksander Aas Eriksen, 16, Meråker.
Victoria Stenberg, 17, Nes.
Ruth Benedicte Vatndal Nilsen, 15, Tønsberg.
Isabel Victoria Green Sogn, 17, Oslo.
Ida Beathe Rogne, 17, Østre Toten.
Elisabeth Trørnnes Lie, 16, Halden.
Monica Elisabeth Bøsei, 45, Hole.
Håvard Vederhus, 21, Oslo.
Carina Borgund, 18, Oslo.
Ingrid Berg Heggelund, 18, Ås.
Tarald Kuven Mjelde, 18, Osterøy.
Porntip Ardam, 21, Oslo.
Andrine Bakkene Espeland, 16, Fredrikstad.
Torljus Jakobsen Blattmann, 17, Kristiansand.
Jamil Rafal Mohamad Jamil, 20, Eigersund.
Tina Sukuvara, 18, Vadsø.
Fredrik Lund Schjetne, 18, Eidsvoll.
Steinar Jessen, 16, Alta.
Lejla Selaci, 17, Fredrikstad.
Henrik Rasmussen, 18, Hadsel.
Thomas Margido Antonsen, 16, Oslo.
Mona Abdinur, 18, Oslo.
Anders Kristansen, 18, Bardu.
Gunnar Linaker, 23, Bardu.
Ismail Haji Ahmed, 19, Hamar.
Trond Berntsen, 51, Øvre Eiker.
Sharidyn Svebakk-Bøhn, 14, Drammen.
Silje Merete Fjellbu, 17, Tinn.
Hanne A.Balch Fjalestad, 43, Lunner.
Bano Abobakar Rashid, 18, Nesodden.
Syvert Knudsen, 17, Lyngdal.
Diderik Aamodt Olsen, 19, Nesodden.
Simon Sæbø, 18, Salangen.
Synne Røyneland, 18, Oslo.
Birgitte Smetbak, 15, Nøtterøy.
Margrethe Bøyum Kløven, 16, Bærum.
Even Flugstad Malmedal, 18, Gjøvik.
Tamta Lipartelliani, 23, Georgien.
Kevin Daae Berland, 15, Askøy.
Silje Stamneshagen, 18, Askøy.
Hanne Kristine Fridtun, 19, Stryn.
Håkon Ødegaard, 17, Trondheim.
Sondre Furseth Dale, 17, Haugesund.
Henrik André Pedersen, 27, Porsanger.
Eivind Hovden, 15, Tokke.
Rolf Christopher Johansen Perreau, 25, Trondheim.
Sverre Flåte Bjørkavåg, 28, Sula.
Eva Kathinka Lütken, 17, Sarpsborg.
Maria Maagerø Johannesen, 17, Nøtterøy.
Modupe Ellen Awoyemi, 15, Drammen.
Lene Maria Bergum, 19, Namsos.
Guro Vartdal Håvol, 18, Ørsta.
Marianne Sandvik, 16, Stavanger.
Andreas Dalby Grønnesby, 17, Stange.
Sondre Kjøren, 17, Orkdal.
Bendik Rosnæes Ellingsen, 18, Rygge.
Gizem Dogan, 17, Trondheim.
Snorre Haller, 30, Trondheim.
Johannes Buø, 14, Mandal.

---

"If one man can show so much hate, imagine how much love we all can show together."
Helle Gannestad in a tweet on July 23, 2011

During the year that has followed since the horrific events the Norwegians as a people have shown the rest of the world how to deal with acts of hatred. Instead of calling out for revenge they have been standing together for peace, for love and against hate. From the parents, the spouses, the siblings and the children of the victims to the Norwegian royal family, the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and all other Norwegians (whether indigenous or immigrants) have shown us that with love we can - and will - change the world.

If you are able please take the time to visit the Stavkirken (SLurl) in Second Norway to honor the memory of the victims and the Norwegians.

Friday with the Boys

Yesterday I had a prearranged meeting with Ziggy Starsmith at The Rainbow Yacht Club. He was going to pick me up there to show me his new home in Second Norway.

Even though I was a bit nervous about his typing at the same stime as he was driving everything went well and we soon docked safely at his new home. The house lies directly by the waterfront and you only have to get out of the boat to be there.

I was relieved to hear that his next door neighbor was Mialinn Telling herself. She probably wants to keep an eye on him, quite understandably, even if he has calmed down considerably during the time I have known him.

Although Ziggy only moved in a few days ago he had already gotten a new house in place and had finished furnishing and decorating it. That usually takes me a couple of weeks or months. We had a great time inspecting the new parcel, the house and just talking.  All the time I was secretly looking at his wonderful hairy calves.

Then I got an IM from my stepson Guyke, inviting us both over to take a look at the work he and his husband Janttu had been doing in remodeling their homestead. The results so far is great I can tell you and a immense change from earlier.

When I saw the new privy they had installed I felt the need to try it out, and I can tell you it was very comfortable.

Although it seems as if I am alone on the picture, I had an audience of three watching me so it was not my most restful moment on the loo.

I tried to get a picture of the four of us together in front of their beautiful new green house, but the two young ones both had their irritatingly fidgeting cruising Animation Overrides (AO) on. This is the best I could do with Janttu showing himself from his best side. (Well, I did actually get a good picture of all of us facing forward, but this was still my favorite.)

We finished the visit with some ballroom dancing in the boys wonderful new dance area, a gazebo with a stunning fountain in the middle. It was very relaxing to dance and talk among friends and after awhile I felt the Friday coma set in and had to leave for my beauty sleep.

 

"Pyramids" by Frank Ocean

(Via J.M.G. and Billboard.com)

What an amazing voice! It´s no wonder that Christopher Francis Ocean, better known as Frank Ocean, debuted as #1 on Billboards R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart this week.

My Crazy Summer Addiction

I don´t watch TV that much and I take great care to avoid reality shows, but this summer I got stuck on a stupid reality show about these crazy and wealthy women in Beverly Hills.

Kyle Richards, Adrienne Maloof, Lisa Vanderpump , Taylor Armstrong , Camille Donatacci and Kim Richards 

The five women in "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" on their own create more drama among themselves and in their social circles than the whole of Swedish SecondLife. Of course part of it is probably due to imaginative editing by the director and the production team, but still...

I have heard that the first step to being cured of an addiction is to admit you have one. Once I start working again on Monday I will not have the opportunity to watch daytime television again so the rest should work itself out smoothly. Keep your fingers crossed.

The Return of C&C™

Yesterday the Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm and prince of Cascade Falls, received the joyful news that the awesome C&C™, i.e. the team consisting of "The Cuteness that is Guyke" and his husband "The Coolness that is Janttu", have decided to return to SecondLife on a more regular basis.

The message was delivered in person to the laird by the heir apparent himself and led to a hug and kiss fest that hasn't been seen on the sim since the Kiss-A-Swede event in June.

Another Sleepathon

So, now I have completed another sleepathon, the second in two weeks. This one only lasted two nights and a day (from Monday 6 PM until Wednesday 6 AM) but still I am getting worried because I am going to start working again on Monday.

The difference between this time and the last, is that I actually had a dream this time. I think I may have felt guilty - or at least had a bad feeling about - the last response I left to a comment by my Chief Technical Officer Mrs. Vampi Twine-DeSantis-McMillan McMillan (honorary) and her presumed sex life with my Sergeant at Arms Lieutenant Colonel (retired) sirhc DeSantis-McMillan.

The dream was that Blogger somehow posted a warning message to my blog telling me that I should refrain from commenting on other peoples sex life or they would shut me down. The dream was so vivid that I even saw the strange post and had to check the blog when I woke up.