Boxing Day 2013

Noblesse oblige, so on boxing day it was time for the laird to go out and about on Southern Charm to - as tradition bids - meet and greet the hoi polloi, i.e the lowlier nobility inhabiting the home sim.

The journey is usually performed with me being drawn in the royal sleigh drawn by six white Ardennes stallions, but this year I wanted to show off my new studly boyfriend so I had Tomais pull me around the sim instead.

"Sleigh Ride" Photography by Tomais Ashdene

It was a great success and the cheering of the crowds seemed never to cease. My people loved the man, for his good looks and charm and because they saw he makes me happy.

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Enough with that fantasy about my noble lineage, which I mostly keep on with because it amuses me and annoys a few others (that I do not mind teasing as often as I am able).

Tom had seen this beautiful pose and it made him think of a picture (thats the way of the artists). I think he may have played a little with the pose I am on, but I am not at all sure.

Yesterday the brutish artist made me suffer for art and had me sitting out there in the cold for hours on end while he played about with lighting and Windlight settings. Although I am the most patient man in SecondLife, which Tom repeatedly told me yesterday, I would have been freezing my beautiful derriere off sitting there and listening to the artist mumbling to himself had it not been for my sweet brother Dej joining us on Skype for a while.

You can see more of Tomais' photography either on Flickr - Tomais Ashdene and also on his Tumblr page Photomonkey SL (NSFW). Enjoy!

Science: Spread of Infection via the Internet

The illustrious scientist Dr. Field Marshal Bock McMillan at The McMillan Center for Disease Control, today published a sensational empirical study showing that viruses possibly can be transmitted through the Internet.

Asked for a comment Dr. McMillan said,

"Well, as most of you must certainly know I have been spending the last weeks kissing, slobbering and exchanging bodily fluids with that hunk of male beauty known as Tomais Ashdene.

Tomais has meanwhile had an exceptionally bad case of the common cold, which he barely survived with the help of chicken soup and some TLC from me. Now, to my own surprise and dismay, I find I have been infected by what may very possibly be the same strain of common cold-viruses that may have been transmitted transatlantically by the Internet. Further research will have to show if this is actually the case, but I thought it best to warn the general public of potential risks a.s.a.p."

Not Just A Pretty Face

Guyke Lundquist, the Prince of Paradijs, is my son and heir, my pride and joy and my longest lasting friend in SecondLife. I love him to bits!

Guyke's Christmas Card this year (Photography by Danne Guardian)

The first thing everyone notices about my Guykechen is his stunning beauty, the second is his devastating charm and the third is his astute sense for fashion. The man shines brightly even in the presence of the many other luminaries on the SecondLife sky of male beauty.

What people don't know, and rarely take the time to notice (overwhelmed as they are with his dazzling presence), is that Guyke has the full package. Besides his good looks he also has a curious and an inquisitive mind which is stacked with knowledge about just about anything one needs to know and also an emotional depth and concern for his fellow man.

Almost every time I am with Guyke he teaches me something new. Just the other day he taught me something I had never even heard about. For instance, did you know that there is an easy way for those of us using the Firestorm viewer to reach a certain height in the skies above you? Well Guyke did and it is an easy trick which is extremely useful for me as I now have a lot of my landscaping stored at 1.000 meters above Southern Charm.

You use the Firestorm feature "Go To Height" by simply typing "gth 1000" in your nearby/local chat and hey presto you are at the designated height. Going down you just do the opposite, type "gth 25 (or whatever your level you prefer)" and down on the ground you are. Nifty, isn't it?

Another thing he taught me is that I can mix the sound levels for Skype, Firestorm and whatever so I get the combination of the levels that I prefer. You do that simply by clicking the loudspeaker symbol in the bottom right and then go to "Mixer" to choose the settings you want with the sliders. Hey presto! For some of you geeky guys this is probably really basic, but for me it's news.

An Impromptu Christmas Dinner

´Twas the day before, the day before, the day before, the day before Christmas (that would be Saturday December 21, 2013, for those who have difficulty with counting) that the picture below was taken.

Butch, Guyke, Tomais, I and Dej at the table in Tom's kitchen.

My men and I had started talking about when we were going to celebrate the holiday together before we each went off to spend some time with our first life families and/or friends, but had not decided on a date yet.

I was hailed by Dej when I logged into my SecondLife earlier than usual on Saturday. My brother was in an exceptionally jolly mood and invited me to come over to hear him play some music on the grand piano he has in his conservatory. I happily accepted the invitation.

After a while of we were joined by the topic of Dej's and my conversation, my lover Tomais.

At first Tom took a seat in the window, demurely listening as Dej and I continued playing duets on the piano, but then Dej  remembered that there was a third pose on the piano so he joined us there.

Tom got bolder as we kept on chatting away on Skype and changed to more daring outfits, cheered on by Dej and me.

Somewhere at this point we were joined by first Guyke and soon afterwards Butch and decided to go somewhere where we could all sit and talk comfortably. We first tried my kitchen table, but as I could not provide sustenance we moved on to Tom's kitchen where the table could provide us with a complete traditional Christmas dinner.

We sat there and talked together for hours and hours, all of us in high spirits and enjoying each others company to the fullest. 

When Butch had to leave us to set up his set at Q Lounge, the remaining four of us continued talking away and relaxing in Tom's sitting room, where we were served coffee, before joining Butch at his set.

Some hours later I noticed that Tom was getting a tired, he had been suffering from a bad cold for a few days and had had problems sleeping properly due to congestion. I decided to send Tom to bed and tucked him in properly.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that this had been a magical and wonderful day, one of the top five marvelous days in my entire SecondLife existence.

Oh, I almost forgot, we actually also had sort of a Christmas miracle. Dej and Guyke, who in the past have had some difficulty getting along, didn't even bicker at each other once. The two have instead since then joined forces to instruct Tom and me on how to go about things, sticking their noses into matters that are none of their concerns. The only reason I accept and forgive them for this is that they are family and that is what families do - as I know well having done so on more than one occasion when it comes to both their lives.

Bock in SecondLife and I, it's editor in chief, 

wishes all of you and your families in first and SecondLife 

an equally wonderful and magical Christmas holiday 

and we hope to see you all safely back with us soon!

Hero of the Day 2013-12-23 (Updated)

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby (43) had been on the bench just six months when he was assigned Kitchen v. Herbert in March.

Shelby’s decision in the case Friday made same-sex marriage legal in Utah by finding the state same-sex marriage ban (that was voted into the state constitution by 66% of Utahns in 2004) is unconstitutional.

Shelby graduated from Utah State University in 1994 and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1998. He is married to his college sweetheart and has two children.

Before becoming a judge Shelby was a law clerk for U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Greene and spent eight years in the Utah Army National Guard. He worked at the Salt Lake City law firms of Snow, Christensen & Martineau and Burbidge Mitchell & Gross. He was nominated to the federal bench by President Barack Obama in November 2011 and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 22, 2012. 

Today Shelby denied the state's governors motion to stay the decision. 

BREAKING NEWS: Motion DENIED! Same-sex marriages continue in #Utah. @fox13now #Amendment3 #utpol
— Ben Winslow (@BenWinslow) 23 december 2013

Judge Shelby made it clear that any clerks who refuse to do their job by issuing licenses will be in contempt of court. #utpol
— Seth Anderson (@jsethanderson) 23 december 2013

We can expect the Utah governor to appeal the decision to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, they have done so twice already in anticipation of this ruling and have been kicked out of the appeals court both times.
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UPDATE 2013-12-24
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the state's request for an emergency stay on Judge Richard Shelby's ruling. The appeals court said in its short ruling that a decision to put gay marriage on hold was not warranted, but said it put the case on the fast track for a full appeal of the ruling.

The denial means that Judge Robert Shelby's ruling to strike down Utah’s ban on same-sex couples marrying will remain in place during the appeal of the case, if it is not struck down by a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court to which Utah officials could appeal. Interim requests of the type that would be filed in this situation would go to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who oversees such requests from the 10th Circuit. She could either decide the matter on her own or refer the matter to the whole court for consideration.

URGENT: #Utah AG's Office confirms to @fox13now it will ask U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor for an emergency stay. #Amendment3 #utpol
— Ben Winslow (@BenWinslow) 25 december 2013

Your Wakeup Call 2

(via Mikedacook Dinzeo on Facebook)

How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk

I blame it on my brother Dej!

Try the New York Times quiz yourself! (Tipped by Joe Jervis@J.M.G.)