more about alts

Well I said it would be a complicated topic and start a conversation - and I think it has. Esmie raised a wonderfully good point - and now we are faced with the quesiton of how far we go to limit freedom of expression if at all.

Let's take a look as some of the issues -

The US and Europe have very different takes on Freedom of Speech. If you go to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam (and if you haven't and have been to Amsterdam you should be ashamed of yourself and if you haven't been to Amsterdam you should think about how you could get to go) (RL Amsterdam ROTFL) you will have seen the room where they raise these questions through a series of videos - to limit speech to protect a minority or to allow freedom of speech. The US consititution is very clear - except for speech which incites riot or which causes harm directly people can say what they want. After all, who will decide what is ok? And if your team decides today, who knows what team or party will be in power tomorrow - perhaps one that hates you.

On the other hand the EU is very clear - speech which demeans a group of people is illegal.

So - what to do with Alts. Are they Free Speech - or are they individuals who are engaging in acts which have consequences.

Interesting - it depends on whether or not you think SL is a game.

Esmie and I have talked and we agree - SL is NOT a GAME. It is real people having real relationships with other Real People.

Well - then - what does this mean? It means that when I do something in SL to you - I have to be as accountable as I am in RL for the consequences of my actions. And if I harm you - hurt you - then I have to be accountable for that. And to whom am I accountable - well - that's another thorny problem. Certainly to my community, whatever that may be, and to you, and to myself. SL is resident created - and LL puts very little limitation on speech and activity. So it is up to us.

Now we don't want to spend a lot of time developing rules and laws. It wouldn't be right - that's not who comes here - constitutionlists for the most part. So how to see this. It is a problem.

The famous German philosopher and educator and architect and artist Rudoph Steiner said it well I think in what he termed the Fundamental Social Law - which is :

‘The well-being of a community of people working together will be the greater, the less the individual claims for himself the proceeds of his work, i.e. the more of these proceeds he makes over to his fellow-workers, the more his own needs are satisfied, not out of his own work but out of the work done by others’.

So what do we do to implement this if we want to. Well we could interpret it as follows:

The well being of a group of people is improved the more each person works for the happiness and well being of each of his fellows and allows them to work for his.

Esmie also raised the question - "What is Sexy?" in his blog. So let's look at that also - what is sexy sex or what is sexy love making?

Well - hmm - same thing. If you are about your own pleasure then what are you really doing - it has a name and begins with M although in slang in the US it begins with J and in England with a W. ROTFL. If you are concentrating on your own pleasure - well - that's what is happening. Good love making- in my opinion - that is SEXY - is all about the other person. I don't have to concentrate on me at all - if I concentrate on you - and you concentrate on me - that is making love. The rest is well, jack-o-wanking - a new term i just made up on the spot.

How many of us had the experience of having sex with someone in SL who was all about his own xcite bits, or his own timing, or his own pleasure. What a bore. But when I am with someone who emotes, and concentrates on me - well - then I feel them, taste them, touch them - sense them - and when it finally happens for me because of them doing the same - well - -that's sexy.

So it seems to be true in everything - it isn't about what I need - it is about what you need. If I am on the case of what you need, and you on the case of what I need, and all of us on the case of what each of the others needs - well - a community of real caring forms.

Against this we can look at the intention of creating an Alt - and how it affects all the people around us. Is it created for selfish reasons? How does it help my family and friends?

What do you all think?

On Alts, Griefing and Nastiness in general

SL is a wonderful place but it has its rotten side. Alts are one of the most rotten of the rotten.

By virtue of the way that Linden Labs has set up account creation alts are a part of SL. There is a provision that prevents making more than three accounts from any single IP address but that is crap. Almost all residential users of SL have dynamic IP addresses - so their IP address changes all the time. Thus it is possible to set up as many accounts as a person wants - both paid premium accounts and free basic accounts.

What does this mean? It means trouble - big trouble. Why? Because it means that although you are the same person at the keyboard side of the computer, you can be many people on the SL side of the machine. Which means you can escape accountablility for your actions. Nasty - Nasty - Nasty.

I am going to make a number of posts about this - I think it is extremely important. But let's look first at some of the implicaitons. You can try on all kinds of things that your friends would find reprehensible, without them knowing it is you. Think of the most effective disguises-Alts are better. You can be a compassionate healer in one avi and a serial murder in another - and your friends in either know nothing of your other life.

This sucks.

You can lie, steal, and decieve, and you can't be held accountable. This sucks.

You can create free accounts and grief, threaten and be unfaithful. And in one avi you can condemn yourself in the other avi. How bizzare.

Nicho was hanging with me at home while Esmie was away and we were griefed - two of the ugliest avi's I have ever seen came and threatened him with sexual assault. They were basic accounts - anyone could create them in a few minutes. I filed an abuse report, but there is no way to know who they were or how many accounts they had. You can ban one alt and two more can be created in five minutes. Sucks Sucks Sucks

Are there good uses for alts? perhaps, but not if they can not be linked to their primary avi's. Sorry that is my opinion - I know others disagree. But for me SL is a way to communicate - so YOU whoever you are must be true to YOU. Communicate - not deceive. And that means you are who you are - and your avi has to own up to it.

There has to be accountability in life - otherwise there is no ethical standard against which to live.

So sorry - I think it is wrong. I know people who have avi's they use to work things out - and it gives me pain each time i see them. I want to see my friends for who they are. If I can't acccept all of what they are in one Avi - then I am not much of a friend. And if they can't show me all of who they are in one Avi - then they are not much of a friend.

Argue with me - I will look forward to it. Until then I wish Linden Labs would find a way to stop multiple avi creation. It sucks.

Moving Forward -

Well, it is now exactly a week since I posted the news of Micah and my breakup - a week since Micah made the final decision to leave and not be married to me anymore.

It has been a torementing week for me. I had promised myself to this man for the rest of my life - you who have been faithful readers know what I felt and said - that I love this man and that I wanted nothing more in life than to be with him.

And he is gone - this is painful.

But everyone needs to move on - myself included. The quesiton is how?

There are wounds which never heal, and there are scars which never disappear completely. We learn to live with them and we muddle on through our lives until something new comes along - but the scars and the wounds remain.

I wouldn't want to leave my last post to you, my readers, without you knowing that this is a period of great pain - after all, I have shared with you many many periods and moments of great joy. What kinds of friends would you be if I didn't share with you the pains.

So I want to thanks my good friends who have helped me to carry on through this first week - and I want to thank them each individually and all together.

My brother Mak and my brother-in-law Simon
My best friend Esmiel and my wonderful friend and his partner Nicho
My good friend Masahiro
My good friends Jamie and Celty
My SL Mom - Kat
My good friends from Alter Ego- Jay and Other Micah
and my new friend Ami who, for some reason, seems taken with me.

I can say this - these events are hard. It it hard to go from being told every day that you are the most desireable man in the world to total silence. I suppose there is no good way to end this post but to say

Thanks to all who have helped me through this - I am not done yet though. I feel emotions rise and fall and I don't remember buying a ticket on the roller coaster. I don't even like roller coasters. I hate roller coasters - they make me want to throw up ROFL.

I feel strange - like I got screwed but didn't have any fun. I suppose everyone feels this way sometimes.

I advise everyone to listen to REM- Everybody Hurts Sometimes.

It is my song for today - perhaps for a while.

Ok- enough self pity.

If anyone has the timetable for the moving on train - please send it to me. LOL

Thanks.

(signed) the rock star formerly known as gabe - ROTFL

A Notice of Major Personal Importance to Me and Micah - Please Read

To all my faithful readers:

For a number of months now I have been writing about my marriage to my husband, Micah Michinaga, and the wonderful relationship we have experienced together.

Micah and I have been together for almost 8 months. We met at Christmas last year, and began to live together in January, and were married in May. We have been through good times and tough times, through sickness and health.

It has been a wonderful and loving time. Now, however, it must change.

On Monday, July 23, 2007 Micah and his long-time partner (actually high school sweetheart) Eric were joined together as Civil Domestic Partners as part of the first group to be so joined in the State of Washington. They stood with hundreds of gay couples and pledged their faithfulness and troth to each other.

Micah and Eric are now married. I have known Eric since Micah and I were married, and I love him. He makes my puppy very happy, and that makes him aces in my book. But Micah’s marriage to Eric changes everything.

Micah's and my marriage in Second Life was a little unusual. It was extraordinarily intense and filled with commitment and loving interaction. It was said on many occasions by our friends that we were inseparable, and that we had something magical and unusual. But that now has to belong only to Micah and Eric – it cannot be divided up and have it make any sense.

With great happiness and with great sadness I have to announce that Micah and I will be moving on to go our separate ways. We remain friends – great friends, and I will always love and care for and about Micah and he for me. But the pledge of fidelity and exclusivity that we have in our marriage belongs now only with Eric for Micah and so I must move along. And so must Micah and so must our marriage and our relationship.

Micah and Eric went on a three week honeymoon to Greece where they ate and danced and drank wine and made love in ancient cities. They return committed completely to each other with plans for a formal marriage ceremony in December near the Christmas Holidays. And so they are saying goodbye to those relationships that they had before and clearing the way for a new life together now. And while Micah and I changed each other’s lives in wonderful ways over the past 8 months, it is time for that itself to change.

So join me as I raise a glass of champagne and toast to Micah and Eric and wish them happiness and joy and a long and wonderful marriage. Join with me in dancing in celebration of their love. Wherever you are – raise your glass and your voice to say Congratulations to them.

For myself, there are also many changes. I will write about them in due course but this post is about Micah and Eric.

Micah – I love you puppy – I am glad you accepted my Santa Hat those many months ago and I am glad you shared my Second Life and let me share yours for so long. I celebrate all we have meant to each other and how much we have helped each other to grow and change along the way.

Now and forever Micah I am your friend and am for you. And now I must add, I am for you and Eric.

Be well – grow strong together – never forget – Love does not falter – it does not turn its face away – it does not shy away from the hard tasks and the difficult places. Every day and in every moment – support each other and remember - it is your love that brings you together – and it is your love which will carry you always.

I love you both.

Esmie did post to his blog

Ok, Esmie did have time to post to his blog. I didn't see it before. But I am leaving mine up. I like it.

Gabe waves at everyone.

Esmie went off to London

Esmie went off to London - he wanted to put a post on his blog but he went off to the bus and I don't think he had time. His folks' PC is not working so he may not be able to blog or log into SL or communicate very well with his friends so he asked me to let everyone know.

He isn't sure when he is coming back - he left his return ticket open - because - well - Alfie is really missing him and anxious to see him. And Esmie is missing Alfie and really anxious to see him. So - both of them are missing each other and want to see each other and- after all - isn't that the best way?

I could write a whole lot more about Esmie and Alfie - they have the most wonderful relationship - caring and loving one to the other - taking care of each other - it is wonderful to see. But I will make that a special post - this is about how Esmie won't be around SL for a while.

Have fun in London Esmie - enjoy being back home (Esmie grew up in London - that's why his parents are there - LOL). Have fun with Esmie Alfie - (Alfie grew up in London too - that's where they met in HS - DUH!!!)

(Alfie isn't Alfie's real name by the way - a long time ago I said to Esmie - "I can't keep saying 'your real life boy friend,' it is way too long to say - how about we give him a name?" We settled on "Alfie" and it stuck. So Alfie - consider a legal name change ROTFL!)

Anyway - Esmie left about 3 and 1/2 hours ago for the bus. I hope he made it and is now on the bus and has his pillow and is comfortably curled up next to the window and has a nice person sitting next to him.

If you want to get any messages to Esmie send them to me. He is going to email me from London and I am going to email him - so I will pass along any messages you want to send (if they are polite - if they aren't polite you can expect me to spit at you LOL).

Have a great time Esmie and Alfie - do fun things in London - eat good food - and relax and cuddle and ... well... that's all for now folks. :)

Respectfully submitted by Gabe for his best pal - Esmie

here are some pics of me and Esmie chatting in the treehouse

Well - I seem to be into putting up pictures - here is a group from a chat Esmie and I had last weekend. I love talking with Esmie - he is kind and good and a wonderful listener and he always has good advice to give.

and while we are at it - here are pics of Jamie and Celty

I told you about Jamie and Celty - they are good firends of mine. They have been with me through a lot and I hope to say we will be together for a long time to come.

Here are some pictures of them. They are grand.

OK - Correction - Mak isn't leaving on Friday Esmie is though

Ok, I was wrong. Mak is not leaving on Friday - Esmie is - but Mak is leaving on Wednesday next.

And - Simon is locked out of SL because his cable connection is down.

I am sure this has been fascinating for everyone. So here is a nice pic to make this post worthwhile.

And yes, in case you didn't notice - that is - once again - my butt.

ROTFL

Scuba Diving with Esmie

First off - check out Esmie's Blog for more about scuba diving - we went this morning and it was awsome and so much fun. We found the most amazing SIM - Italian with an underwater volcano and all kinds of fish and wildlife - and - a galleon - a beautiful ship with all kinds of things to do - private rooms - and more.

Esmie was captured by pirates and chained to the mast - I had to free him - and while I did it they captured me and he had to free me. But we got away and went on to explore. We escaped a giant squid and the dangers of the volcano - you'll see -

Here are some pictures of me and Esmie in the water - exploring. For some reason the scuba stuff took my hair off - so only the last picture has my regular hair. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we liked taking them.

Thanks Esmie - it was awsome fun.
(Waving at Esmie)

Scuba Diving

Jamie and Celty and Canterbury took me scuba diving off Boots' Mission Beach - oh my - what an experience. I haven't had this much fun in SL for a long time - well... but ok.

Jamie got me the outfit, that was so nice of him.Celty also got me a gaming HUD for the game Tiny Empires that Esmie was talking about - but I don't know if I will be able to work it all out. I suck at those things. Jamie and Celty are great pals and I can't tell you how many scrapes they have gotten me out of. Jamie will never let a friend down, and Celty can fix anything - no matter what it is. I love them to bits.

I was so jazzed by the scuba diving that I immediately got sets for Mak and Simon and Esmie so we can go. I'll get one for Micah when he gets back - he has been away on holiday in Italy.
Boots had put all kinds of salvage on the ocean bottom off the beach - ships and things - so scuba diving was awsome.

Sorry I didn't take pictures- I was too jazzed. When we all go back I'll take a bunch.
Cheers (more England English). Hehe

Mak is going to California and beyond and Esmie is going to London

Well - Mak is only going for a holiday - he is going to visit his sister.
He is going to have a great time - I am sure - they are going to drive up through Northern California and stay wherever they can - camp out or find motels and hotels. He will relax - it will be so different from London.

But - I will miss him. No Mak? Not possible. Who is going to say "Hi Angel" to me in the morning and to whom am I going to say "Hi Muffin"? And give a goodmorning kiss on his nose?

Now what else - Esmie is also going away. He is going to London to see his BF!!! Now who is going to say "Hi Gabie" to me when I log in - and hug me and give me a hello kiss????

They both leave on Friday.

But, Whew!!!!! - Simon will be here -so we'll be good - Simon and I. We will have each other. We are both going to miss Mak and I am going to miss Esmie too (Simon will too - he loves Esmie but I see Esmie every day). Simon will continue to teach me to speak English (as in England) - I am practicing because I am going to move there some day. (Well I would like to - all my best friends (all my best mates - sorry) are in England (excpet Esmie but he comes from London and is now in Scotland - so - same island). I have to learn to speak like a native.

And, Simon is teaching me to speak Welsh too. Amazing - do you know how to say I am going to bed in Welsh - "I am going to my gwelly". I love Welsh.

Oh well - Mak will be on IM from California and Esmie always finds a way to log in from London so it won't be too terrible. But I'll miss you - I'll miss you both so much.

Have a great time guys. Send me a postcard and some pics.

OK - Here is a real problem

Well, you may not think it is a problem but - maybe it is - who knows.



Esmie is - if you have been reading my blog and his you know this - my best mate. Along with my brother Mak and my brother (in-law) Simon and Steph - not counting my husband Micah of course -Esmie is my closest family - my friend - always there for me - and I for him.



Now Esmie is getting into a game - a RP game in SL called Tiny Empires.



So what is the problem? Well - I am not a gamer. (whew - major confession there for me). I don't even own a gaming system - no X-box, no PS2, no gameboy- no nothing. I am not a gamer. Never owned one.



And my best friends are all going to be involved in this game. Esmie is getting into it with Jamie and Celty who are my great pals, and they will be all wrapped up in it 24/7 - you can be sure.

What the F do I do? I could try to play but i would embarass myself and them - trust me - I suck at it big time. So they are going to be lost in the game - I am going to be a football widow.



I think I had better try to learn to play - but I am going to need a lot of help guys. I really do suck at it - and I have no patience.



Oh dear - see - its a problem.


Anyone have any advice? I should get a hobby - do they do quilting in SL? ROTFL

Esmie - I'll play - I'll be your peasant - but I don't know if I can figure out how to get gold for you. How about if I sing and am the court Bard. Would you take care of me then?

:)

The Situation Gets Out Of Hand

Please - before you read this or after you read it or whatever- read Esmie's blog - which is linked in my profile on the right. He has already posted about this and what he says is right on the money - as always. See Esmie's post - "This is getting out of control!!" on August 4. (Gabe gives Esmie a big smile and a kiss.)

Voice is a wonderful thing - and of course SL has to roll it out - new technology is always important. But there are places where Voice Chat causes people to feel left out, and there Voice should not be the norm.

There are lots of reasons why people might not want to do Voice - perhaps, as has happened, some people are hearing impaired, and listening to voice is not possible for them or confusing. They are then not part of conversations which are taking place, and that is wrong.

Perhaps someone doesn't speak English very well, or understand spoken English, but does well with written English understanding and the time to type something that conveys their meaning.

Perhaps someone just doesn't want to cross the RL/SL barrier and wants to be able to continue to chat as we always have.

There are dozens of reasons.

The bottom line is that some places need to be places for everyone to be equal - and Boots' Beach is and was one. And there is no one - not a single one of the people that Esmie talks about - who doesn't owe at least a part of his life - his SL - to Boots and Shawn.

Who was there when you were a Newbie - Boots and Shawn and the Bums. Who was there when you broke up your first SL relationship - Boots and Shawn and the Bums. Who was there when you needed to know how to buy land, or rent a house, or fly, or rez an object - Boots and Shawn and the Bums.

But - the glittering crowd has no memory for relationships - they have only the pleasure of their immediate moment in the sun - in the spotlight.

Sorry guys, your voices aren't so sweet that they make me cum when I hear them. And your comments to my friends are so nasty and repulsive that I don't know what to say.

There are ways to make a point, and there are ways not to make a point.

You chose to get on the wrong bus. Your points were made in an abusive way - you have no right to tell Boots and Shawn what to do on their own land or to say nasty things to our friends.

You want to go off and do your thing - do it quietly. Not abusively. You have said things - not all of you but many of you - that have hurt people I love. That's not ok.

Do you owe the Bums an apology. You Bet!!

Will you offer it - who knows.

Is the beach suffering because you left (some people actually told Boots and Shawn that their departure would destroy the beach) - not a bit.

It- the beach - is like it used to be - quiet and comfortable and a fun place for old friends to welcome newcomers.

Sorry guys - I am afraid I don't think you chose well - I don't think you acted responsibly or nicely - and in the end - that is a shame.

Isn't there enough of this "In Crowd" vs "Out Crowd" in RL? Did we really need to import it into SL? Is that what we are paying monthly access and tier for - for this crap?

To all my friends at Boots - to Boots and Shawn and the Bums - all of you

smoooooooooochhhhhhhh

My God - it has been a long time

Well - it's been a long time since I made a post to this blog. A lot has happened in the interim, and I have been working through a number of personal things - so I haven't said anything here. Sorry guys.

And I actually am not saying anything now - rotfl.

I will soon, but I am still trying to figure out a few thorny things I need to figure out - and decide what to do about a couple of things. When I figure them out I either will or won't put them here - well - that's life.

So instead, here are some pictures. I thought you might like them.

Love to all,

Gabe

Yes - these are shameless pictures of my butt.

ROTFL.

As I said - I am working through a few things - these are place holders until I come back.

cuddle and kiss with Micah - you and me by pillow talk

When Micah and I want to cuddle we turn to poses that are gentle and sweet.

Sandy Clymer is the owner and developer of Pillow Talk pillow poses - some of the nicest pose devices in SL. One of the really nice things about them is the gentle way they let you stand - some poses are very rough on standing.

Sandy has developed some amazing poses in the past - one of them - "complete me" is particularly awesome - it has three settings with one person sitting on the other one's lap facing each other. There is a beginning kiss and a final collapse on the neck of the seated partner - the intermediate pose has some interesting movements - I will leave that to your imagination - but kiss - moves (?) then - collapse - do the math!!

And now there is a new one - "me and you" and then "you and me" - they are the same - the only difference is who is "driving" - who has control of the animation. It has a very gentle cuddle and then a very sweet and loving kiss - it is not explicit and anyone can feel comfortable using it anywhere.

Micah and I tried it today and bought some. Here are photos of Micah and me exploring this very lovely pillow today - I bought them this morning. I think everyone would enjoy having this pillow.

Love Poem for Today - Good Morning Sweetpea

Good morning Micah and Good Morning Gentle Readers -

Here is a love poem for today - I think I will post some now and again - for all the lovers out there - in SL and in so-called Real Life - who want to speak to their loved ones in a special voice.

I apologise in advance for making them be always about gay love - but - well - having spent years in school studying authors I knew were gay writing "straight" poems I think it is only fair.

So here is a love poem for today -

He Walks In Beauty like the night
a poem by Lord Byron
(Modified to be properly Gay by Gabe)

He walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in his aspect and his eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er his face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

More Love Poems - and Thoughts About Love (Poems)

Here are two more love poems to think about today - I post them because

1. I love them - they say what I would like to say so nicely, and I love to read them aloud to Micah, and

2. The world is so full of hate that we need to stop sometimes and look at voices of love.

Look at what is happening - the news from Britain of the Epileptic young man held captive until he died, and the trial there. News from Iraq, where we have managed to make the situation so desperate for so many people that even conservative Republicans are starting to wonder why we made such a mess.

Look at London - where terrorists are trying to blow up people in the name of God, for crying out loud. Look at Glasgow, where they managed to blow up a car bomb at the airport.

Look at Darfur, and the world ignoring the genocide of millions, while stupid legal arguments in the US help to keep the White House from being held accountable to Congress, as the Right Wing continues to try to re-write the constitution to their own aims.

Look at all of it - everything I mentioned and everything I didn't - and stop - and think - what do the great teachers say to us - Jesus, and Buddha, and all those who seemed legitimately interested in seeing human kind lift itself above the battles that bring it constantly to the edge.

Love - they said. Be compassionate - they said. Do not treat others in a manner you do not want for yourself, for your child or your beloved.

And what do we do - we fight to prove we are right, or we fight for money, or we fight for power - they are all the same really.

Esmie writes about it in his blog - go read it - it is linked on the right hand side of this page.

And now for a moment stop - yes you - STOP!!! and read of love - and think - isn't this what life was meant to be - love - not hate.

You could ask "what can I do? - The meanies are in charge!!"

Yes, they are. They usually are. But you can say no - no to violence, no to hate, no to discrimination, no to excess, no to waste. Make a difference - in your life - in the life of a child - in the life of a neighbor. Love someone - help someone - reach out to someone - it will go around the world.

So - Here - Stop - Read - Two Poems - Not by Me - By Good Poets -

Please - I hope you enjoy them.


A Red Red Rose - a poem by Robert Burns (please note that I have made Bobby Burns gay - hehe - his love is now a lad.)


O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my handsome lad,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry:

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand mile


BREAK OF DAY.by John Donne

STAY, O sweet, and do not rise ;
The light that shines comes from thine eyes ;
The day breaks not, it is my heart,
Because that you and I must part.
Stay, or else my joys will die,
And perish in their infancy.

For Micah – An Ode to Love Eternal

I wrote this poem for Micah today - I decided to post it - I never do - because I want to shout to the world how much I love my man - my Micah - my beloved. I hope you like it puppy - I wrote it just for you.

When all is past and done,
And all has gone away,
When cold invades the sun,
And night takes over day,

When everything must flee,
Perish as it must.
And all will cease to be,
And return to celestial dust.

Then in that cold new time,
Awaiting yet a birth,
One clear bell will chime,
Sounding clearly from our earth.

For on our earth then plunged in Hell,
My love for you endures,
And angels then will tell,
How love all life ensures.

And when the time does come,
For earth to be reborn,
And with the rising of the sun,
We see a brand new morn,

One thing will be there yet,
New and still so old,
Our love which did beget,
This story I have told.

Every child to child knows,
When first his breath doth take,
Our love the new seed sows,
As new dawn here doth break.

Our world will come anew,
And what will be its fate?
We’re bathed by our love true,
In the arms of one true mate.

You are for me the sky,
The air the wind the sea,
And though all things must die,
Our love will always be.

And Yet Another Joke

Same guy - same dog - go to the movies. "Hey" says the ticket seller, you can't take that dog into the theater. "But he has to go," the man says - "he really wants to see this film."

"What do you mean?" asks the ticket seller. "I will have to call the manager if you don't leave."

The manager comes and the man explians - "this dog will love the movie," he says. "You watch, he will laugh at all the funny parts and will cry at the sad ones."

"OK," says the manager. "I'll let you try. But I will be watching and you better be telling the truth or I am going to throw you out and you won't ever be allowed back."

The man and his dog go into the theater and, sure enough, just as he said, the dog laughs at all the funny parts and cries at all the sad parts and is paying attention throughout.

"Wow," says the manager when the movie is over. "I would never have believed it. That dog really was into that move."

"Oh, that was nothing," says the man. "He liked the book much better!!"

Hehe

OK - here is another Joke

OK - a man walks into a bar and goes up to the bartender. He says:

"Hi, I am very hungry but I don't have any money. I need to eat - " and the bartender says to him - "and what is this to me?"

the man says "Hey I know you don't owe me anything - but I have my little dog with me and he is brilliant - he can answer any question I put to him." The bartender says "ok, if that dog can talk and answer questions, I'll give you all the free lunch you want."

"OK," says the man - and he puts his little dog up on a chair and turns to face him.

"Fido" he says to the dog, "what's on top of a house?" and the dog says "rooooff"!
"Fido" he says to the dog, "in weaving what is the opposit of warp?" and the dog says "wooft"
"Fido" he says to the dog, "who was the greatest baseball hitter of all time?" and the dog says "rufff"!

"Get out of here" the bartender yells at the man, "and take your dumb dog with you."

The man and the dog walk dejectedly down the street, and the dog looks up at his master and says:

"What's the matter boss - I should have said Reggie Jackson?"

ROTFL

Speaking, however, of Queen Victoria

This is a joke my Grandfather used to do - a prank - he loved it.

Man: (dialing local tobacco shop) -
Tobacconist: hello - Main Street Smoke Shop
Man: Hello. Do you keep Prince Albert in a can? (Prince Albert was a pipe tobacco).
Tobacconist: Yes, we do!
Man: Well, let him out - he's late for dinner!!!
Man: (hangs up the phone.)

Hehe

Mak's Cable Went Down

OK, we can't blame this one on the Lindens - well maybe we can - we'll look for a way but it will be hard.

Last night Mak's cable access to the Internet went down - RATS!!!! he couldn't log in last night or this morning - he has no IM on any service - no email - it should be against the law.

Now in the states we call the cable company and yell bloody murder and they show up - in a day - in a week and fix it. Mak is in England - so i don't know how responsive things are - I hope very. Personally I am thinking of buying 10,000,000,000 million shares of vodafone (if that's who the company is) and then firing everybody - hehe.

Now I didn't ask him if his TV worked. (And how could I be asking him, you might ask - didn't you just say (I say) that the cable access was out?) Yes, I did - but he went to his office - DUH!!!!

So - what to do - for true SL aficionados loss of Internet Access is a criminal offense - the cable company must pay!!! and what about "intentional infliction of emotional harm" to me and Simon?????

Heads will roll!!!! ---- Where is Queen Victoria when we need her. This would not have been tolerated in the Empire!!!!

RATS!!!!

Is Anyone Out There (Pun Intended) and Reading this Blog?

The last time comments were posted to the Blog was July 3. Is anyone out there reading this? If I am only talking to myself - well - I could buy a tape recorder or a parrot - ROTFL.

Anyone out there?

New Friends and Thoughts of Love in SL

I was fortunate enough to make a new friend - a gentleman from Spain whom I met at a gallery opening. He seems to be an interesting fellow - but somewhat sad - he is alone in SL (I don't know about RL) and lonely. So he has told me.

It has been interesting to talk with him - first off - I can speak Spanish so we can communicate nicely, and secondly because he is from another culture and yet he still has the same needs and wants as we all have. So we can talk about how he sees these things and how I see them. And we can look at the differences - and the similarities.

It took a bit for him to understand the depth of commitment that I feel for Micah - and to understand fully that my vows to Micah are absolute - that to me married means married - but once we were past that hurdle we could talk freely - that was nice.

I invited him to get to know us - Micah and me - a little through the blog - and he did. He said the nicest thing - he said our life was an idyll - idyllic - and that started me thinking - and yes it is.

I said to him when he said that - "my love for Micah is total - complete - I breathe for him (respiro por el)." And suddenly I realized once again - as if for the first time - that is true.

When I say "I breathe for Micah" it has a very specific and special meaning to me. No I don't mean I am really a respirator - of that he needs artificial respiration all the time.

It means that each day - each moment - I remember that my life was dedicated to our shared reality the moment I recited my vows to him in our campsite. It was I - me - myself - who said those vows.

On that day in March I stood there and addressed all those things that I hold dear and holy - in the sky and in my own way and inside the depths of myself. I voiced my intentions and my promise - - in front of the stars and the moon - before my memories of the people in my life and my own thoughts - deep within myself - I made a vow - a promise - a statement.

I said then and I say it now: I love you Micah - through all - in up and down times - in happy and sad times - in easy and hard times - in comfort and in difficulty- no matter - I love the man I know - the Micah within you - the Micah I see and the Micah I touch.

I would do it all again my darling.

I just did.

And with that, gentle reader - I wish you a good night - good dreams - and good fortune. I wish you all love.

Litte Nara Progress

Well Mak is brilliant - there is no mistaking that. Little Nara is moving towards completion - for those who don't know Nara is the Park outside Kyoto which houses the Japanese Imperial Deer Park - it is lovely. Here is Mak's miniature rendition - it isn't finished yet but it is awesome.

This is the entrance with the deer and some wildlife and the dock. I hope you like it. Yay Mak - Mak Rules.

A Poem by ee cummings I often recite to Micah

I Carry Your Heart - (I Carry It In My Heart) - by ee cummings

This is one of Micah and my favorite poems - I recite it to him often.

I hope you enjoy it.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without
it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your
doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no
world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a
moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is
the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of
the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher
than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping
the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

MICAH - FREEDOM - LIBERTY - AND THE FOURTH OF JULY

Micah is my Liberty - my Liberation - my Freedom to be me. In his arms I am complete. Liberty is for all people - regardless of color - or race - or religion - or sexual orientation. Liberty is what I experience when I can be myself - and that is what I experience in my Micah's arms and embrace.

Okay, Okay, Ok - here is a picture of the fireworks - just so there is a picture:

Now let's talk about Micah - hehe - remember - Micah on top - always.

Today as we celebrate independence - and we realize that gay people in the US have far fewer rights than gay people in the EU, let's focus on what is important - love and family.

Gay people have familes of choice - no matter how close we are to our biological families, they are not GAY!! and we need gay families to make us feel truly HOME.

Micah makes me feel at home - when I am with Micah - I am in my true home - in my heart.

When I look at the life around me - and the troubles the world is facing - I can restore myself by resting in my puppy's arms - in his embrace - and focusing on what is important - Loving My Micah with all my heart and all of me.

Lao Tsu said it well- and this quote describes how I feel about Micah and Me:

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,

While loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Micah is my strength and courage and he is with me in my heart always and everywhere. On this Day of Liberty - and Freedom - let's celebrate Love.

I love you Micah - I love you Puppy -

I LOVE THIS MAN!!!

My Day with Micah

Well the Fourth of July is tomorrow - Micah and I had a very wonderful afternoon - we - ummm- well - yes. and then again in the shower.

Then - we did some fireworks over Safe Harbor. Here is a picture of the fireworks.

Anyway - have a good 4th of July all you Americans - and for the rest of you - I am sorry you don't have the day off. It's nice to have the day off.

Mak has made Little Nara

Mak is making a miniaturized version of the Nara Imperial Deer Park in Kyoto - Japan.
It is awesome - truly awesome. It has deer and fawns - not animated - and bunnies and a squirrel - animated. It has walkways and stone paths - a tumbling waterfall into a hot spring, and it is so relaxing. Mak is unbelievably talented.

I don't have pic's of it yet - yes - it is summer and I am unbelievably lazy. But I will do pictures this weekend. You will get to see it on Monday or before - I promise.

Mak Rules.

Sources of Joy: Gay Pride, the Fourth of July, and Esmie

Well the Pride Celebration - the Second Annual SL Gay Pride Celebration - is over. It was a great time - unfortunately I don't have any pic's. Oh well - but I can tell you about it.



First of all, the rented SIMs for Pride were so terrific that everyone wanted to be there - result - the lag was so high that no one could move - LOL. I went for about 10 minutes and that was all I could take - I thought I was going to be catatonic for the rest of my life. But it was beautiful.



On Saturday past - the 30th of June - there was a very ambitious play - on the creation of SL performed by a group of friends for a huge audience on a broad lawn in front of the stage. The Sound was broadcast through a streaming shoutcast server and it was awesome to hear the actors speaking their lines - when it worked. That kind of chat server isn't ready for prime time yet- but it is being worked on and when it is perfected it will be great.



Micah and I went with our friends - we were there with Esmie and Kitten, and with Jay and with Erik. It was lovely and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in the summer.



After the play we went off to the opening of the Gay Couples of SL exhibit by Marisela Bouchard - a wonderful photographer who has captured the essential quality of so many couples in this show. I do have her photos of me and Micah - so here they are.







Pictures of Esmie and Kitten were in the show, and Jay and Tad, and so many friends. It was lovely - and they are for sale - so GO SUPPORT MARISELA AND HER ART.



Esmie is now the concierge on one of our SIMs - Maupiti - you can read all about it on his blog which is linked here on the right. He and Kitten are working to make Maupiti a marvelous place - Kitten is building for Steph and RJ and Esmie is the go-to guy for everything.

Of all the people I ever met - Esmie was the first to capture my heart. Here is what I said about him in my profile picks in SL -

Esmie - You were my first great love in second life -you had all of my heart in the palm of your hand, and I will always hold your well-being in my soul- i am glad you are my friend - such friends as you are the foundation of the world.

Esmie is my friend - one of my best friends in the world - any world. We have remained so close over all these months. I know him and he knows me- and we care for each other in a very special way. I have his back - always - and I know he has mine. I would leap in front of a train to save Esmie - and I know he would do the same for me.

It is a wonderful friendship. Check out his blog - it is wonderful. I don't know what I would do without Esmie - I don't want to find out. Hi Esmie - thanks for being my friend.


Tomorrow is the big Fourth of July celebration - in NY we will have fireworks in the harbor. Last night Esmie Kitten and I and Jamie and Celty put up a fireworks display for Boots Beach - we were testing it out. It was lovely - you can fly up to where the rockets burst and be surrounded by the colors and the lights. Awesome - and you don't need a plane. Hehe.


Have a wonderful Fourth of July everyone - no matter where you live take a moment on Wednesday and say Whoot!!

Federal Hate Crime Legislation

Hate Crimes - Gay people are the victims of hate crimes in the US far out of proportion to our numbers in the population - one out of every 6 hate crimes is aimed at a gay or transgendered person.

The US Congress - the House of Representatives - has now passed tough Anti-Hate Crime legislation - but it has yet to pass the Senate and be signed into law.

Please view the You Tube Video in the link here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOqlrHgrSgc

And then ACT - the life you save may be you brother's, you sister's or your friend's or your neighbor's.

Thanks.

Gay Marriage in NY

Ok - Pride is upon us - so it wouldn't be a bad idea to talk a little about some serious issues that face us all as a family and a community. Right at the front of the list - NY State's recent (yesterday) attempt to pass Gay Marriage Rights into law.

So - it was and is remains a sham. Sorry - but the Democratic held Assembly knew full well that the Republican Senate wasn't going to let it happen - So the Dems in the Assembly pass the bill, Governor Spitzer announces he will sign it if it hits his desk, and the Republican Senate announces they will force adjournment without considering it before the summer.

Oh, for goodness sake! Wake up Gay NY, Wake Up World. We weren't born yesterday - we weren't found under a cabbage leaf this morning all glistening with the innocence of infancy.

It's time to start to really call all of this what it is - hate - discrimination - bias - stupidity - and fundamentalism.

THERE IS NO ARGUMENT POSSIBLE AGAINST GAY MARRIAGE!! NONE!!

Stupid argument 1 - Marriage is protected by nature and by God as a home for procreation.
Smart answer 1 - oh? then sterile couples should not be allowed to marry, nor women over child-bearing age. Sex among such hetero couples is not able to result in children - so it is wanton. No marriage licenses for any women after the age of 50, as an example.

Stupid argument 2 - Gay Sex is forbidden by God - see the Bible.
Smart Answer 2 - oh - did God make mistakes? I am a mistake - God is all powerful so can he make a mistake he despises? How stupid are the people who believe that? They are mistakes - rotfl.

Stupid Argument 3 - Let's not call it marriage and upset the straight fascists. Let's just call it Civil Union or Hump - arrangements. That way no one will bother us.
Smart Answer 3 - Go take a long walk off a short pier until your hat floats. Let's not upset the white segregationists - let's just all ride in the back of the bus and put more comfy seats back there - what do you say Rosa?

Only Answer - Unite - all New Yorkers for a start. What we don't need:
Democrats who are really Republicans at heart - vote them out.
Log Cabin Republicans - more or less the equivalent of White Aryan Black People.

What we do need - a complete rejection of this kind of thinking in the NY Senate for starters, a federal government which will pass anti-discrimination laws including Gays at the federal level, and an unbreakable united front behind which we all can work.

Time to send a message to Albany (NY's capitol for those of you who don't know) and to Washington - this is not 1950 and we aren't going to take it any more. How to send the message - Gay Voting as a Block - unbreakable - unstoppable.

If you aren't a part of the solution - well then, you are a part of the freaking problem.

If you know a Log Cabin Republican - ask him if he would like to ride in the back of the bus all his life and wear a pink ribbon so that everyone can see he is God's mistake. Then kiss him - then kick him hard in the seat of his pants.

Our votes are our power - and our buying - and spending - and all we do. Boycott any business which won't support our rights - if they don't come out in favor of gay marriage - buy somewhere else.

We helped to stop apartheid in South Africa because Mayor Dinkins in NYC among others boycotted all South African business and commerce. Come on Brothers and Sisters - for crying out loud - are you all asleep? Lock your wallets. March together. Show the bastards who we are.

MICAH IS BACK - FROM IDAHO YAY!!

first off - we were very happy to see each other - hmmm very happy

I will show you how happy - but I have to warn you - these pics are not G rated:

When we were ready, we went to Chichen Itza in Visit Mexico to the Mayan Ruins. They were beautiful and worth the visit for anyone who wants to explore in SL.

When we had finished that visit we went home and saw Mak - who was working on Little Nara - the last of our projects.

And - I had purchased an Avatar Cannon so we shot ourselves all over the place for a while - which was good fun. hehe

This morning Mak and Simon met for breakfast and shot themselves out of the cannon - they loved it. It is grand.

So - altogether a great 24 hours on Safe Harbor -

Thanks Puppy - My Micah - for making me so happy. I have to yell it to the world:

I LOVE THIS MAN!

micah's smile

Micah can stop me with a look. His glance is the sexiest thing in the universe.

I love you puppy - I love you.

Pictures of Safe Harbor -

Well - I am tired of ironing - so here are the pictures of Safe Harbor - our home.

This is Micah's Paradise - our house:

Here is our spa isand - The Island of Joyful Dreams

And our tree house -

And Mak's whimsical boat house - hehe

And Simon's house - Lufbery Hall -

Our central pond area with the town cener bandshell

Mak's gazebo behind his house

And Makara's Dream - Mak's Japanese farmhouse

All in all a very nice island on which to live.

Thanks Mak - you have done a great job.