You Can Hear The Sound of The Underground Trains. You Know It Feels Like Distant Thunder.

I've been wrestling with insomnia lately, and that got me thinking about the most famous insomniacs in the history of art-- Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.


Completed in 1942, the painting was an immediate success and was purchased right away by the Art Institute of Chicago, where it still resides. Hopper himself considered it one of his best works: "It is, I believe, one of my very best things I have painted. I seem to have come nearer to saying what I want to say in my work, this past winter, than I ever have before."



The painting is the perfect statement on the isolation that is part of modern life. These are worn-down New Yorkers, alone in the city and even in the diner. There is no interaction among the figures. There is also no visible way in or out of their space. We are alone on the outside, looking in but unable to gain access.



Hopper was a master of lighting effects in his paintings. (And Thomas Kinkade can go suck it.) Here, the gloom of the street is offset by the bright, almost harsh lighting of the diner.



The Second Life 3D recreation of Hopper's painting effectively shows something easy to miss when looking at the original. Hopper uses an imperfect perspective that draws the viewer's eye back to the figures in the diner. Hopper loved movies, especially film noir, and his use of dramatic perspective reflects this love.



If late at night you are looking for a cuppa joe and want to go somewhere where everybody doesn't know your name and doesn't care, head to Primtings to step into Hopper's painting. Tell them Nikk sent you. They won't care.

Nikk asks you to pass the sugar in:
Top: /artilleri/ Carlita in black
Skirt: /artilleri/ Tiffany skirt in green
Shoes: ETD Starley Pumps Cheetah
Bracelet: Fresh Baked Goods Jelly Tots bracelet in Greyscale
Necklace: SIGMA Jewels necklace for Le.Look
Hair: TRUTH Grace in snow
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 6c

This Whole World's Wild at Heart and Weird on Top.

I worry sometimes that Sailor and me broke down somewhere on the Yellow Brick Road.



When I say something like that to Sail, he just tells me, "Peanut, the way your head works is God's own private mystery."

He also says that the reason he always wears that there jacket is because it represents a symbol of his individuality, and his belief in personal freedom.



I worry that one of these days the sun's gonna come up and burn a hole clean through the planet like a giant electrical x-ray. But Sail thinks that ain't never gonna happen and anyway, we got dancin' to do.



I swear, when Sail kisses me, it just about sends me over that rainbow. I always say to him, "Cheez Louise! Sailor, baby, you're really somethin'!"



And if he don't let up, I usually tell him, "Uh oh. Baby, you'd better get me back to that hotel. You got me hotter than Georgia asphalt."





Lula tells Sailor to find her some music on the radio this instant in:
Dress: E! Eclectic Apparel & Accessories Slink Dress in Pink
Leggings: Maitreya M*A*ii*K*I Long Leggings in Black
Shoes: Maitreya Virtue in Patent Black
Belt: Coco Wide Belt in Black
Hair: TRUTH Rylan in snow
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 6c

Sailor tells Lula to stab it and steer in:
Jeans: Axe
Shirt: Moonshine
Jacket: Meriken
Boots: Redgrave
Hair: Exile
Skin: Redgrave

A HUGE thank you to Glamouramama Boa of Just a Pose for jumping in with both feet and creating the couples poses. And a big, big thank you to Davey Swindlehurst for playing Sailor to my Lula with infinite patience and humor.

I'd Tell of Nights Where I Could Taste the Salt on His Skin

"My name is Calypso and I have lived alone. I live on an island. . . A long time ago, I watched him struggle with the sea. I knew that he was drowning and I brought him into me. Now today, come morning light, he sails away. After one last night, I let him go."
-- Suzanne Vega, Calypso



I've always that thought that Calypso got a raw deal in literature.

We know her best from Homer's Odyssey. In Homer's tale, she shows up in line 14:
"Odysseus alone, filled with longing for his return and for his wife, did the queenly nymph Calypso, that bright goddess, keep back in her hollow caves, yearning that he should be her husband."

So basically in Homer's eyes, she's a desperate, lonely minor goddess turned kidnapper. He goes on to say that after many years, the gods force Calypso to let Odysseus go. And that's the end of her part in the story.



Apollodorus is a little kinder to our Calypso in his version of the story:
"[Odysseus] was carried across to the island of Ogygia. There Calypso, daughter of Atlas, received him, and bedding with him bore a son Latinus. He stayed with her five years, and then made a raft and sailed away."

At least here, instead of being crazy kidnapper, she's the abandoned single mother. An improvement, I guess?



What if she could be the hero of her own story instead of a minor character in Odysseus'?



Would she tell of her loneliness on the island until one day a broken man washed up on the shore? Of how she healed him and they spent several glorious years together? Did she help him build the raft that carried him back to Penelope, his wife?



And then after he left, what happened to her next?

Nikk writes her own mythology in:
Dress: Aura Pantiella Dress, patch pattern
Bracelet: /artilleri/ wooden bracelet
Necklace: Zaara Karmuka in Wood
Hair: TRUTH Aradhana in snow
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 2c

Poses: Olive Juice and {flowey}
Location: Las Arenas Rosadas

A Tattoo Burned for Everything I've Ever Wanted And Lost

Going to find me someone to share a common disaster.



Run away with me from a life so cramped and dull.



Not worry too much about the happily-ever-after.



Just keep the Caddy moving 'til we're well beyond that hill.

Nikk sings a little song in:

Pants: Zaara Jeans {classic} blue
Boots : *REDGRAVE*, Girls Biker Boots in brown (foot part only)
Bracelet: Dark Mouse Brown Buckle Bracelet
Belt: Coco Wide Belt in Beige
Tank: [VG] Y Strap Layered Tank in dirt
Vest: PushButton Industries Gatsby vest in plum
Hair: fri.day Victoria Sensitive Black
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 5c

Poses: fri.day and AnnaH (now StoRin)
Location: Serenity Farm
Song: Common Disaster by The Cowboy Junkies.

But the Rock Cried Out, "I Can't Hide You!"

Embroiled in SL drama? Totally stick your foot in it? Hoping that a hole in the fabric of time and space will open up and swallow you whole?



Have no fear, for here is Nikk's handy guide on How Not to Be Seen!

Option 1. Blend In
If SL drama is new to you, you've probably been a bit of a wallflower up until now anyway, so this one should come naturally. Find the nearest handy wall that coordinates with your clothing. Stand against it. Don't move. Lather, rinse, repeat.



Option 2. Hide
Remember all those games of hide and go seek you played as a kid? Well, now it's time to put those skills to work! Find the nearest roughly you-shaped object. Crouch. If someone yells that it's all clear, don't believe them.



Option 3. Become Art
Most people don't give works of art a second look. Use this to your advantage! Find the nearest pedestal and strike a pose, baby! A word of warning- while using this tactic, pigeons are not your friend.



None of these work for you? I'm afraid you only have one viable option left. Search --> Places: Black Hole.



Best of luck.

Nikk ponders 1, 2 or 3 in:
Top: Bare Rose Kanata in Grey
Jeans: Zaara Kera
Shoes: Bax Ankle Boots (Le Look group gift)
Belt: Coco Wide Belt in Black
Bracelet and Necklace: ~*Fresh Baked Goods*~ Mahjong Tile bracelet (scripted)
Hair: TRUTH Nora in espresso
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 5c

Poses in no particular order: PDA, Just a Pose
Location: Ten Thousand Shadows

The Scars

The scars on her back
Are like fault lines,
Fissures
On an otherwise tranquil landscape.



When people ask,
“How did you get those?”
She says,
"Jousting."
She says,
“Knife fight.”



Because the truth
About those scars
And what they mean
Is too horrible.



And the look of pity
People give her
When they learn that truth
Opens each gash anew.



So she simply says,
“Running with the bulls.”
She simply says,
"Running with the scissors."



She simply says anything,
Any desperate lie,
That leads them past the scars
And back around to her.

Nikk is fighting things she cannot see in:
Dress: LeeZu Loren
Shoes: Maitreya Virtue in Patent Black
Earrings: Zaara Kaya in onyx
Necklace: Zaara Vanisri in onyx
Hair: TRUTH Chelsea in snow
Back scratches: Blood and Scars
Skin: T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 8c

Poses: AnnaH (now StoRin) and Striking Poses
Location: Chinese Bamboo Garden

And You Looked Into My Bloodshot Eyes and Said Is It Too Soon If I Call You Sunday?

Oh, um, hi! I uh don't really have a post for today. I actually really, really need to get cleaned up.

See there was this thing last night. Well, two things. Well, two things and a duck.

And now I'm a bit.... let's call it tired.



So, yeaaah, I'm just gonna hop in the tub. If you could, uh, turn around for a sec, that would be great, thanks.



Tune in tomorrow for some random thing or other. Same Nikk time, same Nikk channel.

In the meantime, here's some bath music from The Real Tuesday Weld:



Nikk washes that man right out of her hair in:
Towel and pose: Nasluck
Hair: TRUTH Aradhana in snow
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 3c
Tub: mudshake

We Interrupt This Blog for an Important Safety Announcement

"This is John Ankermun with an important news update.

Reports from Plurk have confirmed that the *ahem* 'cycles' of women on the grid are becoming synchronized. Mayhem and panic are reported to be widespread. We go now to our field reporter Nikkita Auerbauch for an update."



Thank you, John. As you can see from the destruction around me, this situation is extremely unstable. The outbursts that started on Plurk are now spilling on to the grid. SL men are advised to take the following precautions: make no sudden movements, do not refer to SL women as "baybee" or "hun," and above all, do not ask "Are you on the rag or something, you shrill harpy?"

I'm standing here with Glamouramama Boa, one of the afflicted women. Ms. Boa, how are you doing?



"Well, frankly, Nikk, I feel like someone is going after my uterus with a cheese grater. And I just don't feel like myself." I see, I see. And what has been the reaction of people around you? "Well, other women are sympathetic, naturally, but some of the men on Plurk just need to GET OVER IT I'LL TALK ABOUT MY CRAMPS IF I WANT TOO DAMMIT! *ahem* Sorry. That just sort of happens." No worries, Ms. Boa. Thank you for talking to us.

"Well, Nikk, that was a most enlightening report and..." Hey! HEY! I wasn't finished yet, John!



"Oh, sorry, Nikk. I just thought..." NO JOHN NO! You didn't THINK! You never THINK! "I just meant that..." YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD THIS IS, JOHN! I'm out here on the grid. *sob* It's really humid and uncomfortable, my clothing doesn't fit right now, and that thing behind me smells really bad!



"But, Nikk..." YOU COME OUT HERE, JOHN! Let's see how you like it! Man, I just want to punch you right in the head and.....



"We seem to be experiencing some technical difficulties. Please stand by."


Nikk did this post with tongue firmly in cheek (but cycle syncing thing is real) wearing:
Dress: Whippet & Buck Bardot Tartan Tube Dress in Olive
Shoes: Periquita Silly Wedges
Belt: M*A*ii*K*I High Waisted Belt in Patent White (tinted)
Bracelets: Zaara Ramya wood bangles in gold and VG Republic Resin Bangles Single Thick Bangle
Necklace: Swallowtail Jupiter necklace in green
Hair: !lamb Bang Bang Bob in Powder
Skin: T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 2c
Microphone: CNN iReporter freebie

Thank you to Glamouramama Boa for letting me use her name and for sharing the free pose "Speak No" from her subscribo at Just a Pose,.
Poses in no particular order: StoRin, PDA, Just a Pose, Olive Juice
Location: Innsmouth

Cowgirls and Eagles Don't Know the Sky Like I Know You

Once upon a time, a girl from the East went to the West.



She learned many things in this strange new place. She learned that the sky really was much, much bigger and that the land stretched out to meet it.



She learned that the fauna was less cuddly. Or perhaps too cuddly.



She learned that if you fall into a cactus patch, you really do end up covered in cactus a la Wile E. Coyote.



She learned that there really are more things in heaven and earth (and far more stars in the sky) than were dreamt of in her philosophy.



She learned that while freedom may be just another word for nothing left to loose, it also meant having everything to gain.



Nikk, who never really made peace with some of the fauna, goes West in:
Shirt: fri.day Boyfriend Beater in seafoam
Vest: Coco Fringe Vest in Brown
Pants: Coco Skinny Cargo Pants in Slate Green
Shoes: Armidi Viniani in Bole
Bracelets: Zaara Ramya wood bangles in gold
Necklace: Zaara Karmuka in Wood
Hair: TRUTH Nora in snow
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 5c

Poses: PDA, Just a Pose, Olive Juice
Title from "Black and Blue Over You" by Mark McKay

Ya Gotta Be More Lowbrow, Kid. Ya know, Give the People What They Want!

Ok, kid, you're fresh out of The Sisters of Perpetual Crippling Guilt's School for Wayward Girls.



You have big dreams. Let's see whatcha got. Give us a song!



Oh joy, oh rapture unforeseen,
The clouded sky is now serene,
The god of day the orb of love,
Has hung his ensign high above,
The sky is all ablaze.
With wooing words and loving song
We'll chase the lagging hours along,
And if I find the maiden coy,
We'll murmur forth decorous joy
In dreamy roundelays.

No, no, no, kid! It's all wrong. Look atcha. Those threads is nice and all, but where's the glam? The pizazz? The razzle dazzle? And that song! Yeeeek! Snoresville, baby. You need something less snooty, more lowbrow, more fun. Know what I mean, kid?



Ya ain't ready yet. Come back when ya snazzed things up a bit.

*Later*

Wow, kid! Look atcha now! Now yer talking! Let's have a song, kid- something the people can shimmy to!



They once had a shootin' up in the Klondike
When they got Dan McGrew.
Folks were putting the blame on
The lady known as Lou.
That's the story that went around
But here's the real low-down.
Put the blame on Mame, boys.
Put the blame on Mame.
Mame did a dance called the hoochy-coo.
That's the thing that slew McGrew.



That's it, kid! That's what I'm talkin' about! Ya got real moxie! Yer a star!

Want another dame with moxie? How about Rita Hayworth?


Nikk's dreams are dashed in:
Shirt: /artilleri/ Darla top *white with hearts*
Skirt: Ingenue Vintage Basics "Memo" in Peacock
Shoes: ETD Starley Pumps in black
Earrings: /artilleri/ glitter love in silver
Necklace: /artilleri/ wing heart necklace with black beads
Glasses: /artilleri/ marla in black
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 3c
Hair: ETD Lindsay in black

but

A star named Nikk is born in:
Dress: Rose Petal Creations The Black Flamingo Flamenco
Shoes: Maitreya Chi Chi's in pastel pink
Earrings and Necklace: Dark Mouse Abstract Extravagance in Mercury
Hair: Ingenue Lamour in Silvery White
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 6c

Poses: PDA, Just a Pose, Striking Poses
"Put the Blame on Mame" by Roberts and Fisher
"Oh, Joy, Oh, Rapture Unforeseen" by Gilbert and Sullivan

Schrodinger: Genius or Just a Guy Who Hated Cats?

Update: This post, which is actually the 500th post for SLFA, won the first Fabbie! Thank you so much, Gidge and Cajsa of It's Only Fashion! It's so fabulous!


Over the last few days, I've been in several SL conversations involving Schrodinger's Cat and I've decided the Universe is trying to tell me something. And when the Universe tells me something, I listen, because the Universe is bigger than I am and can beat me up.

So here is Nikk's Totally Unhelpful Explanation of Schrodinger's Cat, with assistance from The Straight Dope's Cecil Adams.



In 1935, physicist Erwin Schrodinger proposed a thought experiment involving a cat in a box. He wanted to illustrate problems with certain interpretations of quantum mechanics. (Why not a real experiment, you ask? Read on and you'll see why it can't be a real experiment.)

In the box with the cat is a small amount of radioactive substance that has a 50/50 probability of having one atom decay in one hour. If that happens, a Rube Goldberg contraption will cause a hammer to break a beaker releasing hydrocyanic acid. Dead kitteh! But remember, 50/50 chance that the cat is still alive. So why not just check on the cat at the end of the hour?



Part of the upshot of the experiment is that you cannot check the state of the cat because that will disrupt the conditions in the box. In a nutshell, Schrodinger stated that you must therefore accept that, quantumly speaking, the cat is both alive and dead simultaneously. (Head hurt yet? Mine too.) From here, we'll let Cecil Adams take over. He's smarter than I am, and he does it in verse. Take it away, Mr. Adams!

Now, you'd say the cat either lives or it don't
But quantum mechanics is stubborn and won't.
Statistically speaking, the cat (goes the joke),
Is half a cat breathing and half a cat croaked.



To some this may seem a ridiculous split,
But quantum mechanics must answer, "Tough sh*t.
We may not know much, but one thing's fo' sho':
There's things in the cosmos that we cannot know.



Shine light on electrons--you'll cause them to swerve.
The act of observing disturbs the observed--
Which ruins your test. But then if there's no testing
To see if a particle's moving or resting
Why try to conjecture? Pure useless endeavor!



That was lovely, Mr. Adams. Everybody understand now? Me neither!

Read the rest of Cecil Adams' wonderfully funny epic poem here.

A short story from the cat's point of view here.

Nikk is simultaneously wearing and not wearing:

Shirt: fri.day Boyfriend Beater in yellow
Sweater: Thimbles Spring Is a Million Years Away in Sweet Green
Shorts: Beauty Avatar (Now Glam Affair) for Le.Look
Shoes: Periquita Silly Wedges
Watch: (Caroline’s) Rock Candy Watch (scripted)
Hair: TRUTH Nora in espresso
Skin:T U L I Jade tone 2 makeup 5c
Ears: (NS) Neko ears
Eyes : (PixelDolls), Adorable, Blue
Lashes: [MVS], XR Female Eye Lashes