Just Reflecting — Mirror Mirror

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who’s the fairest of them all?

Reflecting Beauty
Reflecting Beauty

Beauty needn’t even be skin deep. For the right price, it can be painted on.

My friend and I had just malled our pocketbooks at Borders, and were strolling down the breezeway looking for probable cause for further malling, when we came upon this cosmetic store. Mirrored from top to bottom and back again, it made my little heart pitty-patter. I scanned the whole store, then chose to shoot this mirrored pillar.

From this angle one can see the makeup kiosks, and the mirrored cosmetic booths where one can sit while consultants make her beautiful free of charge, then offer to sell her the means to duplicate that beauty at home. Of course the necessary makeup costs a small fortune, and the salesperson consultant hands over the little $250.00 bag with the disclaimer, “You may not get exactly the same results at home.” Of course not. At home you won’t have the enhanced lighting, or the fawning, or — most likely — the expertise to duplicate the experience.

The consultants hurried toward my friend and I thinking they had two more suckers customers at hand, but my friend and I knew that it wasn’t the place for us. We only wanted to mall our pocketbooks, not murder them.

*   *   *

We have sadly come to the end of Reflect This. It has been a fun week. I am sorry I had a break down in the middle of it. The next time I offer up a challenge I will make certain to check both my and OC’s calendars to assure I have access to the time necessary to do such things well. To all who played with me. Thank you. Please put your names in Mr. Linky to advertise your last Reflect This post.

Mirror, Mirror

Reflect This — Sky Watch

A Patch of Sky

A Patch of Sky

What I like most about this image isn’t the patch of tree and sky in the rear view mirror, but the same scenery reflected in the chrome.  The bike belongs to my neighbor, a young lady who uses it to take her back and forth to college.  Did you know that, My First Car Was a Motorcycle?  Yep.  True story.

The concept for Sky Watch came from Dot and if you want to join up or to see other Sky Watch photos, please visit Sky Watch, a dedicated site for this growing meme, kindly hosted by Tom at Wigger’s World, Sandy Carlson from Writing in Faith and imac from imac’s photos from the mind’s eye.

An Extra Reflection

My greatest stress with blogging has not been in finding the time to visit the posts of my friends. It has been in finding the time for the extras — visiting the new people stopping by; answering comments left by people who were obviously using a “copy & paste” format which more often than not blatantly had nothing to do with my post; and then having to search the blogs of these strangers or the correct post because they’ve left the wrong links or posted seven times since noon OR [worse] aren’t even part of the meme and are just trying to boost their hits by stealing my time.

The Arbys sign reflected in the view screen of an idle monitor across the breezeway.

The Arby's sign reflected in the view screen of an idle monitor across the breezeway.

Thank you all for giving me permission to ignore such people all together. I never at any time had any intention of deserting my regulars. Some of you have been with me long enough that you remember my start on Blogspot and my custom designed “cats in a garden” template.

So this is my blogging decision,: I have separated all my blogs into 4 categories. In category one are the people who visit me daily, or at least the majority of the days of the week. That category also includes the folks who have been with my since my blog’s inception. They are more like family than friends. Category one is my “visit everyday [if possible]” category.

Then I have category two. In the category two are my “regulars” who visit me haphazardly. Like category one, they are people I have a relationship with and don’t want to lose. I will try to visit the category two people three of four times per week. I will no longer read and comment on all (or most) of their posts. I will look at what they’ve posted since I was last there, and comment on the one or two that most strike my fancy.  That is what they do at my place and it doesn’t offend me, so hopefully my doing the same won’t offend them.

In Category three are the people who either visit or post very sporadically. Since they don’t post every single day and pile up the data [like I do], I can read their blogs at my leisure and don’t have to show up the instant they post. I will visit these blogs once, maybe twice per week.

My category four blogs are special cases. I will get to them when I have extra time or when I am bored. For the most part they are the sites where I lurk, or are writing prompts or meme sites. These are not places where I have [yet] formed personal attachments.

It has already taken a great deal of pressure off of me.  I can close my laptop, walk away, and return without Finding 66 posts needing my immediate attention.  Whew!

Reflect This — Accessorize!

My friend and I went to the mall this morning for mayhem and laughter. I embarrassed the stuffing out of her by running around taking pictures of things. Sometimes I asked. Sometimes I didn’t. It depended on what I was picturing. This is the ceiling mirror in a CLAIRE’S ICING shop. (You see the wall, the mirror at a 55 degree angle, then the ceiling tile.)

The mirror is on the ceiling.

The mirror is on the ceiling.

I didn’t ask permission to take this photo, but I fiddled with framing and angles enough that the sales clerk — who’s head you can see in the bottom right corner — could have spoken up and stopped me at anytime. She just watched with a grin on her face and exchanged rolling-eyeball looks with my friend.

* * *
Accessorize!

Reflect This – Can We Talk?

There is only one of me. There are over 77 of you — I kid you not. Then there all all the extra people from the projects and the challenges and the memes …. I can’t keep up. Today I didn’t even try. I looked at my feed reader, took a deep breath, and closed my laptop. I read the better part of a novel, visited with a friend, and got the laundry and some ironing done. I went for a walk. I did not open my laptop. It felt pretty darn good.

With 80 some blogs on my feed reader, and most of you posting daily or several times a week and some of you posting several times per day (not that I am naming names or pointing fingers David, Alice & Karen), the better part of my day is spent reading and commenting — or answering comments on my own blog. After all of that I still have to make my own post, polish and perfect it, and that leaves me precious little time for much else.

So, with that in mind I would like you to answer the following questions:

How many of you will be devastated if I quit answering the comments?

How many of you would be devastated if I sometimes skipped Ruby Tuesday?

How many of you would be devastated if I sometimes skipped Wordless Wednesday?

How many of you would be devastated if I sometimes skipped Sky Watch Friday?

How many of you would be devastated if I visited your blog less frequently — say no more often than you visit mine? Yes, I know, some of you come by 2 & 3 times a day. I’ll be able to figure out who you are by your reaction to the first question. Some folks only come by once or twice a week, even though I visit them daily.

I have to cut something. What’s it to be?

Brass Fingers