You’ll find this circular room, with the annexes to the sides, in the castle on top of the hill.  (There are vendors like the ones you see scattered about the island.  I get the feeling that the whole thing is part park and part intriguing store.)  Take a good look at the floor, and you’ll see reflections of the pillars and the doorway in the mirror-polished marble surface.  I didn’t take a picture of the windows, but I think the same thing is happening for them.  Or do you?

No, you don’t.  The floor conceals the second half of a doubled room.  The floor is just translucent enough from above to let you see shapes through.  From “downstairs,” it’s completely transparent, as you don’t need a reflection in a room that isn’t going to be used in the normal run.  Here, the pillars are textured “upside down” to give the illusion of a reflection when seen from above.  I guess the easiest way to do this would to be to texture the original pillar, hold shift and drag out a copy in build, rotate it 180 degrees, join the two together, then link them to form one solid column.  After that, place the pillars where you wish, then create a floor and raise it up to where it sits in the middle of the bronze ring at the pillar’s center.  From above, the ring becomes the foot of the column; from below, it makes the reflection of the foot.  Texture the top surface of the floor, then increase the transparency until you get the effect you desire in Photo 1.

The down side:  it makes for a double-sized building, which means around double the number of prims you’d normally need.  But, in the name of aesthetics, who cares?

How appropriate that this photo shoot was done at the Wishing Well at the Looking Glass sim, because I am full of wishes right now. At least half center on getting rid of this stupid cold that is kicking my ass. Until that wish is granted I expect my blogging to be a bit erratic as I have not been well enough to be in-world and shoot photos. Luckily I had these photos waiting for when I felt well enough to blog without whining too much. Anyway, it’s just a cold and it will get better – soon or later, but until then, wish me well.

Have you noticed that I am very fond of the Looking Glass? There are so many little gems there to enjoy. Even if you don’t want to shoot pictures, you should go for the sheer pleasure. By the way, I should take this opportunity to urge you all to tip sim owners when you love their sims. Think of the wonderful sims that give us all so much pleasure to explore and add such beauty and interest to our SL lives. Many of them are non-commercial and really are labors of love and generosity. Contributing a small tip when you visit will help offset the cost – though only in part – but also show the sim owner that you value their work. Usually there’s a tip jar somewhere around the entrance, but if not you can inspect an object to find the owner as well.

My dress is from Studio Sidhe and is just a joy. It has a long or short skirt option and they are both delightful. I wore the cocktail length because that makes the beautiful embroidery at the hem more noticeable. The shoes are from last season’s Paper Couture collection.

The hair is a casual look from Truth worn with some jewelry from Twinkleberry. The hair band has a color-changing touch script. The Twinkleberry jewelry reminds me a bit of the embroidery with seed pearls on the bodice, hem and straps of the dress.

The skin is from PXL Creations – Dafne with the Blue makeup option.

****STYLE NOTES******
Promotional Copies are denoted by a Bold R

• Poses: Gesticulate
• Skin: PXL Creations Dafne NAT Blue
• Eyes: Unique
• Lashes: Lelutka Diva Prim Lashes
• Hair: Truth Lanie
• Nails: PXL Creations
• Dress: Studio Sidhe Blue Emerald Leafe Cocktail Dress
• Shoes: Paper Couture Blue Pastel Flower
• Jewelry: Twinkleberry Perla
• Location: The Looking Glass Well

Trixie Bumbo gamely volunteered for a shoot as guest stylist last weekend. I asked her to share a comment about her outfit and she said, “When Cajsa and Gidge asked me to be a guest stylist I must have tried about a thousand outfit combinations trying to find something that felt right. Finally I gave up and went with my “go to” outfit. I love the soft, warm textures, graceful lines and subtle sexiness of this dress. It goes almost anywhere – it always works.” The dress is called Desiree and is from Kunglers.

Something about it made me think of classical togas – even though it is a collared shirtwaist – so I decided to shoot it at the ruins at The Looking Glass. While exploring after the shoot, I discovered that the ruins are a set piece that you can purchase there on the sim.

Trixie chose Maitreya’s Verve pumps to go with the dress. Together, they create a look that is definitely a “go to” sort of outfit that you can comfortably wear just about anywhere. Even though the bodice is very low cut with a lot of cleavage, the belt and collar and other details keep it looking subtly sexy and tasteful.

Her jewelry is Trixie’s own creation under the label Primagine. She will be participating in the upcoming Jewelry Fair, so be sure to look for her new releases there. This set is a lovely abstraction in gold, silver and what appears to be jasper called Dragon’s Flight.

Trixie is wearing the gorgeous Rumor updo from Elikatira, the new line by Elika Tiramisu, the creator of the iconic hair brand ETD. Her makeup is Tess from LAQ.

If you would like to be a guest stylist, please IM either Gidge or me in-world. (Gidge Uriza or Cajsa Lilliehook)

***STYLE NOTES******

• Poses: EverGlow
• Skin: LAQ ~ Tess2 [Fair] Glow skin
• Eyes: *FTL* Cabochon Eyes II – Rikyu
• Lashes: Cake – Pillow Lashes
• Hair: [e] Elikatira Rumor
• Dress: Kunglers Desiree
• Shoes: Maitreya Verve Pumps
• Jewelry: Dragon’s Flight by Primagine
• Location: The Looking Glass

Marcus Inkpen, whose amazing No Sound build for the Utopia Islands exhibition sims may be familiar to many of you, has a more recent build called The Looking Glass that is equally stunning and a beautiful setting to show off this gorgeous new suit from Sissy Pessoa’s fall collection for Baiastice.

The Looking Glass is a working sim with galleries and shops in beautifully built stores. As you can see through the window, these pictures were shot outside a gallery.

The dress comes with two belts. The one I am wearing links to a lovely draping of olive and a small olive and aqua dotted print that is echoed in a larger iteration in the leggings. The N-Core sandals are also aqua and their laces echo the rows of aqua lacing embellishing the bodice which you can more clearly in the next photo.

The dress can be worn without the draping on the skirt and can be worn without the leggins for a more sober and conventional look, but I love the architectural complexity of this design.

I added the lovely Zaara earrings with the lovely turquoise claw echoing the sweeping curves of the hat and shoulder embellishments. The hair is a group gift released by Lelutka this week – a short cut for men called Seth, but it’s too lovely to let the men keep it all to themselves. The makeup is my favorite – PXL Creations Dafne.

****STYLE NOTES******
Promotional Copies are denoted by a Bold R

• Poses: Reel Expressions
• Skin: PXL Creations Dafne R
• Eyes: Unique
• Lashes: Lelutka Diva Prim Lashes
• Nails: PXL Creations
• Hair: Lelutka Seth (group gift)
• Dress: Baiastice Ivonne R
• Shoes: N-Core Seduction
• Jewelry: Zaara Tarika Turquoise Earrings
• Location: The Looking Glass

Not anymore.

But to say that came easily, or without reservation, would oversimplify the matter entirely.

The decision was unearthed following years of struggle, pain, inquiry. The life I had known, I couldn’t easily turn it off. It was a part of me.

It was a belief that existed for most of my life.

Family, friends and acquaintances. They believed.

And I was defined by them as a believer.

It was part of the equation. Part of the identifier with which they would consider me, value me, describe me, judge me.

Belief was in the details.

I was, in their estimation, a man of God.

In this life and the hereafter, they had me. I was theirs. They were mine.

Until I went away.

And in some respects, I’m saddened.

To find one’s self, to lose one’s family.

Love, its definition, its understanding, it has been transformed.

So this is how it is. How it will remain to be.

The looking glass is mine. It is yours.

Look at me through the lens of your choosing. But look at me nonetheless.

Through The Looking Glass

As a devoted Project Runway fan who has never missed an episode, I can remember dozens of outfits that impressed me coming down the runway only to crash into the Valley of Bad Design once the model turned and walked back to the curtain. A few episodes back Tim Gunn proffered some of his best advice ever, reminding the designer that good design is 360 degrees – looking good from all angles. Well, some designers he does not have to remind about that are Royal Blue’s Marni Grut and Kenzie & Co.’s Kenzie Craven. These clothes were created by designers so cognizant that good design looks great from the back and sides as well as the front, that I decided to showcase this look from the back.

The Kenzie & Co. Zipper Racerback is the most obviously designed with attention to the back – but look at the lovely Jodhpurs on Crack from Royal Blue – they make your bum look good and the houndstooth detailing adds interest coming and going. The photos were taken at The Looking Glass – a new build from Marcus Inkpen

The zipper detailing on the pants is a great echo of the zipper detailing on the top -

The lovely shoes are also from Royal Blue. I love that rich saturated colors they come in and the shape is modern and stylish – but also a look that will last!

The jewelry is from ICon – and by the way, isn’t it time for more ICon loveliness? They make such great bold pieces, but I want more!!!

I am loving the free and easy styling of Truth’s Raquel hair. The skin is PXL Creations Dafne – which you all know I am addicted to. I have been looking at new eyes lately thanks to Gogo and found these lovelies at Redgrave.

****STYLE NOTES******
Promotional Copies are denoted by a Bold R

• Poses: Sweet Lovely Cute
• Skin: PXL Creations Dafne R
• Eyes: Redgrave
• Lashes: Lelutka Diva Prim Lashes
• Nails: PXL Creations
• Hair: Truth Raquel
• Top: Kenzie & Co Zipper Racerback Tank – Lines
• Pants: Royal Blue Jodpurs on Crack R
• Shoes: Royal Blue Secretary’s Dream R
• Jewelry: ICon LF Necklace, Uzuri Ebony Drops Earrings
• Location: The Looking Glass

UP AGAINST THE WALL MF PRESENTS:

Art Exhibit / Music from Taiwan’s best…

“No photography – free hand sketching only. Celebrate a night without cameras – come and sketch what you see and experience.”

Dr.Sketchy’s Drawing Group is gonna be joining us!

Rice Society will be showcasing some NEW leggings and some collab pieces with Steven Vigar! Ahhhh but YOU don’t get to see unless you go there and check it out in the flesh, as there will be NO PHOTOS taken!!

That’s not even the coolest part!! There’s gonna be prizes for drawings, a MASSIVE art exhibit, and some really fucking rad music to listen/dance/draw to!

For more info check out the Facebook Event

Also preparing some Felt Badges for y’all…

See ya June 11th!!

Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!

Mercury was used in the process of curing the felt for hats. Prolonged exposure to the residual vapor caused neurological damage.  Symptoms included, unlike Carroll’s Mad Hatter, “excessive timidity, diffidence, shyness, loss of self confidence, anxiety and a desire to remain unobserved and unobtrusive.” (Waldron, “Did the Mad Hatter Have Mercury Poisoning”  British Medical Journal 287 : 1961)

2/21/10…OK, we get the idea….It’s about Alice’s RETURN TO WONDERLAND….yeah, all updated and stuff…Johnny Depp doing a mad hatted Willie Wonka….snork…snork…wake us up. Oh, it’s time to go home? We were watching, but what happened after Alice fell 300 feet and hit that marble floor? Can we get Italian tonight?

So since in about an hour (okay, precisely an hour and ten minutes as I type this) from now, LOST Season Six will premier, I’ve been working on a new theory. It just hit me yesterday at work. Hurley is always playing the happy guy with bad luck and a way to have clumsiness and a little dumbness… for all we know, he could be faking. I’m working on a theory that Hurley is the true bad guy in this show, and will be revealed as such this season. This theory is still a work in progress, and for all I know I could be wrong, Hurley could be the new Jacob. But here is what I’ve fleshed out of this theory so far. I have points for it and against it.

For:
- He could always be playing the dumb luck guy, such as when he accidentally fired the flare gun and signaled the others where they were with Naomi.

- When the Incident, or at least the dropping of Jughead down the hole, happened, we did not see him either in the gun-battle or at the Swan Site at all. Could Richard have pulled him aside and they both watched the whole thing happen, with no harm to them?

- He wanted to go with Des and Charlie to the Looking Glass. He said it was because he didn’t feel like running with the rest of the people, but it could have been to sabotage Charlie from unlocking transportation.

- He could have done the census and manifest thing for a few reasons, one, to gain the trust of the survivors by taking it and turning in Ethan, and also to gain intelligence on the Survivors along with Ethan for the Others.

- He revealed the sat phone to Mihkail, which could have been viewed as a mistake, as he always kept that appearance up, of a goofy person.

- Isn’t always a nice guy, has conned Sawyer as well as Sayid and Kate before.

- He could have struck a bargain with the Others that they would take away his bad luck in exchange for working with them after Jack, Sawyer, and Kate were zapped. The other three were the only ones we saw zapped, which doesn’t mean that he wasn’t, we just didn’t see it, just like we didn’t see Michael get zapped.

- Episode title “Everybody Hates Hugo.” could have been a prediction?

Against:

- Hurley always was protecting people and trying to keep everyone happy (the golf course and the giving out of all the food.)

- All the crazy things that happened to him while he was trying to get on the plane could have been preventing him from getting to the Island.

- When Hurley conned Sawyer it was to get him to be nicer to everyone.

- He killed the Others on the beach, probably wouldn’t want to kill his own people.

- He really could have just wanted to go with Des and Charlie to the Looking Glass to help them and to be with them.

Okay, that’s all I’ve got right now, still coming up with more, and trying to figure out if the Hurley Bird means anything to this theory.

Can’t wait for the new season tonight!

See you Sunday?

My sincere apologies to giraffe boy, who was only trying to eat his chili cheese fries at ben’s at two am… But then I needed to take his picture like the creepy stalker I am not, and he clearly became afraid that I would put photos of him on the internet, and put on his head. Sorry. But, if I didn’t stalk around with my camera, how would I get pictures of people’s windows? (And then run into them later, and have to explain myself. Eek.)

Anyway, hopefully I’ll have a video to post soon. Thanks to all of you who took the time and trouble to come and support me and the other acts. We really appreciated it.

The looking glass to the dark side of wonderland…

© 2008 D L Ennis, All rights reserved.

NOTE: Permission for the use of my images is granted for personal websites and blogs but is to include a link back to this site and proper credit given to me, D L Ennis. Link to be used…(Visual Thoughts http://dlennis.wordpress.com/)

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Without lyrics to catch a listener’s ear, the melody reigns supreme in instrumental music–just ask those sixties surf-rockers like The Ventures. Pandolfi’s chosen instrument, the banjo, at first may not seem that fitting of a vehicle for classic melodies, but just listen to the tone he achieves and the tunes he comes up with here.

Pandolfi’s compositional style varies from a more Bela Fleck-like style of acoustic improv featuring fast waterfalls of notes to a nearly classical frame of reference where the melodic themes repeat again and again in Mozart or Bach fashion. Regardless of the foundation, Pandolfi has managed to put forth the kind of instrumental album one can listen to not as background music but as a fully engaged participant in the cascading sounds coming forth from the players–in addition to Pandolfi, the disc’s pickers include Matt Flinner, Byron House, Stuart Duncan, , Jesse Cobb, Eric Thorin, and fellow Stringdusters Andy Hall and Jeremy Garrett.