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  • Silvertree

    Mod post: No wishlist posts in blogs

    By Silvertree

    Please be aware that we do not permit swap-related content on profiles or in blogs. Please post this content only in the For Sale, Swaps, and Wanted forums, or in the Wishlists topic. ~from Swapping 101  Thanks!
    • 5 comments
    • 6,465 views
Abstract Associations
 

Snow White 2007

A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.   Reviewed 01/09/2008   Wet, this is basically an almond single note on my skin. There isn't even a hint of floral. As it dries, well, it's still almond, but with a hint of something sweeter. Since I'm a foody to the core, that works perfectly well for me and I may try layering it. It doesn't feel cold to me at all, it has more of a spring feel. I only wish it had more throw; apparently, Snow White is quite a shy girl because it's so light that I could miss it entirely if I didn't have my nose pressed against my hand.   It's not what I was expecting, but still definitely a winner.
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
Abstract Associations
 

Libra 2007

Cardinal air: the essence of balance. Rose, black cherry, carnation, fig, honey, plum, and black currant.   Reviewed 01/09/2008   In the imp I smell lots of fruit; the cherry and currant dominate. It's very sweet and very juicy. That's really what I was looking for when I sought this one out. On my skin, however, it's a sweet, spicy, almost overblown rose. It took me a few minutes to place it, but finally I put my finger on it: this smells JUST like the rose character from the Rose Petal Place dolls produced in the eighties. It takes me back to some very fond memories of my childhood and it's a beautiful blend, but it has a very young feel so I don't think that I will wear it often.
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
vultureguy's Blog
 

Have I Become a Dealer?

I took our current imp horde into work to let someone have a sniffle. I ended up roping 4 people into sniffles. 1 had sniffled before but we've had the imps from pugmom since then. 3 of the 4 people are interested in doing an order!! Our order is in as of yesterday but if each of them want something I can put the order in for them. I know 2 of them (all 3?) don't have Paypal so I've offered to put the order in for them if they want. One is going for 5 imps so far, one for a bottle of Vampire Tears and one for a bottle of Phobos. I've passed the BPAL site on to all 3, I think 2 of them will look into it.   On the side, I got an email from the one I ordered Diwali from saying "if you haven't ordered it don't, order Rose Essence". Um, BPAL doesn't just have a rose essense. I tried to tell her that yesterday when she mentioned it. And when I told her that & asked if she still wanted the 5ml of Diwali she said yes. I know I can hold onto it for a couple months and swap it once it's off list (more likely to go when it's off list) but really, we are out that $ and wouldn't have ordered it if I didn't have to.   So & for enabling (we let one person try my wife's Phobos and gave the other person the Vampire Tears imp we had been gifted with). And & for enabling coworkers so that we can do group orders and keep our shipping costs down.
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
Argentwolf's Blog
 

Akuma

Category: Diabolus   In the imp: Strongly sweet and fruity.   Wet: Hellooooo Raspberry! It was incredibly strong and sweet, and, oddly enough made me think of 'generic candle smell'...that scent that most candles seem to have to me. I guess I've hung around a lot of berry-scented candles. Dry: This was the part that has changed the most. I wore this every day for over a week, just because I *wanted* to try to like this scent, or at least give it a fair shake. Initially, it dried as pure raspberry -- sickly sweet and very 'childish', in that I felt like I was about 15 years too old to be wearing this scent. As the days passed, however, I noticed that there was more of a mingling of orange with the raspberry...that was actually a *lot* more pleasing to me. And today, I've noticed that the scent has grown sweeter still, like faint cherries, but unlike the raspberry, it isn't annoying.   Verdict: This scent just isn't for me. It's certainly not bad, and I would advise anyone who is initially put-off by it to give it a chance over time, particularly if you otherwise enjoy cherry-like scents. But there are other scents that I like a lot better.   I'll quit beating this dead horse (or imp) and put it away; perhaps I will think of someone else who would give it the love it deserves.   What I liked: The orange (when it briefly showed itself).   What I didn't like: The raspberry. Just too sickly-sweet for me.   Also, my skin just seems to eat up fruity scents. Waaah! So sad.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

0
Abstract Associations
 

Pink Moon 2007

A sweet and silly compliment to the first breath of Spring! Sugared carnation and phlox!   Reviewed 01/07/2008   I admit, I've been prejudiced against carnations. I found that I like some blends with carnations, though, so I was willing to give Pink Moon a try.   I really enjoyed the spiciness that I've come to recognize as BPAL's carnation note, but after that initial yummy spice it turned into pure play-doh on me the way Beaver Moon '05 did. One odd note about this one: my cats went crazy over it. Completely and utterly bonkers. They were fighting each other to get to the spot I applied it and wouldn't stop sniffing and licking it. I've never seen anything like it!
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
Abstract Associations
 

The Oval Portrait

Evil was the hour that she saw, and loved, the painter. Gentle beauty and innocent devotion: honeysuckle, carnation, stargazer lily, bluebonnet, vanilla musk, and rice flower.   Reviewed 01/07/2008   My first impression is HELLO FLOWERS! Heh. It's almost overwhelmingly floral. There's an undernote of something tangy that makes the corners of my mouth pucker, something sharp and almost citrus-y. That fades out at about the same time the flowers begin to be tempered by the musk. I don't get much vanilla out of it, though I normally amp vanilla; it smells more like a skin musk on me. This is very feminine and adult, not like my normal foody inclinations but very wearable and pretty. I'm not sure I could use an entire bottle of this, but I might get another imp or two of it.
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
Abstract Associations
 

Chaste Moon 2005

Though March marks the end of the desolation and chill of winter, it is not yet Spring, the time of rebirth, fertility and the Earth's fecundity. March's Full Moon is a Virgin's Moon, pure, youthful, unsullied and innocent. This is the Moon of the Child, and the scent is as soft and gentle as a baby's breath: milky blossoms and soft cream touch the last buds of winter, coupled with crystalline, bright traditional Lunar oils.   Reviewed 01/07/2008   I have been coveting this for months, ever since I was frimped a sniffie of it, and it was everything I was hoping it would be. It's spicy, with a base of sweet creaminess, and it blows me away. It stayed true, with no plastic or fake-ness in the undertones. It clings very close to the skin, with very little throw, the kind of scent you dab behind your ears and on the back of your neck before you meet a significant other and you want to draw them in close. Unfortunately, something in this makes me itch like nobody's business on every body part I tried it on, even places that I rarely react (like the back of my hand)!
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
vultureguy's Blog
 

Hooray! Order Number 2 Away!

Second order has officially been sent/paid for via Paypal. The imps from the first order haven't grown cold yet and we've officially become adicted   Here's what I put in for us, 5mml bottles of each of the following:   hers: White Phoenix Noche Buena Phobos   mine: Mechanical Phoenix KRAMPUS 2007 Satyr   Diwali has been ordered for a coworker. Neither of us liked it when we were gifted the imp and it only made sense to gift it on to someone who would appreciate it. Really glad I was gifted the imp before choosing to order it!   Yay for another order--very dangerous. I want to order them all and just sniff and sniff!   Re the previous entry: Blood Lust seemed to be good for today. It helped keep me calm and focused. Tomorrow maybe I'll do Mechanical Phoenix. I'd like to go for Satyr but it might be too early in the week for it.
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

Rambly stuff

So my mom and I are a member of the organization TOPS, which is for weight loss. Since she joined in March of last year, she has lost approximately 130 lbs. There was a regional meet up in October, which my mom attended, because our chapter's leader said she'd entered all our numbers into the contest, and it was likely my mom would gain some recognition. The leader had lied, however, and had not submitted the paperwork. She'd filled it out and brought it with her. Dumbass. But every year, the organization recognizes someone on a national level. Each state crowns a king and/or queen, and then several of them are published in the monthly magazine. Now, the new year is pretty hard to miss. I would think that the paperwork would be well and truly filled out and ready to go by then. No. The woman calls ME to find out if I have my mother's membership information, and crap that she should have already, and I swear that if this woman fucks this up for my mom, I will tell her exactly how I feel about the situation (during a meeting), and then see if anyone else is okay with this turn of events, and then walk out. I'll find another damn chapter to attend. Screw them. And then I'll write a detailed letter to the national organization and hope for the best.   Also, this seemed too petty to start a new topic over, and I'm no longer reading the confessional or the how are you feeling threads. I'm really bummed out about my local used bookstore that I've been going to since they piled everything into one small room. They've expanded, and have recently gotten a lot of new staff members. So I was in there the other day, and I asked one of them about Richelle Mead. I suppose I've been spoiled by the owner, who can cite titles based off a description of a cover, and list authors like woah... and even if she doesn't know, she'll go look herself, and check the computer. Nice things, right? But this woman asked me what genre she was, and I explained that it was paranormal, but it might be paranormal romance and she was like, "Ohhh. Well, I don't really know a lot about that genre, but the name doesn't ring a bell." Chompchompchompthegum. Uh, okay. Thanks for the help. I couldn't find her book anywhere, but that doesn't mean they didn't have it.   That's kinda okay- she might've been really busy with other things or something, but here's what really makes me mad. While I'm looking for Succubus Blues, I overhear her talking to another customer, and she's saying, " ... I don't really read paranormal stuff, but she's really good- I read a little bit of that book and really liked it." That's compelling. So the customer asks if they have it in used, and the woman immediately says, "Oh, no. We NEVER get anything back by her. Everybody loves her." And I'm like, "Bullshit." Seriously. Not aloud, of course. So I walk past the customer and glance over and see that she's looking at a Patricia Briggs book, and I roll my eyes, because my mom is a huuuge fan of that woman and buys the used books all the time. So I take the time to walk the ten feet to the shelf, and sure enough, the book is there, in used. So I go up and ask the customer if she had been looking at Moon Called, and she said she had. So I raise my voice ever so slightly and say, "Well, they've got it in used." So she asks if I'm going to buy it and I'm like, "Nope, please have at it." I get that you might want to be selling new over used, but that shit is only going to piss people off. People like me. The owner, however, will go out of her way to see if they have a used copy of something- I've been at the register, and she's asked me if I want it used and then pulled a used copy for me, because I'll always take used books.   That makes me sad.
smallvoice

smallvoice

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vultureguy's Blog
 

Another day.....

Tomorrow is our first full week at work in 2 weeks. We've had 2 short weeks due to the holidays and our most of my team has had the time off on annual leave. I'm not looking forward to a full week at work and I'm not looking forward to most of my team being back. It's been nice and quiet without most the people there. Yeah, I've missed one or two but the rest of them can be a nuissance.   And there is one in particular that isn't going to be fun. It's partly my own fault for the situation but she holds blame too. I noticed that she has on occassion left work. She's had her reasons but it seems that the harder stuff is left behind for me to pick up. I didn't do most of her training but when I have offered to show her some of the more complicated stuff I've heard things like "I'm not a morning person", "I'm too busy", "I've got it written down somewhere", "I'm not having a good day", "I'm tired", "It's too late", "I learn better by doing" (but when I offer to let her do so she can learn then she's got one of the other reasons). When I talked to her last time about how it seems she takes a particular type of easy stuff she said it was the way she was trained (which is odd because I know the person who trained her and I know she didn't do things that way). I thought it was resolved until I started noticing again some of the more difficult types of work were left behind and work from certain geographical areas was being left behind. And someone in one of those geographical areas that I never seemed to see work from made a comment along the lines of "Oh, I guess I should have asked X to do it". It was random, especially given that up to that point we hadn't divided into geographic areas.   Then, one day just before Xmas I was finishing up a complicated request I had picked up. It was afternoon time & I noticed there was a complicated request that came in while I was engaged in it. This other person left it. Ok, not too bad as there is the chance that she didn't see it when it came in and it was too late for either of us to pick it up. The second day we had meetings and stuff that took up part of our day. On top of that I had some documents returned in the new stuff that I had learned. It was complicated and someone else was helping me sort it. Between that and the stuff I'd already had to do for that day, I wasn't able to pick up anything new until that afternoon. And yes, it was still in there. I was stressed and peeved. It had sat in there for 2 days and I knew I wasn't going to be able to do it at that point. I put it in my work queue because I konw there was no way in he!! she would at that point. Being upset and stressed I grumbled to 2 people in my old team about it. There was my mistake. I grumbled to someone about it instead of locking it in. One of these 2 people went and told her and she went to the team leader. I was told in my monthly meeting that I was "slagging her off" to the old team. No, not quite. Then the team leader made some comment about how certain work takes priority. WTF? Like I wasn't doing that work too?? WHATEVER. I knew it was no use saying anything but I did say that I told one person (I later remembered telling 2). I couldn't figure out how it got to my team leader. Both the coworker and team leader went on vacation right after this. I didn't learn 'til relatively recently that the person had been told that I'd said something & went to the team leader about it.   So now I have people I know I can't trust that I used to trust.   I'm not sure what BPAL I want to wear tomorrow. I'm considering Blood Lust because I feel like I've got to go to battle when I got work now. I could consider Dragon Claw, for the "sharp" factor. Or I could go with something more 'sophisticated'/masculine cologne-y like Mechanical Phoenix, the Music of Eric Zahn, Titus Andronicus or Black Forest.   Wow, didn't realise I had that many choices. And we've still got an order to put in tomorrow night. I'll give my Diwali away because it went really nasty on my skin. Like, along the lines of cigarette butts soaked in coconut and burned on a rubber tyre pyre. Yeah, that good on me. I've held off our order in case the person I'm giving the imp to likes it & wants a bottle.   On that note, I should get to bed. I haven't been sleeping well and got grumpy today. I am sure lack of sleep contributed.
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
Die Eier von Satan
 

More Quotages

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses. You build up a whole armor, for years, so nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life... You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' or 'how very perceptive' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a body-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. Nothing should be able to do that. Especially not love. I hate love.”   -The Sandman, Neil Gaiman   I don't hate love, but the majority of that quote is definitely something I can relate to.   “I only have two kinds of dreams: the bad and the terrible.   Bad dreams I can cope with. They're just nightmares, and they end eventually. I wake up.   The terrible dreams are the good dreams. In my terrible dreams, everything's fine. I'm still with the company. I still look like me. None of the last five years ever happened. Sometimes I'm married. Once I even had kids. I even knew their names. Everything's wonderful and normal and fine.   And then I wake up. And I'm still me. And I'm still here. And that is truly terrible.”   -The Sandman - Dream Country, Neil Gaiman     “There is a theory which states that if ever for any reason anyone discovers what exactly the Universe is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another that states that this has already happened.”   -Douglas Adams   “I'm spending a year dead for tax reasons.”   Douglas Adams
eternalargus

eternalargus

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vultureguy's Blog
 

Package received and BPAL scent thoughts/ideas

We got an enabling package from pugmom! She totally spoiled us with imps of Mechanical Phoenix, The Music of Erich Zahn, Diwali & Dragon's Bone for me and Vampire Tears, Belladonna, Frumious Bandersnatch and Salome for Carol. Wow, really really cool of her!   My spreadsheet is updated now and I'm testing Mechanical Phoenix. She sent it in plent of time for me to smell and test it before the lab pulls this Anniversary scent. It's definitely on the order list!   I be a very happy and a very nice smelling Vulture now. Every vulture should have something to cut the smell of carion!   I had an idea today. I thought it would be great if Beth could come to NZ and smell some of the typical Kiwi smells here. She'd be able to expand her single notes and add another dimension to the scents on offer. I would love to smell her interpretation of the NZ bush, with it's pungas and kauri and rimu. It would lend itself well to masculine scent, earthy and wet and natural-bush. I would love to smell her rendition of manuka/kanuka flowers, it would be a nice feminine scent. Not the tea tree kind of scent you get in essential oils but the sweet-florally scent that you get from the bushes when you walk through a patch of them. Then there are things like the native clematis, the flax, the pohutakawa and the Earina orchid (http://www.kaimaibush.co.nz/Orchids/orchid_frameset.html) I used to have one of those until it died. For such a tiny orchid it has an amazingly powerful scent. If I could get them to live I'd offer to mass-grow them and produce essential oils for Beth to use! I think for now I'll see what essential oils I can find. If all else fails, 'cause I don't remember seeing flax or clematis scents anywhere I can see if Cal will let me buy some of the nice lotions based on these scents I got at Craftworld for my Secret Santa. I'm sure Beth wouldn't mind getting them to at least smell the fragrance, and to use for her and the labbies if she'd share.   I could see either a whole line based on Maori mythology (don't know if they'd go for that, she'd have to investigate it since they are sensitive about people using their culture to make money) or on Lord of the Rings or just on NZ native things (ie--a scent incorporating flax called The Tui or something like that.   I'd like to pick up some essential oils made out of native plants/scents and mail them to the lab for her with the idea. Even if she didn't go with it, it's a nice thought. Though I can dream about her coming here to check things out and we pick her up and take her around places in AKLD like the Waitaks and the Botanical Garden to check the possibilities out.   PS- along the dream of Beth creating Kiwi smells and showing her around, I imagine we'd bring her back to our hovel and make her manuka-smoked lamb shanks and for desert pavolva with passionfruit and kiwi fruit. I could see her adding pav as a scent that the foody-loving customers would...well, eat up.
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
Abstract Associations
 

Strawberry Moon

Strawberry moon is a blending of strawberries and cream with light, dry lotus and soft ylang ylang and a touch of green tea and sage to bring it closer to Earth.   Reviewed 01/04/2008   This is absolutely beautiful. It's very true-to-life, like a bowl full of fresh strawberries and homemade cream. I don't get the plastic, fake note that other people have mentioned, but I also don't get any hint of tea or anything green at all. This is very fresh and summery and delicious, and it breaks my heart that I adore it so much because I know I'll never be able to afford a bottle of it!
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
Abstract Associations
 

Midnight Kiss

Eternal desire, unquenchable passion: red musk, cocoa absolute, Nepalese amber, red sandalwood, aged patchouli, nicotiana, and blood wine.   Reviewed 01/04/2008   One of my resolutions for the new year is to be more on top of testing and reviewing my BPAL, especially the approximately 100 untried imps sitting in my imp box. So I've started randomly grabbing two each night and testing them out, whether I thought I would like the notes or not.   Wet and Initial Drydown: Ew. EWW. I smell like BO and something flowery. Normally musks work with my skin, so maybe it's the nicotiana or the patchouli.   Complete Drydown: Oh yes. This is finally coming together and smells wonderful. Now I get the cherry cola-ish scent that people mention. It's dark, but sparkling and not overpowering. I'm in awe, the lab made something that is dark and light at the same time. It's very sexy, in a commanding way. I think that I could get past the initial funky stage and wear this, but it's definitely not an office scent.
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
What ever happened to Generation X?
 

Friday, Jan. 4

I just arranged my first MUA swap in ages. I will be getting a bottle of LUSH Karma, for free! Well, I have to send the other person a bottle of fragrance, but it's something I never wear, so it's a win-win situation.   It's kind of funny -- I have 238 swap tokens at MUA, from my heydey of 2003-2005 when I was really "into" high end and niche fragrances and was swapping, RAOKing and decanting like a madwoman. When I look back on those days, I realize I must have spent at least six hours a week just on swapping, sampling and "maintaining" my collection. For a variety of reasons, I drifted away from MUA in the summer of 2005 and haven't been as interested in (commercial) perfume ever since. It's like the obsession just burned itself out. I became interested in BPAL in 2005 and I've been "into" it ever since, but not to the strange, obsessive degree I was about perfume on MUA.   I used to not be that interested in LUSH but I've changed my mind. I got all kinds of awesome deals at their sale last week; I now have enough soap and bath bombs/bubble bars to keep me clean for the rest of the year. I've discovered their skin care is pretty nice as well; I really like Angels on Bare Skin and Skin's Shangri-La. And the Karma Komba shampoo solid is to die for. It smells great and made my (long-ish, fine and limp, color-treated) hair fluffy, shiny and soft.   Today I'm home with the kids all day; I hope to get some housework done as well and maybe place a DHC order. They're having a sale and I need to pick up a few items. My skin is starting to get that winter dullness/dryness/sensitivity and redness it always does, so it's time for some new products. I'd also like to do some reading; seems like it's been ages since I curled up with a good book, uninterrupted.   I'd like to do something fun this weekend but DH and I are still kind of on the outs. If nothing else, I want to go to dinner at my favorite restaurant and do a little shopping, and I guess I can do that by myself or with a friend if necessary. I'm not sure how the weather will hold up; I wonder if we'll have more snow on the way. A lot of people hate the wintertime in Chicago but I find it tolerable. I'll be sick of it by March, but right now the snow is enough of a novelty that it doesn't bother me much. It's certainly preferable to super-hot temperatures.
parrot_suspect

parrot_suspect

0
Abstract Associations
 

Nuit

She is the Goddess of the Sky, one of the Ennead, daughter of the air [shu] and water [Tefnut], lover of Geb and Hadit, the Eternal Mother, and the Receiver, Reviver and Protector of the Dead, whose loving, divine embrace shields our souls from annihilation. She is love, rapture, splendor, continuous and eternal birth and rebirth, infinite space, and the “the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night”. Nuit is Earth’s guardian, and shields her lover and her mortal children from the primeval chaos that threatens Existence. Her perfume is starry and crystalline, a jewel-clad and glittering paean to night: dazzling white musks, white rose and night-blooming jasmine with the soft moss of moonlit meadows, a waft of Egyptian incense, and a gentle breath of moonflower.   Reviewed 01/03/2008   Gorgeous. Florals aren't my normal favorites, but this is beautiful and calming. It's pure, feminine, floral. I rarely get a color feeling from a scent, but this 'feels' midnight blue to me. While sniffing I had an undeniable urge to just close my eyes and breathe very slowly and deeply, and I actually almost fell asleep. I think this would be amazing as a meditation oil or a sleep aid, maybe on an eye mask or a pillow. The throw is medium and it has a long wear time.
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
Abstract Associations
 

Incubus

Spectral white musk and the heart-stopping chill of sheared mint, fanned by caramel-touched body heat, and the diabolical sensuality of black musk, nicotiana, and sage.   Reviewed 01/03/2008   I got this as a frimp from the lab, so I decided to try it without looking at the notes beforehand.   This, on me, smells like vomit and cigar smoke. My arm smells like a bar bathroom at closing time. I don't know what happened between this and my body chemistry but oh, my dear gods. This is definitely going in the swap pile.
Rovylern

Rovylern

0
I smell glorious
 

LUSH: Hey Blondie

Trying to figure out a haircare regime that will coddle and lighten my fine, ash-blonde hair. I'm now using The Blonde shampoo and Marilyn hair mask, which I think will become staples as they both lighten nicely; but I'm finding that the blonde colour they deposit is more yellow than I would like, so I'm thinking about following up with Daddy-O shampoo. I'm also considering investing in a pot of Jasmine Henna Fluff-Eaze hair mask, not that my hair needs deep-conditioning but just to make it a little silkier and shinier. Still experimenting on finding a good conditioner. I think Veganese is going to be it for my regular conditioner, but I'd also like to invest in some Jungle for when I shampoo with Daddy-O and Big (both of which are much more drying than The Blonde).   I have: Marilyn x 4 Big x 2 The Blonde x 2 SAMPLE Veganese SAMPLE Jungle   I want: Jasmine-Henna x 1 Daddy-O x 1 (250mL) >> these two will fall under the Clean Slate promotion Veganese -- whenever they have it back in stock Jungle -- sometime next month, I'll splurge on a piece of this
myoubi

myoubi

0
What ever happened to Generation X?
 

Thursday, Jan. 3

I've decided to start using this blog as a diary of sorts -- simply recording what I do or what my thoughts are on a given day. I think I was trying to use it as too much of a "creative writing exercise" previously, which is why I rarely posted.   So, today is a cold yet sunny day, and I'm at the office. Just got done having Chinese food for lunch -- kung pao chicken. Kinda greasy, but not bad. I'm trying to avoid overeating in anticipation of starting my weight loss program next week. Not sure if I should go back to Weight Watchers or try Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. I'm not that heavy but I need to drop 20 lbs. of pregnancy weight that doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave.   I'm wearing my glasses still. I've had to wear glasses since Dec. 12, when the eye doctor gave me a lecture about the condition of my eyes and the need to stay out of contacts. I have severe dry eye syndrome, most likely brought on by overwearing the contacts, and my corneas are irregular. The doctor says they need time to heal. For me it's a real bummer to wear glasses, mainly because my nearsightedness is so severe (which means I have very thick lenses) and, let's face it, I'm vain and I prefer the way I look without glasses.   I'm not looking forward to going home after work today. DH and I had a big argument last night and still aren't speaking to each other. He tends to sulk for several days after a fight; the atmosphere is thick with tension. It's really pleasant to be in that kind of environment. Maybe things will get ironed out tonight -- but maybe not. The house is a mess, too.   I think I'll go make myself a cup of tea and try to think about something pleasant. I need to assign a story to run next Thursday, so perhaps I should get on that. I just hope there's something happening next week that's worth writing about!
parrot_suspect

parrot_suspect

0
Maps and Legends
 

Analysis of 2007 reading

So, to start, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't reach 100 books. At some point, I thought I'd counted and was way ahead of 89 - 93 if you count the books I finished in 2007 that I'd started previously, 99, if you count books which I didn't finish in 2007 as well - I can get to 100 if you count the one book I read about 75 pages of then decided to abandon. Although I think I'd still have to go with 99, since I don't think I actually read anything of Ulysses last year.   Braking down the 89 that I read entirely in 2007: * 78 were new to me, 11 were re-reads * 22 were children's/ya books * 6 were graphic novels + a 7th novelization based on a comic series * 3 were non-fiction (2 books of essays, 1 of literary criticism) * 41 were installments of fantasy/sci-fi/historical fantasy series * 35 were by authors which were new to me in 2007 * there are 42 unique authors represented
Em-

Em-

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Maps and Legends
 

Book List 2008

Books read/started/finished/etc. in 2008.   Read Entirely in 2008 1. Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out - McSweeney's YA Short Story Collection 2. Lunatic Cafe - Laurel K. Hamilton 3. M is for Magic - Neil Gaiman 4. Dead as a Doornail - Charlene Harris 5. For a Few Demons More - Kim Harrison 6. The Cat's Pajamas - Ray Bradbury 7. The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost - John Bellairs 8. The Thief of Always - Clive Barker 9. Burnt Offerings - Laurel K. Hamilton 10. Blue Moon - Laurel K. Hamilton 11. Obsidian Butterfly - Laurel K. Hamilton 12. Train Man v1 (manga) 13. The Innocent Man - John Grisham 14. 6th Target - James Patterson/Maxine Gross 15. Narcissus in Chains - Laurel K. Hamilton 16. The Dark Secret of Whetherend - John Bellairs 17. Definitely Dead - Charlene Harris 18. Cerilean Sins - Laurel K. Hamilton 19. The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter 20. Kushiel's Scion - Jacqueline Carey 21. Incubus Dreams - Laurel K. Hamilton 22. Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War - Clive Barker 23. Yuki Huma Dream Shoppe (manga) 24. Wild Ones v.1 (manga) 25. Not Safe After Dark - Peter Robinson 26. Micah - Laurel K. Hamilton 27. Friend of the Devil - Peter Robinson 28. Farewell Summer - Ray Bradbury 29. Serenity Rose Vol. 1 (graphic novel) 30. Mistral's Kiss - Laurel K. Hamilton 31. Grave Sight - Charlene Harris 32. Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlene Harris 33. Danse Macabre - Laurel K. Hamilton 34. Killing Yourself to Live - Chuck Klosterman 35. Roomates - Emily Chase 36. My Roomate is Missing - Emily Chase 37. Kushiel's Justice - Jacqueline Carey 38. Strange Candy - Laurel K. Hamilton 39. The 13th of Never (graphic novel) 40. Hellboy - Seed of Destruction - Mike Mignola (v. 1 graphic novel) 41. Justice Denied - J.A. Jance 42. Emerald Magic, Tales of Irish Fantasy - Andrew Greeley Ed. 43. The Harlequin - Laurel K. Hamilton 44. Nature Girl - Carl Haissian 45. 7th Heaven - James Patterson 46. Grave Surprise - Charlene Harris 47. The Outlaw Demon Wails - Kim Harrison 48. Dead as a Doornail - Charlaine Harris 49. You're No Friend of Mine - Emily Chase 50. My Dead Girlfriend (graphic novel) 51. Kushiel's Mercy - Jacqueline Carey 52. Keeping Secrets - Emily Chase 53. Hellboy - The Chained Coffin and Others - Mike Mignola (v. 3 graphic novel) 54. Hellboy - The Right Hand of Doom - Mike Mignola (v. 4 graphic novel) 55. An Ice Cold Grave - Charlaine Harris 56. Shakespeare's Champion - Charlaine Harris 57. Hellboy - Conqueror Worm- Mike Mignola (v. 5 graphic novel) 58. Hellboy - Strange....- Mike Mignola (v. 6 graphic novel) 59. Rose - Jeff Smith & Charles Vess (graphic novel) 60. Dark Side of the Moon - John Sanford 61. Stardust - Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess (reread of text, first time w/illustrations) 62. Lady Friday - Garth Nix 63. Watchman - Alan Moore (graphic novel) 64. Parable of the Sewer - Octavia Butler 65. From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris 66. Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi 67. A Lick of Frost - Laurel K. Hamilton 68. Glasshouse - Charles Stross 69. Daughter of the Forest - Juliet Marillier 70. Hellboy - The Troll Witch and Other Stories - Mike Mignola (v. 7 graphic novel) 71. Son of the Shadows - Juliet Marillier 72. Persepolis 2 - Marjane Satrapi 73. Child of the Prophesy - Juliet Marillier 74. Storm Front - Jim Butcher 75. Maus I - Art Spiegelman 76. Maus II - Art Spiegelman 77. Kindred - Octavia Butler 78. Summer Blues - Emily Chase 79. Best Friends Forever - Emily Chase 80. Blood Noir - Laurel K. Hamilton 81. Wild Seed - Octavia Butler (in Seeds of Harvest) 82. Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens 83. Invisible Prey - John Sandford 84. Hellboy - Wake the Devil - Mike Mignola (v. 2 graphic novel) 85. Hellboy - Darkness Calls - Mike Mignola (v. 8 graphic novel) 86. Mind of My Mind - Octavia Butler (in Seeds of Harvest) 87. Clay's Ark - Octavia Butler (in Seeds of Harvest) 88. Patternmaster - Octavia Butler (in Seeds of Harvest) 89. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer 90. The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman 91. Parable of the Talents - Octavia Butler 92. The Host - Stephanie Meyer 93. Bloodchild and Other Stories - Octavia Butler 94. Lover Enshrined - J.R. Ward 95. Across the Wall - Garth Nix 96. Phantom Prey - John Sandford 97. Survivor - Octavia Butler 98. Winter Study - Nevada Barr 99. Bitten - Kelly Armstrong 100. Exit Wounds - J.A. Jance 101. Dead Wrong - J.A. Jance 102. Halting State - Charles Stross 103. Silver Screen - Justina Robson 104. Swallowing Darkness - Laurel K. Hamilton 105. Shakespeare's Trollop - Charlaine Harris 106. Scent of Shadows - Vicki Peterson 107. The Marriage of Sticks - Jonathan Carrol 108. Moon Called - Patricia Briggs 109. A Secret Rage - Charlaine Harris 110. Shakespeare's Counsler - Charlaine Harris 111. The Egypt Game - Zilpha Keatley Snyder 112. A Cristmas Carol - Charles Dickens (annual reread) 113. Angels and Other Strangers - Katherine Patterson (annual reread) 114. Outlaws of Sherwood - Robin McKinley 115. The Shining - Stephen King 116. The Final Death (Anita Blake Graphic Novel) 117. Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling (read stories to son as well)   Chapter books read with Son 1. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White (reread with son) 2. Stuart Little - E.B. White (reread with son) 3. Matilda - Roald Dahl (with son) 4. Trumpet of the Swan - E.B. White (reread w/son) 5. George's Marvelous Medicine - Roald Dahl (w/son) 6 - 45. The Magic Treehouse series (v. 1-40) 46. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler - E.L. Koningsberg (reread with son) 47. The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling (abridged, w/son) 48. Who Really Killed Cock Robin - Jean Craighead George (reread w/son) 49-60. The Magic School Bus Chapter Books (v. 1-4, 6-9, 11-13, 17) 61. The Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum (w/R) 62. Cam Janson an the Mystery of the Missing Dinosaur Bones - David Adler 63. Transformers: The Search for the Allspark   Started in 2007 or before, finished in 2008 Dead to the World - Charlene Harris (2007) Les Mis - Victor Hugo (via LJ) (2007)   In progress (if not started in 2008, starting year in parens) Divine Horsemen, The Living Gods of Haiti - Myra Deren(2006) Ulysses - James Joyce (2005) Jambalaya - L. Tisch (2007) Who Let the Dogs In - Molly Ivins Blood Lite (anthology) Shakespeare's Christmas - Charlaine Harris   In progress with R The Magic School Bus Chapter Books (v. 10, 14)   Island of the Could Not Finish Death of a Darklord - Laurel K. Hamilton Hand of Evil - J.A. Jance Children of Chaos - John C. Wright Black House - Steven King/Peter Straub (2007) Artimis Fowl - Eoin Coifer Fool Moon - Jim Butcher Septimus Heap Book 1: Magyk - Angie Sage Mr. Monk in Outer Space - Lee Goldberg Inkspell - Cornelia Funke
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alterosen's Blog
 

Rose smellies

I'm a big rose fan & am still searching for the ultimate scent in that category. I have over 40 very fragrant varieties growing in the garden (mostly old roses & David Austins) & find perfume hard to measure up to the real thing. Having said that, Beth has a huge number of rose blends and anyone (except the absolute rose-haters) is sure to find several to their liking.   Some of my notes on the rose scents I've tried: GC London - pretty tea rose, a classic (my imp is different than the aged bottle I acquired which has an acrid background or bitterness to it - rather disappointing) Two,Five & Seven - rather sharp & overwhelming Marie - lovely rose & violet Harlot - sweet, faint & powdery, couldn't sense the cinnamon Rose Cross - love the rose & resin combo, like an old moss rose Persephone - juicy rose with a berry finish Zombi - couldn't sense the rose in this, only the dirt which turns spicy & ginseng-like: neat! Moon Rose - aquatic, green-tinged rose, not my thing Black Rose - too heavy for me Blood Rose - nicely sultry & fruity, then gets sharp & the rose disappears under the dragon's blood Whip - sharp rose & the leather note turns my stomach Seraglio - rose, almond & orange work together wonderfully on me Rakshasa - rose, patchouli & sandalwood: a really nice blend if you like strong woody notes Eve - perfumy, honey & sharp rose: changes to honey & apple blossom, a bit musty Knave of Hearts - caramel with hint of black currant & fleeting rose Maiden - nice & spicy but the carnation gave me a headache Viola - sweet & pretty: seems kind of innocent & young, girly? The Rose - similar rose as Rose Red but not as strong or long-lasting, nice for when RR seems like too much Snooty Rose - I would have guessed there's cedar in this - the sandalwood is not behaving, perhaps aging will help Miller's Daughter   LE/Unimpables Rose Moon - bright tea rose, hint of other florals, bit too fresh Pulcinella & Teresina - too much resin for me, I smelled like pine sap Victoria - sweet tea rose, hint of lily & musk, a bit soapy Rose Red '07 - bright juicy rose with a hint of earthy honey ('05 is a bit earthier, both are fabulous ) Libra '07 - lovely fruity(cherry) rose, not as tart as Persephone Parlement of Foules - nice: sweet rose with raspberries. This is my #1 - the rose blend I wear the most Peacock Queen '07 - tea rose, a bit sharper than London Silentium Amoris (DC) - rose & ylang ylang, I had high hopes but the rose is too sharp for my tastes Hope - sweet (duh, sugared rose) like the rose in Harlot/Lucy's Kiss but much stronger, little bit powdery Queen of Clubs - strong dirt note fades to nice berries, roses far in the background Tabula Smagdarina - like P of Foules with slightly sour wood note Lady Luck Blues - honeyed floral with spiced rose, lovely skin musk finish April Fool - citrusy rose with touch of green, rosy berry finish Katrina von Tassel - sweet Hope-like roses with cream, honey not very noticeable; this one can feel a bit thick & cloying sometimes Autumn (Salon) - rosy, then autumnal smoky leaves, hint of apple (this one is so very me - must track down a bottle) Blasphemare Reliquary - bubblegum, powdery rose with a sharp edge RETEST Eustephanos - very sweet, thought there was honey & peach in it (actually pomegranate), rose in background contributing to general sweetness RETEST Pothon Meter - interestingly spicy, pepper combining with something to become almost gingery, not very sweet or rosy but very enjoyable Unity Set 1) Red Rose - not very rosy on me, strong tobacco/fir combo with the Indian musk is a bit harsh 2) White Rose - fruity & creamy (hint of coconut?), not super rosy either but very nice 3) Combined - very nice, complex Gwyneth - sweet coconut & sage, bit of a sharp floral/rose note, goes to harsh cleaning product (orchid & lily= nasty on me) Chaos Theory IV CMXVII - soft roses & lilies, spicy floral, bit too powdery Last Rose of Summer - a woody rose that works on me! Madeline Maud Ruthyn The Masque
alterosen

alterosen

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Forspecial Plate's Blog
 

this is where I bitch

I've been meaning to complain about this for a while but was never sure where to do it. Let me just get it out of my system so I can move on.   I get so irritated when I see someone post: "Oh, just buy the bottle! Even if you don't like it, you can always swap it later!" Um, I disagree that it's totally easy to just swap stuff away.   I have had lots of good swaps, and even successful sales, so don't get me wrong. Also....I do not bump my swaps/sales posts a whole lot, not even once a week. Usually I'll give it a bump just to keep it from being sent to the post cemetery. So it could possibly be said that I don't try hard enough.   BUT.......   I couldn't even swap away rares like Vanilla Bean SN, Corazon, Ice Queen, Snow Angel......things I wanted to swap for stuff on my wish-list, which IMO is a pretty long one and not too narrow. And I don't think I was being too picky about what I would swap for. A single note for a single note......well, that's what most everyone else does, isn't it? A whole bottle of Samhain sat on my swaps/sales pages for weeks, until I finally decided I would rather just keep it. In fact, I took pretty much everything off my posts and even retired my swaps post.   Actually I'm not completely bitter. Part of it is indecision on my part. I hate to get rid of something unless I'm absolutely sure it's not going to work for me (Pruno, Selkie, ahem....). I'm glad I didn't get rid of Samhainophobia because it turns out I really do like it. Also....I don't regret my purchases. I have found a new hobby and I feel more enriched because of it. : )
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forspecial_plate

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