The GA Retirement & Induction Party

I have, almost since I first rezzed into SecondLife, been a member and supporter of the Second Pride group. As such I admit to once having viewed the formation of The Gay Archipelago as a new LGBT community in-world with much scepticism and even suspicion, "Why would we want or need two or more groups with such a relatively small LGBT community?". 

Over the years - through my friendly relations with first Fabrice Snook (the founder of the GA-group) and later with also with Garth Raleigh and Othon Weiland (the outgoing Leads) - and having seen all the good work that has been done in the Gay Archipelago over the years I have completely revised my position on this matter. Today I (as a Swedish saying goes) stand "with one foot in each camp", although perhaps still leaning a little towards Second Pride. I now view the two groups as necessary and complementary and I also understand that both are working for the LGBT community in SecondLife as a whole. My only hope is that we may in the future see some more collaborative efforts and unified activities. 

The following message comes to us via a press release from The Gay Archipelago, kindly supplied to me by the outgoing GA-Lead Garth. (I really must have a talk with Rico and Xcept (formerly also known as Parvin) soon, so that this excellent service and tradition is continued under the new leadership, it is sometimes difficult for a poor blogger to keep up with everything that goes on in two lives without a few kind prods.)

I hope to see you all at the retirement and induction party at Gay Fun World tonight!

"In 2007, The Gay Archipelago was founded to be a place where the LGBT community could live, create, and share dreams together.  A diverse group of visionaries, leaders, and their assistants committed themselves to the idea that we are stronger together.  In those seven years we have grown and labored to become what we are today, an international community of over 100 member estates and well in excess of two thousand Second Life residents. This progress did not happen overnight, nor did it happen without embracing change. 

Today marks another change for our Community, one in leadership. Garth Raleigh and Othon Weiland have retired from their positions, but not from their active lives in the GA.  They will take their well earned places in history as one of the most successful teams of leaders our community has ever seen. They have set the standard upon which we, the incoming leadership team, will be measured. The bar has been set high.

Ricogenu, your new GA Lead, and Xcept Atlas, your new PR Lead, stand at the ready to continue to provide service to you, our member regions, and your residents. We are committed to listening to your feedback, answering your questions, identifying and fixing any challenges we encounter, and sharing our skill sets, so that we may continue to meet the needs of our community.

We also want you to know that during this time of change, we greatly value you and the significant work you do every day to sustain the Gay Archipelago's position as a leader of Second Life's LGBT Community - a place of welcome, orientation, community and help. 

Finally, we thank you for the opportunity to lead this great association. Together we will grow our future, and plan for the years ahead. 

We invite you to join us in celebration on Sunday, February 16th at 1pm SLT at Gay Fun World (SLurl) for Garth's and Othon's retirement party and the induction of Ricogenu and Xcept. Like yesterday, today, and tomorrow, Our Journey Continues Together. 

Sincerely,Ricogenu Resident and Xcept Atlas"

Picture of the Day - 1

I have decided to start a series of posts called "Picture of the Day".

In these posts I will (hopefully daily) - but at least once in a while - share pictures with you that touch, move, excite, upset or thrill me in anyway. They may be from either SecondLife or first life, photography, paintings or cartoons, newly taken or age old drawings on cave walls.

Even if I am mostly partial to pictures with people in them, that doesn't mean there will not be nature pictures or street views. And to belay any fears you may have, although I do for personal reasons have an extremely large and soft spot for the photographer Mr. Tomais Ashdene Esq. all will not be by him even if I am certain some will be. The only thing I can safely promise you is that there will absofuckinglutely be no fluffy kittens.

The series starts with my choice of the day, the picture that triggered this idea in me.

"Spencer" Photography by Finn Millar

Oh and if any of the photographers or artists should happen to take offence to me publishing their pictures, please do let me know and I will remove it at once.

Will You Be My Valentine?

My darling husband Tomais,

I will never forget it, you know? A few weeks ago when we were in bed, and you said to me, "Bock,...", you always call me Bock (which is a good thing since that is my name), "...do you think I am 'principled and earnest'? Those words have been coming up a couple of times to characterize me lately."

"Slurp" Photography by Tomais Ashdene

I thought about your question a short while and then told you, "Yes, definitely, I do think you are both 'principled' and 'earnest' and those are two of the reason I love you most. You obviously do have a ethical and moral compass that guides you through your life. You have a clear sense of what is right and wrong and a sincere conviction of what you will allow yourself to do and how you are prepared to go about things."

Ever since I started looking at men again, you are exactly what I have been looking for. In SecondLife everyone can easily be "hot" and "sexy" by buying the right skin and accessories, but what I have looked for are the characteristics that sometimes are considered uncool. A man that is reliable, responsible, committed, caring, loving and considerate.

You are all that and so much more! You have a wonderful sense of humor, a geekish side with a deep fascination for both science and technology, for science fiction and fantasy and last but not least, fashion. You calm me down when I am upset and choleric, you make me feel safe and loved when I am feeling unworthy of love, you can make me laugh and get things into perspective when I am sad, brooding and uptight. And you can explain stuff that I don't understand so that I do.

I never thought it would happen again and I am so grateful that I met you and got the chance to love you. You make me happy, horny and calm. You make me laugh so hard that my tummy aches. I love you so much and I want you to stay in my life always, always!

Will you be my valentine, hubby? 

Fitted Mesh

Torley Linden tells us about fitted mesh, that will probably come in the main viewer with the next update and most likely with the TPV viewers soon too.

This will revolutionize the clothing industry. Thank you Linden Lab and all of the content creators who helped develop this amazing improvement to SecondLife!

Multitasking

This is me multitasking at the Boystown Nude Beach Party yesterday. I was dancing with my husband ♥Tomais♥ and interviewing the outgoing and incoming leads at the same time.

Tomais tells me,  that the host at the party Lee McKay was dancing behind us and scoping up Tomais butt, but I didn't notice at all I am afraid.

EXCLUSIVE: Interviews with Outgoing and Incoming Leads of Gay Archipelago

Yesterday, while I was taking it easy and dancing bareassed with my husband - and several other hotties - at the Boystown Beach Party with DJ Ryder Bowman, all hell broke loose as the Gay SecondLife metaverse reverberated with the news that Gay Archipelago, or "the other organisation" as it was once upon a time referred to at Second Pride meetings, had gotten a new lead.

Ricogenu Resident (right) with his partner Avacar Bluestar at the
GA Estate Owners Meeting yesterday prior to the announcement

ricogenu Resident had just been named by the GA Discovery Committee to succeed in the position as lead of Gay Archipelago being vacated by Garth Raleigh-Underby next week.

What is an avatar blogger supposed to do when he is thus caught by surprise without any pants? As your intrepid reporter I called my two friends in Instant Message to get exclusive interviews with them both. (I did most certainly not inform either of them that I was conducting the interviews in the buff.)

First off I called Garth Raleigh-Underby, the outgoing lead
Bock: Hello my dear friend! What is this news I just got?
Garth: Hi, Bock dear! :)
Bock: Have you stepped down as lead for GA?
Garth Raleigh: Actually, I did that about a month ago when I informed the Owners group that I was retiring. A Discovery Team was created to vett and interview prospective candidates prior to my official last day (February 13th). Today was the announcement at the GA Owners Gathering. Now I work with the incoming Lead, Rico (ricogenu) on transitional issues and continue to advise him.
Bock: He is a nice guy too, although I do not know him as well as I know you.
Garth You will have many chances to know him better as he wades into the deep end of the pool, so to speak. lol
Bock: LOL
Garth: As for me... I have already started taking classes on Firestorm viewer issues and am slated to begin classes on building/creating with sculpties and mesh. Things I have not had time to do for myself. And I can spend more time with friends and with Mitch. It is our 1 year anniversary today, btw. :)
Bock: OMG congratulations!
Garth: Also, Othon retired as PR/Publicity lead for the GA. The new PR/Publicity Lead is Parvin (xcept.atlas).
Bock: Big changes on important positions
Garth: Change... is essential. Without change groups like the GA become stagnant and unable to move ahead. I wanted to make sure the organization remains vital and full of fresh new ideas and ways of doing things. Now I move out of the spotlight, it was getting a bit toasty under there. LOL

Bock: I am happy for you though
Garth: This means I can come pester YOU more. LOLOL
Bock: YAY! I hope you and Mitch have saved March 8th for me and Tomais
Garth: 8th... Right, saw that on your blog, dear.
Bock: Excellent! Now you can relax and say and do whatever and tell everyone to go screw themselves - although I know you would never express it quite like that...

Next I called on Rico Resident, who according to what his partner Avacar jokingly told me was attempting to "bury a hole". 

Bock: Congratulations buddy! Best of luck with your important mission

ricogenu: Thanks Bock

Bock: I assume you are busy so I will not pester you, just wanted to tell you I you I think you will be an excellent lead for GA

ricogenu: No I am good and Bock you are never a pest

Bock: Hugs mate and *fingers crossed* KICK ASS!

ricogenu: OK I will do my utmost best at it!

This is Rico’s acceptance speech at the GA Owner's meeting transcribed (quoted from the GA WeBlog:

“Hello and I thank you very much for turning up today for this announcement. I stand before you as a very humble man, ready for the challenge that awaits me, a gracious representative to the Second Life lgbt community as a whole.

Each of you play a very important part of the Gay Archipelago mission and I look forward to serving all of you both individually and collectively.

Many of you have worked with my partner in the GA over the last 3 years, and his experience along with mine are to be explored in the very near future on the GA blog.

I appreciate the diligence that the Discovery committee carried out in evaluating my qualifications to take the reins of the GA leadership and I hope to both meet & exceed your many expectations as we move forward this year.

Please bear with me as I become familiar with each estate owner and its superlatives as I hope to learn the many great talents of our overall team.

Your participation is vital to our success and along with many excellent and acclaimed accomplishments for the GA under Garth and his team, we aim to carry that same momentum into all future endeavors that benefit our membership.

Thanks again for your commitment and dedication to the Gay Archipelago.
Sincerely yours, Ricogenu.”

Results of My Readers Survey 2014

A week ago I started a survey to elicit some more information about you, my dear readers. I allowed you a week to respond and the results are now in.

Here are the results:

Out of the 33 respondents on the first question, 27 (81%) identified as male, while 6 (18%) identified as females. None (0%) identified as Intersex, Transgender or Other.

Out of the 33 respondents on the second question, 22 (66%) identified as gay, 6 (18%) as straight, 3 (9%) as bisexual, 1 (3%) as asexual and 1 (3%) as other. None (0%) identified as lesbian.

Out of the 29 respondents on the third and final question (which allowed multiple answers), concerning reader involvement, 21 (72%) said they had commented, 6 (20%) said they had linked and 3 (10%) said they had shared, while the remaining 6 (20%) said they had neither commented, linked or shared.

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Judging from the results of this survey we can conclude that the readers of Bock in SecondLife are an extremely cisgender (your experience of your gender matches the sex you were assigned at birth) crowd consisting of mainly gay men with a fairly high degree of reader involvement.

I thank all those of you who have bothered to take part in this highly unscientific study. Hugs and kisses to you all!