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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
Diplomatka
 

Something I Never Wanted to Hear

No one ever wants to hear a doctor say the word "larva" when making a diagnosis.   It seems I brought a little something back from my two-week trip to Africa.   The CDC describes hookworm (ONE of the MANY possible parasites I MIGHT have):     These barely visible larvae penetrate the skin (often through bare feet), are carried to the lungs, go through the respiratory tract to the mouth, are swallowed, and eventually reach the small intestine. This journey takes about a week. In the small intestine, the larvae develop into half-inch-long worms, attach themselves to the intestinal wall, and suck blood. The adult worms produce thousands of eggs. These eggs are passed in the feces (stool). If the eggs contaminate soil and conditions are right, they will hatch, molt, and develop into infective larvae again after 5 to 10 days.   Fantastic. But one must also consider that the doctor "never sees these things in Afghanistan" and might be wrong about the diagnosis.   If I spend only two weeks in the Horn and come back with worms what will happen when I live there for two years?
Confection

Confection

1
You will hardly know who I am
 

book count

Books finished (3)   Anansi Boys - I finally made it through a Neil Gaiman book. Enjoyed it, but there were definite rough patches. Loved the first 3/4, got bogged down a bit around page 200. I think I liked the idea more than the actual story. Was surprised by the humor, though, I laughed out loud many, many times.   Heat - A good, but slow, read. I think it should have kept my attention more than it did, considering it was about cooking, and all.   Am about to start The Memory Keeper's Daughter for book club. The description sounds vaugely Oprah-esque, so I can't say I'm realllly looking forward to it, but hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.   I am reading slowly this year.
clover

clover

0
Femme_Fatale's Blog
 

Jazz Funeral

Wet: Have no idea. LOL. Very strong. As it dries it gets that stale perfume smell I hate. After a few minutes i can pick up a very slight hint of the bay rum with magnolia and dirt.   I think that magnolia doesn't like me. I'm getting that weird stale, cheap perfume smell again. Oh well, off to swaps.   ETA: Hubby tried it and it smells awesome one him. He amps the bay rum and moss and it really smells wonderful. Keeping the imp for him.
femmefatale

femmefatale

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

A quick question, if you have time...

Who, or what, were you in a past life?   I'll share mine soon.   One more question that's a bit more... I dunno. Serious, maybe? But I'm not being snide about the first one either, it just seems lighter to think of-   With the assumption that there is, in fact, reincarnation, do you feel like there are certain people you will always meet? Not just a love, but also random people- extra soul-mates, if you will... I've been trying to establish my "circle" recently, of people I feel are always with me.
smallvoice

smallvoice

7
Forget Everything And Remember
 

Random thought.

(It's probably been said better elsewhere, too.)   Just because you have the /right/ to say something doesn't always mean you /should/ say it. And freedom of speech or of the press doesn't mean that if others disagree with you, they're taking away your rights. They have a right to their opinion that what you said was distasteful or rude or flabbergastingly disgusting as a human being.   This applies to more than one situation, although I'm sure everyone knows at least one situation where it applies in their lives. But saying something that could reasonably (or obviously) be considered rude and then being surprised or backtracking and saying you meant something else is not only even more rude, it's rather disingenious and makes the person saying it look like a complete idiot.
Kitrona

Kitrona

9
Femme_Fatale's Blog
 

Umbra

Hubby tried this (I knew right awayit would be better for him, lol).   At first it smell like the rain incense we used to have. yum! As it dried it became darker and smokier. I love the cedarwood I can smell and the patchouli is just right. The cinnamon is very faint, but it's a truer cinnamon as opposed to the sweet candy cinnamon.   It's very nice on him, I have a feeling I'll be sniffing him for the rest of the night.
femmefatale

femmefatale

0
Femme_Fatale's Blog
 

Blood Pearl

Waahhhh, where is my coconut??? At first it's just strong and slightly sharp orris. As it dries the musk comes out and softnens it, but still no coconut. I think this would work better for hubby, though if I can find some single note coconut to layer this with, then I think I would love it for myself.
femmefatale

femmefatale

1
Femme_Fatale's Blog
 

Black Lily

I have found that most florals do not love me. For example, I had expected to love roses and hate lillies but I've found it's just the opposite.   This is just a beautiful scent. I would say that it strikes me more of an elegant scent, but thankfully, not an old lady one. At first it seems to be a fresher lily, but as it dries it becomes a creamier, more complex lily scent.   I really like it. I'm going to try it a few more times, but it might end up on my bottle list.
femmefatale

femmefatale

0
RogueFeenix's Blog
 

Domestic Goddess.

I'm tired. so only going to make a note of this.   Today and tonight was amazing! I had so much fun, got to go out shopping with my sister without the girls. I bought a beautiful dress that I think looks amazing on me. It has polka dots! :-)   Had a good dinner, and spent time with someone I care who cares about about me. We watched Lady in the water an amazing movie it was prefect.   Oh I also baked my dad's cake and it turned out perfect. I love baking, it makes me feel good, it's my thing. I'm good at it too. I can cook ok, but I LOVE to bake. And it has to be from scratch, anything else is cheating. LoL   ok going to bed I'm beat. Still sick too, so this insomina thing really needs to go so I can get well faster.
RogueFeenix

RogueFeenix

3
Fishnets and Frankincense
 

Bob has WHAT?

It's been a long month at work, since the start of the Legislative session. I've had a headache on-and-off since last Friday. It's indoor allergies and stress and not eating right and all that jazz. Thus, I've not been posting much around here, but I could not resist telling this story, courtesy of a coworker.   My coworker, W., has a daughter who's in 6th grade. Apparently the teacher was doing a "having fun with alliteration" project, and the kids had to make up a fun alliterative sentence and illustrate it. W.'s daughter was doing something like "Cool California cats cook chewy chocolate chip cookies." An impressive alliterative string, and rather Kerouac-esque, if you ask me. I asked W. if the cats were wearing little berets and playing bongos as the cookies cooked.   But I digress. W. told me that her daughter told her about a a friend's sentence, which was about "Big bald Bob." W. said she looked at her daughter and said: "What was that?" W. looked at my face, and started laughing, because I had taken it the same way that she had (for she's a perv too). We thought it was about "Big-balled Bob." I said I was picturing a 6th-grader's drawing of some guy with a wheelbarrow in front of him so his scrotal sac could ride on it.   Gah, I'd hate to be the teacher in that class, trying to keep a straight face when that one was read out loud.
valentina

valentina

2
Femme_Fatale's Blog
 

Tiger Lily

Starts out warm lilies and as it dries the honey comes out and the lilies fade a bit. It does go through a little of the typical perfumey stage, but overall it's pretty nice. It just doesn't last long on me.
femmefatale

femmefatale

0
Forget Everything And Remember
 

Week from hell

I feel the need to detail everything that's gone wrong this week. Perhaps it will help to get it out.   Monday: Cat started bleeding from her vagina. We took her to the vet, where we found out she needed an emergency c-section. Aside from the obvious stress from the thought that my cat might die, there was also the stress from the fact that it cost almost $400 when we had approximately $6 in the bank. We had to run $200 through as a credit and pray it didn't hit until Saturday, then write a post-dated check for Saturday for the rest. One kitten of the two left in her survived, plus the one she had had normally on Saturday. Total: two kittens.   Also got a phone call from my son's school; he had an asthma attack.   Husband called off from work because the car was acting weird.   Tuesday: Had my first ultrasound. That was cool. But the kitten born on Monday by c-section died, despite lots of loving care and quite a bit of panic. She now resides in our freezer, waiting to be enbalmed and mummified. (Yes. I am mummifying the kitten. With the help of my husband and best friend. It comforts me.)   Another phone call from the school; another asthma attack.   Wednesday: A friend was dismayed that plans we'd made long ago, before I found out I was pregnant, before we decided we needed a house, were changed, even though circumstances have radically changed since then. Said friend tried to push me into going by making promises about paying for me, despite lack of followthrough on at least two other promises, and didn't understand why I was reluctant to accept.   Another call from the school; kidling smelled like cat pee because he does not shower regularly nor hang up his school clothes.   Also, husband took in the car to find out why it's been acting weird and found out that both rear boots were rusted to uselessness, we've effectively had NO brakes approximately since we bought the car, and the master cylinder needed replacing. One of the boots shattered when the car was being inspected, and thus HAD to be replaced. They cut him a bit of a deal, but that was another $250 we had to charge.   Thursday: Psych appointment. Also husband calling off from work again to take the car in so the master cylinder could be replaced. Also called off kidling from school to take him to the doctor.   My appointment was at 11:30, half an hour away. Turns out they were waiting to get the part, and it would be in at 10 am at the earliest. Thus, they would be done with the car at 1 pm at the earliest. The earliest I could reschedule for was next Thursday. That would not work.   The CarX guy.... loaned my husband the store van. We got there late, but the psych still saw us. Yay! She is very good and I feel safe in her metaphorical hands. Dr. Vijay. She doesn't prescribe antidepressants during the first trimester, but I see her again in a month. In the meantime, I have an appointment with a therapist next week. I'm looking forward to it; that should help, at least some.   When we went back to CarX, we waited what seemed like forever, because when they bled the brake lines, one shattered, plus one of the taillights shattered as well. Or something like that. In any case, a bunch of things went wrong that made it take forever. But we finally got the car back... only to find it ran weird still. But we could stop!!   Took kidling to the doctor, waited forever, witnessed a woman who seemed like a stereotypical lesbian and/or redneck (the bad stereotypes, unfortunately, including bad mullet) having an attitude and preparing to throw a fit. That was fun. But we got prescriptions for the kidling.   Today: I got woken up by a call from the ob, which I accidentally hung up on because the cordless phone needs a new battery. When I called back, I found out I am not allowed to have sex for at least a month because he saw implantation bleeding on my ultrasound. So in a month I get to go back and have another ultrasound.   Also figured out that I don't have enough energy to deal with my life, much less any of my friends' lives, so I seem destined to either piss them off or fall by the wayside in their lives.   Got the kidling's medications, at $60 total for 3 of them. When we have less than nothing in the bank. So that's more stress.     ....... can I have a day or two to catch my breath, please?
Kitrona

Kitrona

1
snowfox090's Blag
 

Schroedinger's Lick It Again

Names have been changed to protect the possibly guilty.   So I have this friend. Let's call this friend Jane.   Jane told me that she was going to order Lick It Again and send it to me for Yule, because I'd been really wanting a bottle of it. I told her that she absolutely did not have to do this, but she insisted. She also said she was throwing some other imps and such in the package, but the main thing was the LIA.   It's been two months since then. She told me she mailed the package a little over two weeks ago, and to notify her if it hadn't gotten there in a week. The week passed--no package. I told her as she asked; two days later she told me she'd gone to the post office, and found out that it had gotten mixed up with a bunch of packages a man had brought in all at once the same day, but wanted mailed out at different times (?). She also said they sorted it out and mailed the package that same day.   It's been another week, and the package still isn't here. She doesn't live very far away from me (she's closer than the Lab, and those packages normally get here in two days flat). In that week I've found out that she has a history of making promises and not keeping them, like promising another friend she'd buy her a bigger bed, then dropping the subject for 4-5 months until said friend gave up and bought the bed herself. I would still adore her if she hadn't promised to get me anything at all, but the fact that she said she would, and now my chance to buy LIA myself is gone, is really bugging me. I'm beginning to wonder if she actually bought it at all, or is just lying her ass off and trying to look generous without actually doing anything.   So I guess my question is this: How long should I wait before deciding that the bottle of LIA doesn't exist? And if it gets to that point, how do I put out an ISO offering a specific LE bottle in exchange for it?   Grrr. I dislike being yanked around.
snowfox090

snowfox090

1
giant squid!
 

a quiet evening

Yes, the title says it all. It has been a quiet evening. Full of mundane activities such as doing laundry, cleaning, and practicing the piece I have to play in rehearsal tomorrow. I talked to the bf for a while, but there was not much to say since both of our lives have been on the mundane side this past week.   I really miss my social life. I don't know what happened to me, but I am seriously being a recluse. Well, not entirely, but my social life has been dramatically reduced from what it was in California. (i.e. from at least a few nights a week and coffee with someone almost every day to going out once or twice a week and nothing else) Perhaps it is the language barrier? But I think not. It's just lately when I have been given a choice in my mind of staying at home or going out I find that I prefer my comfy apartment and my dog to going out. But then I feel lonely. Oh, the catch 22! I think I would want to go out more if I knew that there was at least one person that I related to in the damn city, but so far I haven't found them. I don't know how I would find them.   So I suppose I have resigned myself to the fact that these years here are years to work and nothing else. I can resume my social butterfly-ness for when I go home. Or for when I travel to visit friends in Switzerland or Germany (but really I don't have the money to do that often). This depresses me, but not as much now as it did when I first arrived.   In other news, I have been really pining over the idea of getting dreadlocks. However, I think the folks at the conservatoire would shit a brick if I came into school with them. The tattoos are enough weirdness for them, I don't need to make my life worse, I suppose (sad but true ). I decided that when I am done here I perhaps will reward myself with dreads. By that time my hair should be long, anyhow. I don't think my bf would appreciate the dreads, but hey, I have never been one to cater to significant others as far as looks are concerned.   So that is all. I better go finish sorting my socks, it's getting late and I would like to meditate before I go to bed...
euterpe414

euterpe414

0
Birdsongs
 

The state of things

I've been turning to my paper journal lately more than my blogs, because it seems like all I have in my head is inchoate gloominess and blah-blah-I-miss-my-Jason-even-though-he-sucks. I bore me, why bore everyone else? But also, when I write in my paper journal, I get to use my two fountain pens, and that always cheers me up some by itself.   Things have actually been getting a little better. At work things haven't changed too much yet - we've started telling customers the store is closing, and most of them want to know when stuff goes on sale (not till the 11th). A fair number also seem sad - the regulars, the people who were so happy to have a bookstore in their neighborhood. Apparently Richardson is not meant to have a convenient bookstore, because they all close due to lack of money-making. Coworkers are all figuring out who's transferring where. I've started seriously thinking about moving to Boise & living near my sister & niece. My friends have offered me places to stay for a few months so I can get out of the house with Jason (complicated a bit by my adorable but overly-furry and accident prone dog) & suggested I pass my resume on to them. I need to make one now - it's like writing papers when I was in college, I seem to have this weird mental block. But it's got to be done, and I will do it this afternoon! *determined face*
spanishviolet

spanishviolet

0
Korshka's BPAL Ramblings
 

I'm getting married!

I'm getting married!!! *bounces*   *calms herself* Now that I got that out...Last night was absolutely wonderful! Last week for our anniversary, Mr Man and I decided that we needed to do many more date nights, so we planned on for this week (last night). He said that he wanted it to be romantic b/c he didn't feel our anniversary had been good enough - and I bought it.   We went out to dinner at Bonefish. It was very nice and date-like. (I was still clueless.) I knew something was planned for after dinner, but I had no idea what. As we left the restaurant, he said he had to get my opinion on something. He asked if I was willing to do something mildly illegal that required some walking. O.o I said that I was willing to do it.   We drove down to the beach and parked at the Sheraton Resort. We walked down to the beach and then over onto Sand Key Park (it's closed after dark). He had everything. He laid out a nice blanket and use these nice big candles to hold down the corners. We had a radio tuned to the jazz station. He pulled out a bottle of champagne, and we had a toast to us. Then he got down on one knee in front of me and pulled out the ring. Eeee. He told me all that mushy wonderful stuff =) and asked me to marry him.   The rest of the night we talked about each other, how much we loved the other, all the wonderful things thought about each other, and more romantic/lovey-dovey things. We joked around some too. As we were going through everything, I kept counting in my head each time I started crying. I was like one of those Scrubs mental moments with a number ticker at the bottom of the screen. By the end of the night I was up 11. I told Mr Man about it around 6 - he got a kick out of that.   It was just a perfect night. Weeeee....I'm so floaty today. There is no way I'm going to get work done... :joy:
korshka

korshka

7
Femme_Fatale's Blog
 

Scherezade

OK, I've been having bad luck with just about anything that isn't aquatic or tropical. Most spicey muck scent are going straight to funky incense.   But not this! This is definately a sensual scent, all spice and musk. It does take on a slightly powdery scent on me, but not at all in a bad way. I love it!
femmefatale

femmefatale

0
Review Round-up!
 

Black Moon

In the bottle: A sweet hint of pear, something a little perfumey (jasmine?), and the faintest touch of dustiness I always seem to get from orchid notes.   On wet: Peaceful, soft, watery - a lovely, mild scent so far.   Drydown: Still soft and sweet, but with a more pronounced perfumey edge. I'm able to smell the fruit (or perhaps it's the lotus?), what I'm thinking is the mottia attar, and the crystal musk underneath. No distinct hint of cucumber (though I believe it's contributing to that watery vibe), the orchid is either gone or smothered under the other florals, and I'm not familiar enough with the other listed notes to be able to pick them out specifically.   Overall: When I closed my eyes to dissect this blend, I was immediately assaulted by some of the most vivid images any BPAL blend has evoked to date: An ornate outdoor bathing grotto filled with cool water, generous handfuls of fragrant, exotic flower petals floating on its surface, a mild breeze - faintly scented with the sweetness of recent rain and growing things - raising gooseflesh when it brushes up against naked skin, a blue-black sky overhead. I can envision a fey queen or nature-loving goddess bathing here, floating on her back, eyes closed, long hair fanning out behind her, soothed by her surroundings, completely at peace...   I honestly didn't think I'd like this scent - too many floral notes, too much potential for aquatic mayhem (I can't seem to pull off watery schtuff), and while pear/cucumber-type scents are pleasing, I don't often find myself reaching for them - not with so many spicy/creamy/sexy combinations available. Now that I've actually *tried* it, though (instead of just sniffing the bottle's contents, promising to try it soon, then passing it over in favour of something else), I can't believe how incredibly pretty it is. Pretty AND wearable! It's got this softness to it that sort of mutes all the potentially louder components - almost as if each note went blurry at the edges and was bleeding into one another - like a watercolour painting.   An evening, special occasion, or spring/early summer fragrance (for me, anyway), and an impressive 4.5/5. Gorgeous.
furygrrl

furygrrl

0
RogueFeenix's Blog
 

birthdays and being sick.

I think my niece's got me sick. They have been sick for 2 days.   It seems like I keep getting sick. I know stress lowers your immune system and I have been stressed so it makes sense, but damn it I hate feeling like crap.   I woke up this morning with a sore throat and it never really went away. I'm stopped up some..thankfully that hasn't gotten any worse. And my head is doing the floating balloon thing when your sinuses get stopped up.   Other than that things are doing good. Spending time with family and friends is good.   And I'm so glad it's the weekend. We are celebrating my dad's birthday Saturday and I'm making the birthday cake. German chocolate cake from scratch. First time I have made it for my family. Hope my dad likes it.
RogueFeenix

RogueFeenix

0
snowfox090's Blag
 

*poke*

Um... hi. *fidget* I got sick of spamming the Get Personal forum, so now I'm spamming the blog island instead. Expect angst. Lots of angst. And random. And, very occasionally, the weirdest most f***ed-up crap ever, which I'm told mostly makes up for the whining.   ...oh gods this is scary.
snowfox090

snowfox090

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