Picture of the Day - 2

"Hand to Hold" Photography by Tomais Ashdene

Bock Joins the 21st Century

After some brutal coercion by my brother @Dejerrity, who sent me updates on his marital status (single, if you should wonder) every 20 minutes to an hour, I finally broke down and, with the help of Tomais, yesterday I set up an account on Twitter.

My first tweet to the world at large

Here is a link Bock on Twitter

Manshots Magazine Is Here

There is a new magazine in SecondLife and - lo and behold - it is dedicated to fashion for men and the gay lifestyle!

Editors Angelik Lavecchia and Scott Lens, in the Editor's Letter in the very first issue of Manshots Magazine, promise to guide us to new places, new shops and new designers and to make our lives more fun.

Hotboy Lockjaw on the cover of Manshots Magazine #1

You can read the magazine here Manshots Magazine #1

Like it on Facebook also Manshots Fangroup on Facebook

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!