jencallisto

In the decant: Warm, bright musk. Fresh on the skin: Fresh, spicy, sweet, clean. Almost alarming at first. 5 minutes in: Soapy in an almost astringent way, but with a mellow amber base. Calming down rapidly, thank goodness. I applied it on my lower inner arm, near the wrist that I put Sara Pezzini on a couple of hours ago. They're smelling killer both together and separately. 10 minutes in: Still bright but softened up a lot, clean but not quite soapy any more (at least not a in a bad way at all), and with a sort of sweet red cherryish note that I didn't quite expect but really like. This is working surprisingly well for me! 15 minutes in: The amber continues to bloom, warm and sweet, further rounding the scent. I am basically in love. 30 minutes in: It's one of those things, where it would be easy to hate this, but instead I like it. It's gone a little sour-bitter, and there's definitely still a sharp, searing, edged lightning bolt of metal in there, and so I'm not sure if I _love_ it, but I still mostly like it, and it's very interesting. 45 minutes in: This is starting to make my eyes water a bit, it's so searing. And yet, I still like it. Mysterious! 1 hour in: This has insane throw. And there are bits of it that are two strong for me. And yet, and yet. 10 hours in: ... I think this is completely gone. Verdict: I liked this even though it made my eyes water. I might not need more than the decant I have, it's so strong I would feel kind of bad wearing it in places where other people might hate it. Intriguing, though. One word: Bright.

A hint of leather and an understated vintage musk layered over the scent of lightly perspiring, honey-dusted skin. In the decant: Delicate, musky honey. Fresh on the skin: Sweet, light, delicate musk. 5 minutes in: Soft, sweet, powder with light honey-musk veil, plus something fresh that is almost citrusy. I'm kind of shocked at how much I like this so far. 8 minutes in: Whoa, <i>there's</i> the leather. Still just at the edge of the scent, but I'm not sure I'm glad it showed up. 15 minutes in: Hi, leather. I know you're here to stay, but could you back off a little, please? Overall, I like how soft and feminine this scent is, while still being totally badass and sexy. The leather keeps almost getting in the way, though. 20 minutes in: I'm kind of loving really this. Huh. 30 minutes in: Subtle leather, honey musk all warm and soft and fuzzy, delicate powder. Fairly clean and light. Very well-blended. 40 minutes in: There's a sort of soapy leather thing happening, and it's so subtly different, I'm not even sure it <i>is</i> different. If that aspects keeps increasing, though, I'm not sure I'm going to like it. 1 hour in: Yeah, it really has gone a little overboard on the clean for me... and yet, I am still more inclined to like it than not. 1.5 hours in: Basically it's become a sort of light, clean sweat scent, which doesn't exactly _sound_ appealing, but it <i>is</i>. 2 hours in: Dear self: you are an idiot. Why, <i>why</i> didn't you get yourself a decent of this when you had the chance? Though I think it might actually be bottle-worthy, anyway. A clean scent I actually like! 3 hours in: Powdery honeyed musk, warm and soft. Probably stable at this point. 12 hours in: Sweet, fuzzy laundry. Not my favorite scent, but not horrific. 18 hours in: Still lingering just the tiniest bit. Verdict: Hrm. I do like this, but I am afraid that in other moods it would make me recoil. And yet, I enjoyed it a surprising amount. I may need a decant to go with my decant of Witchblade. One word: Clean.

In the imp: Sweet, rich, dark, purple-y. Fresh on the skin: Sweet and spicy and complex. Soft and sharp and round all wrapped up together. 10 minutes later: Sweet, spicy, dark, bitter. I'm pretty sure I like the overlay of plum and the base of amber, but I'm not sure the stuff in the middle is working for me. A little too heady, perhaps. 20 minutes later: It's softened up and blended a little more. It might make a nice candle, but I'm not sure I actually want to smell like this. It's not bad, I just don't especially like it. I almost like it, though. Maybe I like it? 30 minutes later: If it keeps getting softer and sweeter and spicier, I might have to give this more of a chance. There's still something about it that sort of puts me off, though. I'm not sure I like the powdery/soapy edge, and that sharp thing I don't like is still there. 40 minutes later: I have a serious love/hate thing going for this scent. Ack. 50 minutes later: Sweet, dry, spicy, dark, light, huh. Still not a fan of the powdery center, but I have to admit that this is growing on me. Smooth and classy, intense but not actually overwhelming. Strong throw. 1 hour later: This is... nice. A little excessively powdery, and not exactly what I typically like or wear, but. 1.25 hours later: Well, compared to Rivet.Goth on my other wrist, this smells fantastic. 2 hours later: About the same. Maybe a little more opium-sweet than plum-sweet, unfortunately. I think I would like it without reserve if it didn't have that powder in it. Well, and probably the opium isn't helping. I wish it weren't so strong. 3 hours later: About the same. Powdering down a little. A bit sickly in the sweetness -- presumably the opium. Still a pretty long throw. Meh. 4 hours later: About the same. The more I have it on, the more sure I am that I don't really like it. 5 hours later: About the same. Possibly even sweeter. 6 hours later: Yeah, I just don't like this stage. Wish it were less strong. 10 hours later: Still around, though it's powdered down to a laundry-ish stage. Actually, no, it smells like shampoo. And not the yummy-smelling kind, either (though also not the hideously chemical kind, to be fair). Hrm. 11 hours later: Sweet, faded laundry. Verdict: Meh. Mixed feelings. Mostly just not quite for me. One phrase: Sweet, dark powder.

In the imp: Garden florals. Fresh on the skin: Indeed, garden florals. Classic and classy. Sweet, sour, bitter, green, complex, pretty. Reminds me of the powdery bath salts my mom used to have. Rather light for a floral. I actually quite like it! 2 minutes in: Feels a little strange on my inner elbow. A little itchy-hot. 5 minutes in: I think I'm amping the rose. Which is good in this case, because I like rose! Anything to keep the violet at bay. I'm really liking this. Light, fresh, sweet. 10 minutes in: I think I'm detecting lilac around the edges. Mmmmm. 20 minutes in: This is crazy pretty. Old-fashioned in the best possible way. Medium-to-long throw, a bit strong perhaps, but not at all headache-inducing. It reminds me of my childhood, somehow. Beautiful and nostalgic. 30 minutes in: Still pretty, still floral and well-blended, still sweet. Indeed, if it has any flaw it's that it's so sweet that some might consider it cloying. I still really like it, thought. The rose portion of the scent (which is a significant portion, rose is definitely the most prominent floral on my skin) sort of makes me think of Madeline and Katrina van Tassel mixed together. Nice! 1 hour in: Yup, classic light, sweet, fresh garden rose. Nearly single note at this point, but a truly beautiful one. 2 hours in: Still lovely. Might be a little soapy, but it makes me think of bath salts rather than soap, so that works for me. 2.5 hours in: Starting to fade and turn a little more soapy, but in an amber-y way this time. Now we're smelling a little like The Miller's Daughter, a scent I like a lot. Huh! This one's a morpher, I guess. 3 hours in: Yup, amber, fresh vegetable, light rose. 10 hours in: Faded down to a soft floral-amber-ish very light soap. Not my favorite stage but so light and fresh it's still rather nice. 11 hours in: An hour and a shower later, it smells like... laundry. Not the worst laundry scent ever, but I'm still not really a fan. 12 hours in: Faded, barely-there lightly floral laundry. 15 hours in: Tiniest bit left. Wow. Verdict: I like this a lot! Really pretty and light and fresh, and I like most of the stages, even. One phrase: Garden rose.

In the imp: Sprite mixed with lemonade. Fresh on the skin: Whoa. Lemon drops! Astringent and sweet! But not tooooooo sweet. And dropped in soda for a bright, tickly fizz! I feel very awake now! And happy! Not as syrupy as Mountain Dew, but brighter, shinier citrus than Sprite or 7-Up. It reminds me of Independent, but it's not quite so head-clearingly astringent. Hopefully that'll let it smell less like dishwashing liquid. 5 minutes in: Oh yeah, I like this. It's softening a little, but is still bright citrus with a touch of ginger ale. I'm not sure how much sense it makes to me to smell like this, but it's definitely refreshing, at least. And it's less in-your-face than I was fearing, given that it was easy to smell even through the closed decant vial sealed with teflon tape. 15 minutes in: Warmed and softened yet a bit more, but still a bright, subtly fizzing citrus. I adore this. It's a bit like a lemon-lime soda pop made by a small, local soda manufacturer with pure cane sugar and real citrus extracts, the kind that comes in a thick, dark green, retro-shaped bottle. Yum! 40 minutes in: Still fizzy, soft-bright citrus. Still yummy! 1 hour in: Sweetening up a touch, though still fizzy, soft, bright, citrus, yum! 1.5 hrs in: Sweet, soft, a little fizzy, still refreshingly citrus-y. Not complex, but happy and delicious! 2 hours in: The sweet, light, soft fizz of this really is quite a bit like the Champagne * blends. And I loved those, so. 4.5 hours in: This has faded down into a nice, soft citrus scent that has a bit of ozone to it. 6 hours in: Light fizz left, quite faded but still distinct. 7.5 hours in: Light fizz still. 9 hours in: Tiniest whiff of light citrus fizz. 11 hours in: Same, quite bright, if soft. 12 hours in: Just about gone. Verdict: I love this! I don't know that I'd wear it every day or anything, but I really like it and would definitely revel in it once in awhile. A great refreshing summer scent! One word: Citrus.

In the imp: Pink, sweet, soft. Fresh on the skin: Same, with a squishy strawberry center under the powdery pink dusting at the surface. There is something quite warm about this that keeps it from being pure candy. Quite lovely so far. 5 minutes in: Warm, powdery, sweet but not too sweet, soft bubblegum pink with intriguing complexity. Surprisingly un-plasticky. I'm not sure it's me, but I like it! 10 minutes in: Still lovely, warm and pink and soft and young. Powdery, but in a nicer way than I usually mean it. 15 minutes in: About the same, though it's starting to lighten a little, I think. It has an almost faded feel, subtle, though I feel like that might just be how it's meant to be rather than actual fading. There is definitely a light honey wood and soft musk (and maybe a little green from the raspberry leaf?) center to this, really anchoring the sweet pink strawberry (with peach around the edges) sillage. I really, really like this! 20 minutes in: The description says "effervescent," and it is, though it's not the bright bubbly fizz of some of the other effervescents. More of a soft, light, barely-there froth or foam. 30 minutes in: Still super pretty and pink. There is a light almost-heady quality that might not always appeal to me, but right now it works, and is definitely keeping the fruits from being too sweet or syrupy. It has a deceptively low throw, but I like that. Really subtle without disappearing. 1 hour in: Huh. Only barely pink anymore, though still sweet and warm. Maybe a tiny bit of play-doh? Not too much, though. I think it's the woods going b bit wonky on me -- better than most, though. 2 hours in: Continuing to fade into mostly soft, fuzzy woodsy musk. Not a huge fan of this stage, though I don't hate it either. Just not nearly as pretty as the first 45 minutes and already faded down to almost nothing. 3.5 hours in: A sort of soft, warm, sweet musky smell. Basically gone, though it wouldn't surprise me if this stage of almost-gone persists for a while. 8 hours in: Just about gone, maybe an ever so slight warmth. 9.5 hours in: Yes, there's still something sweet and warm there. Kinda nice! 11 hours in: Barely-there sweet warmth. 12 hours in: The same. 13 hours in: Laundry, just about gone. Verdict: So, so pretty... though it fades into something less pretty (though still not bad, just not as pretty as the beginning. Maybe not 100% me, but nice enough that I'm probably going to track down at least an imp. One word: Pink!

RIVET.GOTH Black leather, tobacco absolute, rust, gritty musk, and machine oil. In the imp: Leather and machine oil. Fresh on the skin: A motorcycle repair shop. Lots of beat up black leather and mechanical parts covered in oil and rust. I am not a fan of this. I only put on a tiny dab, but it's still too strong for me. Ew. I think I need to wash this off. 5 minutes in: Tried to wash it off, no dice. Mostly bitter leather now. I seriously hate smelling like this. 15 minutes in: This has faded a lot, thank goodness. A relatively reasonable leather scent. Masculine. 1 hour in: Yup. Leather. More on the bitter side. Persistent. 2 hours in: Still leather. Fading yet more, yay. Still has quite a bit of throw, though. 3 hours in: Still leather, still fading. 4 hours in: Almost gone. 5 hours in: Gone, I believe. I have a feeling it would have stuck around much longer if I hadn't attempted to wash it off. Verdict: Not for me. Maybe on a guy, but it would have to be the right sort of guy. One word: Leather.

In the imp: Straight bright red Maraschino cherry. Fresh on the skin: Whoa. Warm, dark, rich black cherries. Plus something a little more... perfumey. Probably the musk combined with the liqueur. 3 minutes in: Ack. It burns, it burns! Probably because I'm using my inner elbow to test rather than my wrist. 5 minutes in: Still burning a little, tingling, almost itching, but it's fairly mild. The cherry part of the scent is almost gone, and now it's mostly a sweet, rich musk layered in coconut-vanilla. 10 minutes in: I'm not sure where the coconut is coming from. Possibly it's just how my nose and skin interprets black vanilla? Maybe it's the almost almond-y flavor that is said to come from the cherry pits in Rožolj liqueur? There definitely still is some cherry in the sillage, and I really like the subtle booziness. This scent is quite creamy and silky. The tingle has almost subsided. 15 minutes in: Black cherry cream soda, dark and not too sweet. The musk provides a slinky and sexy undercurrent. This is really gorgeous. Medium throw. 20 minutes in: OH MY GOD I WANT TO LICK MY ARM. This smells crazy delicious. 30 minutes in: Sooooo, the burning did subside, though the inside of my elbow is still a little... warm. But not even pink or anything. I'm sure if I had used my wrist it would have been fine. It still smells creamy-sweet-cherry-musky-sexy-dark-complex amazing! 1 hour in: Still amazing. Still medium throw. 1.5 hours in: I think the musk is coming to the forefront of the scent a bit more, and there's something at the center that is maybe a tiny bit plasticky? Or maybe I'm just afraid it's going to turn plasticky, but it isn't yet. It also threatens to start that tingling again occasionally, but the worst it gets is a bit of warmth. 2 hours in: Hrm. Yet more musk. I still like this, but not as much as I LOVED the black cherry cream soda phase. It's getting a bit... soapy. Though it's not a horrible soap. I am incredibly grateful this doesn't have patchouli in it. 2.5 hours in: ... That's a lot of musk right there. it's sexy musk. I like it. It's just. Strong. It has some soft edges, admittedly. And yet. 3 hours in: SO MUCH MUSK. 3.5 hours in: Delicious musk. Light, sweet, creamy, beautiful. Huh. 5.5 hours in: Yup. Sweet, pretty musk. Still quite strong. 6.5 hours in: Persistent. I like it. I'm not usually a fan of smelling like just musk, but this works for me. I think there's a little cherry on the far edges of the sillage, too. 13.5 hours in: Faded light, sweet musk, still going strong. I mean, it's faded a bit from 7 hours ago, but it's still really, really there. Musks like to hang around on me for a long time, I guess. This is usually a mixed blessing, but in this case I'm all right with it. 14.5 hours in: An hour and a shower later, this is still just about as prominent as it was before. Sweet, light musk. A little laundry-ish, but also sexy. Huh. 16 hours in: Ah, almost gone, finally. Rather lovely sweet musk linger. 18 hours in: Dear lord, I think there's a tiny haze of this left. Wow. Verdict: I... I don't even know. A little too much musk for me after the 2 hour mark, but it's admittedly a very nice musk. And the early stages are freaking amazing. I think I see myself tracking down a decant or maybe even a partial or a bottle. Maybe. One phrase: Cherry cream soda musk.

~posted 2/16/10~ Fellow witches, if you were to give up something for 40 days, what would it be and why? Hmm. Pork, maybe, because pigs are really smart, and while it would be pretty difficult for me, it's definitely possible. I already don't usually eat octopus for that reason, but then, I don't find them that tasty. Pork is another story. I'd also consider giving up chocolate or cheese or eating out or something along those lines. Honestly, though, I'm not much into restrictions of that nature. Are you following the Olympics? What's your favorite sport to watch? Would you be interested in merch? I am only vaguely following the Olympics; I tend to not even realize that they're coming and then for one reason or another I end up watching just a little and get dragged in completely. I have to admit that for the Winter Olympics I do love the figure skating -- I am so thrilled for the Chinese pairs right now! But I actually enjoy almost everything that involves speed and grace... which is pretty much the entire Winter Olympics. Skating (I think hockey is awesome outside of the Olympics, too!) and skiing and snowboarding are all just darn fun to watch! For the summer olympics, gymnastics is totally where it's at, but I like to watch the swimming and diving events as well, and I wish rhythmic gymnastics got more airtime. I also now have a soft spot for handball after getting to see an actual match in Beijing, and archery and pistol are surprisingly mesmerizing, too (I think I might just enjoy watching women shoot things). Merch-wise, well, sure, I guess. I like merch! ~posted 2/13/10~ These are a few of my favourite things: ...? BOOKS! Food and drink! History and mythology (especially related to China or Ancient Greece, but I like pretty much all of it)! Abstract mathematics! (I would especially love some linear algebra or topology.) Earth science -- especially geophysics, petrology, hydrology, and environmental science. Winter! I also like autumn a lot, and have some fondness for spring. Lakes and rivers and waterfalls and glaciers and mountains. Water in general, really. Fjords. Storms, especially thunderstorms and tornados. Sexuality and polyamory and gender and ethnic studies. Jewelry, the color black, dancing, singing, sex, friends, love. Philosophy, metaphysics, the human condition. MUSIC! Travel! Games of all types! Geeks. (ETA: Oh, and I love wartime propaganda posters -- US ones, but also ones from different countries (Russian and Chinese cold war posters are some of my favorites). And movie and musical and theatre posters (I love books the most, but really I love all kinds of storytelling -- movies, television, plays, poetry, etc). And art in general.) I love to decoupage/collage boxes and notebooks. If you were my witchee, would you like one? What colors/themes would you want it to have? Find cute pictures--inspire me (and other crafty witches)! Sure! Any of the colors I like would work! I am not picky. Themes that sound fun off the top of my head: steampunk, space or space exploration or constellations, mythology, books or libraries, dance, music, mathematics (the abstract kind, not so much the numerical kind, retro, classic science... but I'm sure there are others I'd like. Picture-wise... hmm. I don't know. How abut this astronomical clock: http://www.hickerphoto.com/astronomical-cl...87-pictures.htm or the sheet music for Grieg's "Papillon": http://everynote.com/piano.show/1136.note or the surface of Mars: http://crism.jhuapl.edu/science/images/marsGeo/VL1.jpg or Sandman as illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano: http://readcomics.org/wp-content/uploads/2...m_hunters_1.jpg and http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/images/San..._1185846084.jpg -- just a few random thoughts. Alan Rickman? I adore him and find him (and oh, his voice) endlessly sexy. I loved him even when he (er, his character) had the bad taste to cheat on Emma Thompson in Love Actually! For a long time he was my top choice to play Crowley from Good Omens if a film version ever happened; he's probably too far out of the age range these days but I have a hard time bringing myself to care -- it's hard for me to imagine anyone else, at this point. Basically, he's amazing! Which 5 celebrities are on your "LIST"? Christian Kane -- down-to-earth, tough but sweet, gorgeous voice, gorgeous hair, can kick serious ass Jon Huertas -- dead hot, nice build, endearing sense of humor Naveen Andrews -- beautiful, incredibly hot, passionate Bob Bryar -- super talented and sturdy and sweet and quiet and stubborn Drew Barrymore -- adorable and fun and sweet and real, and with a sensual streak that absolutely works for me Next five: Kevin Zegers -- pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty, exudes sensuality, takes risks Clive Owen -- has a wryness about him that is extremely appealing, plus the magnificent combination of direct and rough and reserved and focused and all-around amazing Joaquin Phoenix -- maybe crazy but also crazy intense and super, super, super hot Clea DuVall -- is just hot, not to mention truly engaging and full of personality Angelina Jolie -- confident, interesting, has this aura of pure, luscious sex about her I could go on and on (I didn't even get to most of the musicians!), but I'll content myself with this. ~posted 2/12/10~ If you could have one "unselfish" wish (but personal) what would it be? For my super-sweet, super hard-working SO to get the job he wants -- he had the second interview for it yesterday! But honestly, there's a tiny bit of selfishness in that wish, so... I would like one of my friends to find long-term happiness with someone, either the guy she's with now or someone else. Or I'd like a different friend of mine to make it through her graduate program with flying colors, without driving herself tooooooooo crazy (and I am not using that term flippantly). I would also love it if yet a different friend of mine could find a job that she likes that also doesn't hurt her wrists, and one of my brothers needs a job while the other needs some friends in the city he just moved to... I'm having a hard time choosing! Are there any books you particularly want to read that you don't mind being 2nd hand (or 3rd or 4th ) I happy with almost any books being second hand, as long as they're in decent condition (I don't like writing in my books unless I put it there, it's one of the few things I'm picky about). I guess there are a few collectible things I'd probably want in near-perfect condition, but those are both few and far between and likely above the price cap anyway. If you had to choose SHOES or PURSES? Er. If I could only ever have one, I'd go barefoot (being able to feel the ground is really good for my weak ankles) and have a nice, mid-size, sturdy black purse (more like a courier bag than your average fashion purse) with lots of inner pockets. I don't really wear pants, you see, and skirt pockets only hold so much, even when they exist, so a purse or bag is essential. However, if we're talking about buying most often and collecting, then definitely shoes. I prefer to have only one purse at a time, though it must be a perfect purse that goes with everything and carries what I want, how I want it (perfect purse -- probably ballistic nylon or super sturdy but soft leather, water resistant, lots of useful compartments, will carry a hardcover book in a pinch and a trade paperback without much complaint but prefers mass market paperbacks, solid black with no accenting colors, a big inner pocket and at least one easy access outer pocket, and adjustable shoulder strap because while I usually carry it just on my left shoulder, in certain situations I prefer to I sling it across my body, usually for safety or for balance). But shoes... Even when I find a perfect pair of shoes, they wear out and get discontinued, and then I'm on the search again. Practicality and comfort are an absolute must for me, and I've been living in a warm climate (and tend to overheat easily and almost never get too cold), so I'm wearing more sandals and open shoes than other kinds of shoes (and I am super picky about my sneakers). I do have a beloved pair of beat-up steel-toed combat boots that I wear to shows, though, and could probably use something similar. In my wildest dreams, I'd love the Fluevog 40th Anniversary Derby Swirl boots -- the blackened gold is so gorgeous (http://www.fluevog.com/code/?pp=1&view=detail&p=1&colourID=2647). But in general, I like my shoes to be either really chunky (think Doc Martens, though I no longer buy them since they discontinued my favorite boot; I also love Earth shoes with their awesome negative heel -- terrific for my ankles as well) or super flexible and thin-soled. Butler Bags? Not even a little bit my style, but I do like the jewelry box: http://www.butlerbag.com/ProductDetails.as...=98&SCID=42 -- but then I'm always on the lookout for good jewelry storage. If you could have 5 mL of ANY ONE BPAL scent, what would it be? If this is in addition to what I already have... probably Champagne and Roses or Pumpkin Queen, or for a GC, maybe The Miller's Daughter. But if this were the only BPAL I could have ever, probably Baku. But Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice, Agape, Gennivre, and Aglaea would all be close behind. Loose tea or bagged tea? Or both? Both! (And that Teeli Infuser looks awesome!) Do you like gardening,growing vegetables, house plants? Need any small tools, seeds, labels? No, I am an accidental killer of house plants. I just don't pay enough attention, and I might be moving around quite a bit in the next year or three, and house plants aren't that easy to move, and gardens are even more difficult. I guess I'm just more of a trees/woods/wetlands/arboretums/national and state parks sort of girl. Are there any soundtracks you'd be interested in getting a copy of? Glee! Whip It! Mysterious Skin, Were the World Mine, Zombieland, Newcastle, In the Mood for Love, 2046, Fallen Angels, High Fidelity, and Crazy Heart. Working (the 2000 CR and/or the orig 1978 BCR), Guys and Dolls (movie songs especially, but I'd take whatever), Hedwig and the Angry Inch, West Side Story, and Fiddler on the Roof. I'm sure there are more, too, but that's what I can think of offhand. Non-soundtrack CD-wise, if I could pick one thing, it would be the Joy Division Heart and Soul boxset or RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson boxset. (Note that already have a ton of Richard Thompson, but for Joy Division I only have the best of album and would welcome any other albums.) Within the price cap... probably Tool, Undertow because I had it on cassette in high school but never got around to buying a cd. ~posted 2/7/10~ OPI Alice in Wonderland? Love the concept, but I wouldn't ever wear those two reds, I'd prefer a black that's less multicolor, and while I do really like the blue, I'm a little worried about the glitter effects this reviewer: http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2009/12/opi-...hes-review.html mentions -- I like my nail polish to be super-smooth. (I haven't tried Seche Vite Topcoat, though, maybe that would help, though the idea of doing four layers on my nails does not thrill me, or five if I use a basecoat, which I probably should.) Oh wow. The China Glaze Wizard of Oz ones are really pretty, though. Glittery, but almost subtle. The blue, purple, silver, and gold all appeal to me, and even the pink and red have a strange hold (though I still kind of want the red to be darker). How do you feel about handmade stuffed animals? I love them! I have a little green knit Cthulhu who could use some friends. Are there any accessories you'd really like? (Keychains, little purses, etc.) Things to hold other things in -- boxes, pouches, purses, jars, tins, etc. What are your favorite animals? Cats (both big cats and housecats -- tigers and panthers and lynxes and the black and grey striped domestic shorthair are my favorites), bears (with a special soft spot for polar bears and black bears), octopi (they're so <i>smart</i>), spiders and bats (anything that eats mosquitos gets my vote, plus I feel like they're underappreciated), beavers (nature's engineers!) , and hedgehogs (prickly and adorable). Is there anything you've had to give up that you really miss or want back? Maybe something a witch could help out with? Well, I didn't exactly mean to give it up, but my signed, gorgeous, first printing hardcover of The Wake (the concluding trade compilation of the <i>Sandman</i> series by Neil Gaiman) somehow disappeared between when I moved out of my college dorm and into a house with four friends, and when I moved out of that house three years later. I have a sneaking suspicion one of my old housemates might have accidentally packed it up with his stuff (I lent him and his gf the series, with the caveat that the hardcovers didn't leave the house), but he didn't think he had it when I mentioned it in passing, and I've never actually pressed him about it -- for all that I loved that copy of the book (I'm not a fan of the graphic design of the current set of trade paperbacks; plus it's hard to beat a silver line drawing of Dream personalized to you and signed by Neil Gaiman on the endpapers of your book... though honestly, I'd love to have a copy of that edition (such a beautiful dark green) even without the drawing and signature), I'd rather keep the peace and his friendship. In the slightly more likely realm, when I moved away from Boston I gave one of my old housemates (she helped me finish packing, so she definitely deserved the bounty) a black skirt that I had gotten a little too skinny for. Of course, grad school was not exactly good for my health and that size 16 skirt would probably fit me perfectly again. It was paneled with an adorable fitted-then-flared shape and crisp cotton feel, black eyelet (the larger kind of eyelets rather than the really tiny kind; it had kind of swirling pattern, iirc) over a solid black lining; I think it was DKNY but I might be misremembering that -- I gave it away in 2004 so the details are a little hazy. I loved that skirt, and I like a lot of skirts like it, too. Tiny things? I like some tiny things, sure. The website is cute! I think I'm more likely to enjoy the papers and labels and flat decorative objects and cards (some of the cards are incredibly cool, especially the game cards and playing cards, though I wish there were more actual decks) and maybe some of the jewelry than random tiny things, but perhaps the right tiny thing would change my mind! If you were a student at Hogwarts, what house would you be in? Ravenclaw, all the way. I have the occasional Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff traits, but I am so much a Ravenclaw it's not even funny. Space & Star Trek? I think space is really cool, at least in the abstract and aesthetic senses. I'm most interested in planetary geology out of all the space-related disciplines, probably because of my latent love of geophysics from my undergraduate years. I like Star Trek a lot -- I grew up with TNG and so have a huge soft spot, but I do enjoy the original series as well and I loved the reboot movie. I never watched much Deep Space 9, alas, but wouldn't be averse to trying it out. My top six shows in space: Babylon 5, Firefly, the recent Battlestar Galactica miniseries (I haven't watched the rest of the show yet), Stargate: Atlantis, Star Wars, and Star Trek. Severed fingers? Well, if they're tasty or otherwise awesome... What's your Patronus? Non-Potter fans, what's your Spirit Animal? Almost certainly a bear. My last name means "bear" in Chinese, and though I am probably more like a cat in a lot of ways (my animagus form could well be a cat of some kind), I've always felt close to bears somehow. They look cuddly but can be seriously dangerous, they're by nature independent but not necessarily unfriendly (and can be incredibly nurturing; something I used to rebel against but have become more okay with over time), and they place high importance on eating (and generally like variety!) and are creative in doing so. Sun bears are even nocturnal, and polar bears like cold weather. Polar bears and black bears like water and swimming, too! Basically, bears are awesome. If you like tea, what are your favorite kinds? Fruity, sweet, chai, plain, black, green, red, white? I like pretty much all tea. A sampling of what I like: pretty much all chai unless they're overwhelmingly licorice, earl grey, lady grey, chrysanthemum tea with rock sugar, chocolate mint rooibus, Infusions of Tea Lillian's Treasure, rose tea, lavender tea, Moroccan mint tea, fresh green tea, genmai cha, pu-erh, white tea (white tea is especially good for fruit flavors, but I do like others as well), English breakfast, oolong, jasmine, bubble tea... Most Chinese and Japanese teas I like plain (with the obvious exception -- it's how they serve chrysanthemum tea in China!), most British teas I like with cream and sugar (preferably raw sugar or honey), other than that it really varies by the tea and my mood. Do you have any personal heroes / heroines and why? It's so cheesy, but definitely my parents. They came here as students and then got stuck and couldn't go back, but they made the best of it; I had a very happy childhood, and as I get older I appreciate more and more their philosophies about life and family. On a less personal level -- Hua Mulan, for obvious reasons, Yu Xuanji (a Tang dynasty female poet whose feminist bent makes me love her even though she was executed young for killing her maid; there's a translation of all her extant poetry here: http://web.archive.org/web/20080803054524/...edu/chinese/yu/ -- click the "Text" link and check out number 19; there are also a bunch of other translations listed here: http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/yuxuanji.html), and, um, Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Are there any languages or countries that you're really interested in? ... Chinese and China, pretty obviously. I have some interest in Japan as well, but in a more analytical way than a purely Japanophile way. I also love French and am very interested in learning Ancient Greek (and am certainly interested in their countries), and I love Italy and Hungary (and find their languages cool, too). I'm interested in Norway's fjords, does that count? I think the UK is pretty interesting, too, and Australia and New Zealand, and Russia, and I've heard Turkey is amazing. I'd love to learn any ancient or unusual language, really; I picked up a handwritten book about Indonesian at a thrift store once, and a book about Etruscan at a used book store, and anything like Sumerian or Ancient Egyptian or whatnot would be kickass. I also think linguistics is really cool in general -- I love historical and comparative linguistics and etymology and language drift, linguistic anthropology, semiotics and the study of meaning, language acquisition, etc, etc. Creole languages are amazing, secret languages (thieves' cant!) are amazing, constructed and engineered languages are amazing, hybrid languages and language interactions are amazing. I haven't really seriously studied linguistics, but it's just inherently fascinating to me. If you could be in any fictional universe, what would it be? (Harry Potter, Firefly, Lord of the Rings, Silent Hill, wtv.) Hmmmmm. Maybe the world of the Chrestomanci novels by Diana Wynne Jones. So many possibilities! And not tooooooo creepy or difficult or distressing -- things that do make good literature, but that I wouldn't necessarily want to live in. The Chrestomanci universe does have those things, but it would be so easy to just experience one little slice of it; plus, in general, good prevails! ~posted 2/4/10~ I custom mix nail polish, a process called 'frankening'. If you were my witch, would you enjoy a custom 'franken', based on whatever colors/theme you chose? Absolutely! Since everyone is spending the same amount of money on this swap, would you be interested in seeing the cost breakdown of each item in your package? That might be interesting! But I'm okay with it either way. Do you like guessing who your witch is, or would you prefer to know? Do you mind knowing? I am fine with whatever, though a small part of me would at least like to know eventually (but, you know, if you don't want to reveal, no worries! it's alllllll good). My natural inclination is not to guess, but if you want me to guess, just let me know and I'll give it a shot! If it's going to be obvious who your witch is, would you rather she played the ninja and sent one big box at the end, or smaller packages along the way? Anything goes! I have no preference. Keys? Keys are awesome. I like jewelry with them, I like them in general, especially the old-fashioned kind. Sleepwear? I LOVE light, long or medium-length sleepshirts (in XL), preferably in natural, stretchy, comfy materials. Black is my favorite color for them, but really any darker color is welcome, and even some lighter ones. For sleeping, t's really more about feel. I also go through a lot of pajama pants, but those are really more for lounging about the house than for sleeping per se. Eye color? Dark warm brown. Are you opposed to vegan baked goods? Or baked goods in general? I am the opposite of opposed. To both questions! I will note also that I love many bakery items besides the ones listed in the 5-things bakery question. I am easy to please on that front, really. Roller derby? I adored Whip It, and would absolutely be interested in roller derby related things, and am thinking about going to a match one of these days. But I don't know that I'd ever actually participate in it myself... I'm just not all that sporty. I like to dance, but I'm not as into sports for whatever reason. What's your favourite flower? Probably roses, especially deep red and Texas yellow and deep rose, and even white (especially when mixed with red); not a huge fan of light pink by itself, but it can be nice mixed with yellow. (Two-tone roses are often really pretty.) Any flower in black or a deep purple or blue so dark that it almost looks like black will make me happy -- there are tulips of this type that I think are beautiful (for example, "Queen of the Night," which has a fabulous name to boot -- the aria is absolutely amazing). I also love lilacs, apple and cherry blossoms, honeysuckle, osmanthus (they smell so amazing), lavender, orchids, irises, daffodils, hibiscus (hibiscus tea and sprite is one of my favorite drinks), some sweet peas, and african violets and violets if they are actually purple (not a fan of some of these scents, but I do think they're pretty). I also like cactus flowers and a lot of wildflowers, but I couldn't tell you what they're called. hair stuff? I adore hair sticks and those little hair clips (I think they're called snap clips). I like decorative pins and combs as well, and no-snag elastics and fun stuff. I don't really wear headbands, and while I like some jaw clips only a few specific types work on my hair (in general they have to have a built-in space for hair, like those ones with the triangular cross-section, like these: http://www.scunci.com/product_detail.aspx?...id=78&lp=13 -- my hair is long and thick enough that holding it all up can be difficult for the standard jaw clip. I also like some other kinds of clips and enjoy trying new kind of hair toys. For example if I saw this: http://www.scunci.com/product_detail.aspx?...id=21&lp=22 in a store in the large size, I'd probably be tempted to get it. I also wear the occasional large barrette. My very favorite hair toy maker is The Bronze Jewelers: http://www.bronzejewelers.com/ but I like many, many, many others as well. For those that have dogs, if I were to knit them a sweater, what colour would you like it to be? No dog. Lip balm: Yay or nay? If yay, what are your favorite kinds (brands, consistency, whatever)? YAY! I used to wear a lot of Burt's Bees Beeswax, but it started to seem drying to me, so I switched to the Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil, which I still do like. But nowadays I mostly use the mango-melon (I think that's the right flavor) lip balm I bought at the Antonana's Fine Products aka Rituals booth in the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, MN (this is their website: http://www.ritualsmn.net/ but the lip balm isn't listed and I'm not quire sure if it's even orderable online), and I like their rose one, too. It's really smooth, more buttery than waxy, and really natural and pure. I would definitely be interested in trying other lip balms from small-scale, natural retailers. I am also fond of Korres tinted lip butter, though I wish it came in tube form. I also really like lip gloss (especially less sticky, more smooth kinds), but for anything with color, darker is almost always better. How do you feel about home-canned goods, like pickles, jelly, preserves, stuff like that. I love preserves and jelly, and also things like canned tomato sauce or fudge sauce or other such things. I do like lightly-pickled cucumbers, and dill pickles, and probably some other pickles as well though I'm a little picky about them. ~posted 2/2/10~ Do you have any significant upcoming events in your life you'd like something for? A child/yourself graduating from high school/college? Are you buying a new home or car soon? Moving in with someone/getting married? Taking a new job? Moving to a new part of the country/world? I actually just moved to a different part of the US and quit my graduate program. Now I'm looking for a job in this area; if I don't find one in the next few months, I'm moving back in with my parents in Minneapolis/St. Paul suburbs. So I've got nothing planned, exactly, but a lot of things hoped for. If you're my Witchee, would you like a chance to win these (alicia_stardust) earrings? I think the earrings are utterly gorgeous, but I'm not sure how my ears would react to the copper. How are we feeling about Burlesque? I love the aesthetics and shows, but I don't do it myself. I might get into it in the future, though. Is there anything you're lusting after in the Villainess update? I would adore anything Raspberry Swirl, Lipstick Lost, or possibly Miss Edith. Truffle Trade Smack! also looks promising. I've tried only the tiniest bit of Villainess, there's so much stuff I've be psyched to experience. Would you like or accept an energetically-charged item or gift? Something that had power poured into it? If so, do you have a particular purpose that you'd prefer? (Love, protection, money, etc.) I would! That's a nifty idea. I'm currently in search of serenity, luck, and money (I'm unemployed and jobsearching at the moment, coming off a bad experience and making a lot of changes to my life). Sock Dreams? I'd be interested, certainly. I don't need any thick/heavy/warm socks, but gothy knee-highs (I have thick calves, if that makes a difference in sizing) and ankle-length socks would be welcomed and worn. Would you use a natural sea sponge? I'd certainly at least try it out. So, what is this unobtainable miracle your Witch found? Most likely, the first edition of some book that I adore (for example, Alice in Wonderland, or maybe The Joy of Cooking; I'd love other classic cookbooks, too -- LaRousse Gastronomique (translated into English), or Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child). Or, really, I'd want a complete set of 1st edition hardback Sandman graphic novels. Also, I love antique jewelry, especially Asian stuff and Art Deco, and Ming dynasty furniture. I'd love to own musical instruments, too -- a cello would be my top choice, but a viola, violin, hammered dulcimer, harp, guitar, pipa (a traditional Chinese instrument -- guzheng are my favorite, but there's already one in the family), weighted keyboard, or nice piano would also cause much glee, and a drum set, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trombone, or nice recorder would probably intrigue me. What else... the complete set of Akira Kurosawa movies put out by the Criterion Collection? Oh, and The Cambridge History of China complete set to date (there are still a few not yet published). And, well, one more thing: I would adore a letterpress, or a even a fancy antique calligraphy set. Make that two more things: also, a classic mocha-colored (the sort of shimmery brown coffee color, not the orangey one) English Raleigh. I used to have one, but it was stolen at the Palo Alto Caltrain station while I was at a conference in downtown SF. Yes, I'm still bitter about that. A digital SLR should also be on this list, and Fluevog "Gorgeous" heels in black, size 8.5. Hmm. If I were forced to pick just one of these, I'd go with the cello. But I figured the thought process and rambling might help you, so I'm leaving it in. What about UNTOUCHED make-up samples or any other type of girly-sample thing? Sure, and even lightly used stuff would be all right with me. Bacon chocolate? I've had the Vosges bar, and it was tasty enough, but not nearly my favorite Vosges (Barcelona's my all-time favorite, and there are a couple more listed under the "favorite candy" question, and I'm sure there are a several more I'd like to try (or have again, because YUM). I'll note that the Enchanted Mushroom one evoked the same reaction as the Bacon Chocolate one (good but not great), though I bet the SO would be interested in trying some of that. I would be more interested in trying other bacon chocolate items, preferably actual bacon (cooked super crispy but not quite blackened) covered in high-quality dark chocolate. Actually, though, looking at the Vosges page, I think I had the milk chocolate bacon bar; maybe the dark chocolate would be better. The pancake mix and toffee also look intriguing. Especially the toffee. I am a sucker for caramel and salt together, and the addition of bacon and toffee sounds delicious. Do you prefer coffee, tea, or hot chocolate? What flavors? If I were forced to pick only one, hot chocolate. I just love the stuff, all sorts of flavors (Chuao Chocolatier's Spicy Maya and Winter are my absolute favorites, but Burdick's is close behind, and I'm always up for trying new hot chocolate), with lots of whipped cream if possible. Tea is a very close second, though -- I love all kinds of tea. Top five: chrysanthemum tea with rock sugar (as you have probably guessed from my Questionnaire), earl grey, Infusions of Tea chocolate mint rooibus, chai of most kinds (I like the kinds with more ginger and pepper and cardamom and less anise better, but I don't think I've ever met a chai that I disliked, and... hmm. Lavender green tea with lychee jellies, or maybe just almond milk tea. I like lots of other tea as well, though, and adore trying new ones! I have to admit, though, that I also love coffee a whole lot. Kona and Blue Mountain, mochas and lattes and freezes, Vietnamese iced coffee and affogato, basically coffee is delicious. I don't make it at home, though -- I don't have any machines or methods (maybe I would if I did? maybe). So I mostly have it when I go out. Would you like some of my favourite recipes? Yes, please! posters, pictures, art? I like those things. Do you like alcoholic beverages? If so, what is your preference (beer, wine, liquor...)? And finally, is it legal to ship alcohol to your state? I do. I don't drink a ton (I'm a serious lightweight), but I do like a fair number of alcoholic beverages. My favorite thing in the world of alcohol is dessert wine -- I am especially fond of black muscat (which produces a gorgeous dark red wine with a lot of depth; my favorite dessert wine (and alcoholic beverage, really), is Quady Elysium (of the years I've tasted 2003 has been my favorite, but they're all delicious) and ice wine. I also like port and sherry and madeira, especially ruby port. I like non-dessert wines, too -- Syrah/Shiraz and Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gewurztraminer, lots of others. The only one that I know I have issues with is Chardonnay -- it's a very rare chard that I actually like (I think it's because I'm very not fond of tannins, even the ones from oak). Liquor-wise, I'm mostly a froofy drink kind of girl -- Grand Marnier, Baileys, Kahlua, Frangelico, peach schnapps, creme de menthe, Chambord, Amaretto, creme de cassis, and dark rum, among other things. I've been wanting to try St. Germain. Sadly, I'm not so into beer. I can drink the occasional hefeweizen, stout, or lambic, and I do like hard ciders and lemonades. Even more sadly, I believe that shipping into Texas requires a license, and that individuals just can't ship alcohol at all. I'd love wine or bar accessories, though! Or you might be able to get a retailer within the state or some licensed winery to ship. Would you like soaps? Especially from Paintbox? And ESPECIALLY the Valentines Special Edition Soaps?? I would love soaps! I would love Paintbox soaps especially! The Sweetheart looks especially delicious, but The Black Heart and Lavender Truffle also very much appeal to me, as do many of the other soaps. I'm totally intrigued now. Imagine that someone hands you their wallet and sends you into a really good bakery. They have everything, from breads to brownies, cookies to croissants, anything you could imagine, and you're allowed to pick out five things for yourself. What do you pick? Slot 1: A fresh fruit cream cake -- preferably includes blueberries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, raspberries, blackberries, and mango. Extra points for edible flowers and/or flower flavoring -- rose or lavender especially. Slot 2: A butter-sugar pineapple bun (like your normal pineapple bun but with a center layer that was butter and sugar mixed together before baking, and when the bun is eaten is basically crunchy, buttery sugar). Slot 3: A peanut butter brownie or mint brownie, depending on my mood (the ones with the fudge-y brownie layer on the bottom, then a thick layer of peanut butter or mint cream on top, then a thin layer of chocolate on top). Slot 4: A pear-almond tart or sunrise danish (pastry cream and an apricot half centered on a croissant-like base), depending on my mood. Slot 5: An almond croissant if I got the sunrise danish, a chocolate croissant if I got the pear-almond tart. I would probably mean to get a really delicious french bread or or sourdough or dark rye or pumpernickel or challah, or a ham and cheese kolache or something, but I suspect I'd forget and end up with all sweets instead. Anyone like steampunk? I like steampunk a whole lot! I'm not deep into the scene or anything, but I love the whole concept of it as well as the aesthetic. Salted caramels? YUM. ~posted 1/31/10~ A Favorite love poem? My favorite love poem of all time is W.H. Auden's "Stop all the clocks," aka "Funeral Blues," aka that amazing poem from Four Weddings and a Funeral. Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves, Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun; Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. For nothing now can ever come to any good. I am also fond of Rainer Maria Rilke's "Again and Again," for something that involves less death. Again and again, however we know the landscape of love and the little churchyard there, with its sorrowing names, and the frighteningly silent abyss into which the others fall: again and again the two of us walk out together under the ancient trees, lie down again and again Song-wise, my favorite is probably "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" by Richard Thompson. I like to sing this with the genders swapped for a friend of mine. Said Red Molly to James, that's a fine motorbike A girl could feel special on any such like Said James to Red Molly, well my hat's off to you It's a Vincent Black Lightning, 1952 And I've seen you at the corners and cafes it seems Red hair and black leather, my favorite color scheme And he pulled her on behind And down to Box Hill they did ride Said James to Red Molly, here's a ring for your right hand But I'll tell you in earnest I'm a dangerous man I've fought with the law since I was seventeen I robbed many a man to get my Vincent machine Now I'm 21 years, I might make 22 And I don't mind dying, but for the love of you And if fate should break my stride Then I'll give you my Vincent to ride Come down, come down, Red Molly, called Sergeant McRae For they've taken young James Adie for armed robbery Shotgun blast hit his chest, left nothing inside Oh, come down, Red Molly to his dying bedside When she came to the hospital, there wasn't much left He was running out of road, he was running out of breath But he smiled to see her cry And said I'll give you my Vincent to ride Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world Beats a '52 Vincent and a red headed girl Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do They don't have a soul like a Vincent '52 He reached for her hand and he slipped her the keys He said I've got no further use for these I see angels on Ariels in leather and chrome Swooping down from heaven to carry me home And he gave her one last kiss and died And he gave her his Vincent to ride For something a little more traditional (that, say, involves less death), I do love "All I Want Is You" by U2. You say you want Diamonds on a ring of gold You say you want Your story to remain untold But all the promises we make From the cradle to the grave When all I want is you You say you'll give me A highway with no one on it Treasure just to look upon it All the riches in the night You say you'll give me Eyes in a moon of blindness A river in a time of dryness A harbour in the tempest But all the promises we make From the cradle to the grave When all I want is you You say you want Your love to work out right To last with me through the night You say you want Diamonds on a ring of gold Your story to remain untold Your love not to grow cold All the promises we break From the cradle to the grave When all I want is you You...all I want is... You...all I want is... You...all I want is... You... One last quote about love, this one by the playwright Marivaux. I don't love its heteronormativity, but I think it's gorgeous anyway, and true. We deceive ourselves. And the world. We forget who we are. Forget what love makes us. If we could remember. What a man is. Or a woman. Or a man. What a woman is. All the pain of the world would be powerless to touch us. What is your favourite kind of love story? I am a fan of smart, competent, heroic, imperfect, devoted, snarky, stubborn, insistent, persistent love. I am not a fan of love that seems to inspire stupidity and uselessness and insipidity. In Sense & Sensibility, I adore Elinor and I want to strangle Marianne pretty much perpetually. I love love love Pride & Prejudice (and also The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery and Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, for that matter!), and if I had to pick any set of lovers from a play by Shakespeare, Beatrice & Benedict from Much Ado About Nothing are my favorite pair, by far. I also really love it when love stories don't necessarily reinforce heterosexual and/or monogamous norms; sadly this doesn't happen very often in mainstream published fiction. The song "Apple Candy" by Ben Lee has a sense of what I mean here, as at least it acknowledges the reality of these feelings: I wanna know what he knows I wanna feel what he felt I wanna go where he's been I wanna know what he knows I wanna hear your secrets I want you and I want him 'Cause you smell like apple candy And we're singin hallelujah And the edge in your affection broke my skin But I wanna know what he knows I wanna touch what he touched Call me by his name 'Cause I know you made a promise Told him he's your lover Make me feel the same 'Cause you smell like apple candy And we're singing hallelujah And I'm feeling so much younger than my years And I wanna know what he knows And I wanna go where he's been I want you and I want him So you said "go find some trouble" And you would do the same And we opened up our hearts so we could change But you smell apple candy And we're singing hallelujah And you smell like apple candy And we're singing hallelujah I wanna know what he knows I wanna feel what he felt I wanna touch what he touched I wanna go where he's been I want you and I want him What are the first five songs on the "Top 25 Most Played" list on your ipod? "Kill All Your Friends" by My Chemical Romance "My Vampire Heart" by Tom McRae "Cinder and Smoke" by Iron & Wine "Apple Candy" by Ben Lee "The Step and The Walk" by The Duke Spirit And because I've loved looking at other people's Top 25s, here's the 25 more (though I admit I fudged a little and stripped out repeat artists; plus I feel like it's skewing more recent -- there's a lot of other stuff I love, too!): "Windowsill" by The Arcade Fire "The Way" by Bonnie "Prince" Billy "Goddess on a Hiway" by Mercury Rev "Where Is My Mind" by Yoav "All My Little Words" The Magnetic Fields "Gasoline" by The Airborne Toxic Event "Lullaby" by James "Country" by Ghost of an American Airman "Bang the Doldrums" by Fall Out Boy "The Age of Understatement" by The Last Shadow Puppets "Shores of California" by The Dresden Dolls "Disarm" by The Smashing Pumpkins "The House Rules" by Kane "Start Again" by War Tapes "Bullet and a Target (live acoustic)" by Citizen Cope "She's a Rebel" by Green Day "How Will You Meet Your End" by AA Bondy "The Golden Age" by Beck "Lull" by Andrew Bird "Been Smokin' Too Long" by Nick Drake "Take My Hands, We're Free" by Oakley Hall "Guilty Pleasure" by Cobra Starship "Rangers" by A Fine Frenzy "Home" by Joshua Morrison "Ophelia" by Natalie Merchant What is everyone's take on Valentine's Day? I was never a big fan as a kid, too much social anxiety, though I guess I did also find it a little exciting. I do have a really distinct memory of my mom making glue out of rice to stick the envelopes down one year in very early elementary school when we ran out of Elmer's, so that's kind of sweet. By high school, I was all jaded and cynical, but come to think of it I did get the occasional card or flower (that's what comes from being a queen of the geeks, I guess). After high school, I'd say I've been half in relationships and half not, give or take, but for whatever reason I've never been much of a celebrant. I was probably at Boskone (a Boston-area SF con) if it fell on a weekend, and the SO I had the longest was definitely more of the anti-commercialism, shows love all the time kind (as am I, overall), though once on V-day, he did give me one of the best presents I've ever gotten, period -- a double-headed throwing axe. A different Valentine's Day and a different SO garnered one of the most poly experiences I've ever had as we went to a concert with a hilariously extended web of people who were dating. This year, my boyfriend as of last May seems really excited to do the whole dinner thing, so we'll do that. I might also find a place to go for dim sum earlier in the day, too, or maybe I'll just make some at home. Possibly his present will go to him in a red envelope for Chinese New Year... Do you like traditional Valentine's Day colors (red, pink, white, more)? I love some reds, mostly deep reds that lean more blue than orange; I have a huge thing for the classic Chinese red, that intense color of high-quality red silk. Red and black is one of my favorite color schemes and is probably what I'll be wearing for V-day if I don't go with just black. I also really like purple -- the mardi gras colors are more my speed than the Valentine's day colors, really. I'm not really against white but I'm not really a fan either (though red and white is an acceptable color scheme for me, and I do like black and white a lot), and while I don't dislike pink as much as I used do, I'm still kind of really picky about it. It can look good with black, at least. I'm just not that fond of pastels in general -- pale blue is pretty much the only one I would normally consider wearing. But at least I'm not kneejerk strictly against pink anymore. I'm not a big fan of the heart motif, either. I belong in the "anatomical hearts yes, heart-shaped symbol not so much" category. There are some things for which it's fine (generally purely decorative things -- Valentine's Day specific things get more leeway!), but if it's for jewelry or clothing, it's unlikely to be for me. Though if it's a black heart, that always helps. Turkish Delight? Yum, but not as inherently yum as some other sweets. I'd love to try homemade ones, though. What's everyone's favorite semi-obscure (or underappreciated!) animal? I became quite attached to the tapirs at the Minnesota Zoo when I was growing up. I'm also a big fan of hedgehogs, and I think spiders and bats are unappreciated -- they get rid of so many annoying insects! -- and they're cute it their own ways. What is your favorite sign that spring is coming? That water-trickling sound that pervades Minnesota as the snow melts. And lilacs for May Day! (In Minnesota, spring comes a little later than February.) Mostly I love winter and hate summer, so I'm more of an autumn gal. But spring itself can be nice. Would something hand knit be nice for you? Sure! I prefer super lightweight things, though -- heavier-weight stuff only gets use while I'm visiting Minnesota for a couple of weeks in the winter. I'm living in a pretty summer-intensive place now, so I spend a lot more time wishing to be cooler than wishing to be warmer, and even when I wish to be warmer, I only want to be the tiniest bit warmer, and probably for not very long. Would anyone like receiving naughty/sexy things? Sure! I prefer high-quality useful (but fun!) stuff to silly novelty stuff. TMI: I am pretty kinky myself, but my boyfriend is less so -- mild, intro-to-kink sorts of things would be especially welcome. But really, all sorts of things would be welcome. Who on the thread likes attending Ren Faires, SciFi/Comic Cons & the like? And do you dress up for them? I attend Ren Faires every once in awhile and sometimes dress up. I attend the occasional SF/book/Comic con; for Comic-Con itself I tend to dress up a little but always comfortably, for smaller cons (say, Arisia) I sometimes dress up more extensively as it's easier to get back to the hotel room and change during smaller cons. I have played live-action role-playing games in the past and hope to again, so more costuming is always nice. I also go to goth clubs and dress up more or less for those. The Qaire mentioned used books, but what about used CDs, DVDs, etc. Yup, it's all good. Do you need any accessories for your phone, computer, mp3 player, &c.? I've been wanting a speaker dock for my iPod (3G nano), but that's most likely over the $ limit for the round. As for smaller things... well, I could use a case for it that actually had room for my Etymotic earbuds to fit in it along with the nano in its sleek rubber case. For those of you with pets, would you like pet things? Toys, treats, etc? No pets for me at the moment. And if your witch was international, would you be interested in receiving gifts that were representative of her country or culture? Absolutely, and I'd love regional US stuff, too. Would you be interested in getting a mix CD from your witch? Hell yes! I am always in favor of more music! What's your favourite candy? Besides chocolates, I like fleur de sel caramels, Reeses Pieces (and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, though they might count as chocolate), fruit-flavored Mentos, and fruit-flavored and flower-flavored hard candy. In chocolates, I like usually like dark chocolate more than milk, though sometimes milk (or even white) does really work for me, especially if it has lots of stuff in it. A few of my favorite chocolate bars: Vosges Barcelona, Vosges Woolloomooloo, Vosges Naga, Chuao Caracas (milk chocolate), Chuao Spicy Maya, Chuao Earl Grey, Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit, Ritter Sport Whole Hazelnut (I actually prefer the original milk chocolate for this one), Dolfin Chocolat Au Lait Hot Masala, Dolfin Chocolat Noir Au Thé Earl Grey, Dolfin Chocolat Noir Au Gingembre Frais, Scharffen Berger Milk Chocolate with Sea Salted Almonds, Theo Cherry & Almond, 3400 Phinney Chai Tea, 3400 Phinney Coconut Curry, Cadbury Fruit & Nut, and (the staple of my childhood) Hershey's milk chocolate with almonds. I also really adore Chuao Chocolatier's truffles and have a soft spot for Trader Joe's truffles, chocolate raspberry sticks, and dark chocolate almonds. And I love mint chocolate! Are you a big Mardi Gras fan? What's your favorite part? I wouldn't say I'm a big fan, exactly, but I do like Mardi Gras. King cake is delicious and fun, and I think the beads are pretty cool, too, especially in the green-purple-gold Mardi Gras colors. If you're a WoW player, do you have the Pandaren Monk and Lil' KT pets? Would you want them? Not a WoW player, though I do like video games. But I'm really more of a general gamer -- tabletop RPGs, LARPs, card games, board games, etc. Plush microbes? I've always found these cute and I don't own any yet. What about handmade sewn gifts? Any fabrics you wish to/need to avoid due to allergies, etc? Totally in favor! I don't have any allergies that I know of, but coarser wools do sometimes make me itch when next to my skin. Would you like new nail polish? If so, what colors are you craving? Sure! Deep, dark reds, variations on black, and super dark versions of most colors, especially blue and green and purple. I like swirls and pearls and iridescents and sometimes glitters. I like shiny a lot, but something more matte might be interesting, too. I don't wear nail polish a ton, but I do enjoy it, and would probably wear it more if I were gifted some fabulous stuff. I also think it would be neat to have some nail care stuff. Do you like incense and/or scented candles, and are you able to burn them in your home? If so, what kinds of scents do you like? Yes, and yes. For candles, I like foodie scents that aren't too cake-y -- I like spices, I like fruits, I like vanilla. I like some floral scents, pretty much the same ones as I like in perfume -- lavender, rose, lilac. I'm not a fan of clean scents and I am neutral on resins and woods. For incense... you know, I'm not that sure. I don't like things that are too heady, but I do like the scent of smoke; I'm willing to try whatever on the incense front, I guess. Kitchen gadgets? Generally in favor. I think the only thing of that sort that I currently own is a microplane grater. Boxes? For Bpal (bottles and/or imps) or otherwise. Always! I adore boxes and containers and could always use more, especially for bpal but just in general, too.

In the imp: a sort of creamy fruity citrus vanilla. Fresh on the skin: faded cream silk vanilla. 5 minutes later: faded dusty vanilla, more linen than silk actually, but still a bit creamy. 15 minutes later: warm not-sweet vanilla, light and fresh and lovely. 30 minutes later: light, dew in the air but dry, a bit powdery, sweet but not too sweet. lovely. 1.5 hours later: starting to go laundryish. kind of making me sick to my stomach. 5 hours later: yup, laundryish. mrph. might be nice in a scent locket, though. 7 hours later: basically gone, just a tiny patch of warm laundry. 17 hours later: horrible laundryish waft lingering on my skin. DNW! Verdict: Good, quite pretty. And then... not good. Really not good. :( One phrase: Vanilla laundry.

Stuff that I have, messily C&P'd into categories: (some of these are probably in the wrong category, and a handful of them -- mostly GCs and possettes -- might have been sent away) [Note: this doesn't really indicate what I like, just what has made its way to me through various means.] (last update 9/20/10) GC imps: aizen-myoo aglaea the antikythera mechanism dragon's blood x2 eclipse eden x2 gluttony jezebel kali the lion miskatonic university nanshe severin shango shoggoth silk road snake oil verdandi baku black lotus cathode event horizon lilith love in idleness midnight psyche rapture shanghai the hamptons athens hunger undertow Horn of Plenty Queen Mab Manhattan Arkham Thalia Bliss Hellfire Poisoned Apple The Caterpillar All Night Long Grog Hurricane Blood Penny Dreadful Cathedral x2 Seance Baobhan Sith Baku Juke Joint Black Phoenix Tweedledum Harlot La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente Ophelia Absinthe Tintagel Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo Rosalind Titania Kathmandu Robin Goodfellow Verdandi The Great Sword of War Kurukula Bluebeard The Dormouse Persephone Black Opal Le Serpent Que Danse Port-Au-Prince Mouse's Long and Sad Tale The Hamptons Dorian bastet cheshire cat d shub-niggurath tzadikim nistarim d morocco ogun eos hermia hecate paris florence hollywood babylon kuang shi masquerade voodoo alecto block buster imp la belle au bois dormant grand guignol nostrum remedium nocturne dirty Dove's Heart Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo Black Cat Anne Bonny Chimera The Jersey Devil Nosferatu Tanin'iver Blood Pearl Catherine Darkness Dorian Dragon's Reverie Erato Kathmandu Lolita Niflheim Othello Psyche Rapture Sloth Snake oil White Rabbit Black Pearl (torn label, testable amount) black phoenix house of night lysander shanghai gomorrah siren event horizon oujia thanatos utrennyaya casanova nefertiti uruk r'lyeh nyarlathotep lust queen alice 1/3 imp rosalind voodoo szepasszony ode on melancholy lorelei suspiro port royal love me serpents with glittering eyes & forky tongues (sniffie) the robotic scarab (sniffie) old scratch belle vinu prunella bensiabel rumpelstilzchen serpents with glittering eyes and forky tongues the miller's daughter. athens belladonna czernobog dee dragon's hide hellcat horreur sympathetique ladon the red queen satyr thalia troll tweedledee vechernyaya wilde hamadryad sudha segara elegba eve maenad hades nemesis seraglio tweedledee vice bengal tenochtitlan squirting cucumber block buster black cat van van queen erato polyhymnia terpischore thalia urania ra tannin'iver delirium the hesperides imp mania the knave of hearts zephyr horror sympathique depraved succubus akuma chimera the temptation vixen mock turtle la petit mort centzon totochtin dian's bud kitsune-tsuki dove's heart red devil arcana the black tower intrigue jabberwocky la belle dame sans merci sundew villain al-shairan wanda wolfsbane wrath herbert west desire machu picchu alecto peitho Black Hellebore - at label Chuparosa Epitaph Delight - a little below label Gaueko Les Bijoux Mata Hari - at label Salome Satyr #20 Love Oil Antique Lace Embalming Fluid L'Ecole des Filles Megaera Santa Muerte Kyoto Zombi Old Scratch New Orleans black forest laudanum mandrake ava maria gratia plena gaueko kuang shi osun squirting cucumber 51 (wrinkled label) Bien Loin d'Ici Blood Kiss Envy High John the Conqueror Melpomene Sybaris Wolf's Heart x2 Slippery Poppy Tincture Odin akuma black dahlia cobra lily come to me croquet defutata djinn goblin helena hi'iaka himerus hymn kabuki kumari kandam love me marquise de merteuil peitho port royal rose cross santa eularia des riu serpent's kiss shattered suspiro wanton wings of azrael zorya dragon's milk croquet strangler fig tombstone aizen-myoo dirty dragon's eye hamadryad velvet blood lotus grog high john the conqueror phantom queen two, five, and seven king of hearts lilith fire of love black lily swank twenty one croquet (sniffie, a few drops) love lies bleeding ophelia snake oil sybaris queen of sheba dana o'shee the rose moon rose alice eat me all night long juke joint black rose cthulhu drink me the hamptons lucy's kiss moon rose pele rose cross sri lanka utrennyaya lurid delirium aelopile (GC) fallen (GC) black opal dove's heart event horizon highwayman la bella donna della mia mente leanan sidhe lysander maenad magdalene morocco nuit peitho sacred whore of babylon the scales of deprivation temple of dreams thanatos undertow vechernyaya Belle Vinu (2/3) jazz funeral marquise de merteuil obsidian widow pontarlier ra tell tale heart arcana obatala the apple of sodom bohun upas the lotus tree the tree of knowledge of good and evil the zieba tree eros o katharina stimulating sassafras strengthener march hare somnus night-gaunt 51 the antikythera mechanism baneberry brown jenkins chuparosa darkness debauchery djinn eos french love harlot hollywood babylon incantation mad hatter saint-germain succubus sudha segara to a woman tweedledee undertow glasgow yggdrasil Gomorrah Moscow Ouija deadly nightshade honey hemlock honey GC bottles: aglaea baku belle vinu snake oil kali the miller's daughter greed GC Salon/TAL/unimpables & LE/discontinued decants (including CD, Lunacy, etc): Bat Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Those Condemned to Death Death and Life Completed Fox Fires on NYE at the Garment Nettle Tree at Oji Kiyohime Changes From a Serpent Love and Pain Macbeth and the Witches: Mad Meg Madonna Monna Vanna Philosopher in Meditation Schlafende Baigneuse The Smiling Spider Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree: Sunflower Sunrise With Sea-Monsters the arrival at the sabbath and homage to the devil the cup of death cupid complaining to venus the ecstasy of st. theresa garden path with chickens the great he-goat the great red dragon and the woman clothed with the sun itaso kansei nenkan joro no fuzoku judith victorius la mort qui danse the lantern ghost of oiwa les anges dechus lot and his daughters melancholia the sailor's den three gorgons haloes judith and holofernes heavenly love & earthly love wezwanie/hold lucifer el amor y la muerte la vague peacocks autumn mad kate the black swan rozpustnica parsifal The Cup Of Death (Salon) Retail-Only Salons: El Amor y la Muerte death of sardanapal mad kate Butterflies and Plovers Ebisu Making Love as Two Octopuses Look on Lover's Parodies of Sumo Holds Men Ringing Bells with Penises The Black Swan The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife seduction succor lustration quietude moxie detox safari bitch TKO snake eyes (2/3) white light anthelion lionheart ouroboros master (TAL) Madame Tracy Victoria War (leaking?) The Witch Queen Yvaine Aziraphale (leaking?) buggre all this bible (80%) bilquis spider eau de ghoul banana peel in a graveyard lady on the grey the macabray miss lupescu the convocation the owens' tomb snow white 07 (full) vampire tears (3/4) libra (3/4) pumpkin queen (3/4) samhain 07 (full) sugar skull 06 (full) alison grossi berenice gibbous moon ivanushka lady luck blues litha moon of ice night thoughts sportive sun parentalia presence of love Rose Moon (full) The Organ Grinder (full) Earth Rat (full) Midnight Kiss (Full) hony mone the phantom calliope (sniffie) lady lilith pumpkin II pumpkin III pumpkin IV mictecacihuatl to autumn calliope 1/2 decant tarot the magician 13 from April 2007 bad luck woman blues et lux fuit chaos theory: butterfly effect CCCLXXXII chaos theory: butterfly effect CDXXXIII Witching Time of Night Sephitroth: Yesod Qliphoth: Thaumiel Qliphoth: Sathariel Qliphoth: Samael Qliphoth: Ghagiel Qliphoth: Gha'agsheblah Qliphoth: A'arab Zaraq Sephiroth: Binah (3/4) Sephiroth: Chesed (3/4) Qliphoth: Thagirion Qliphoth: Gamaliel Bakeneko Faiza (sniffie) SN Grapefruit (sniffie) Pumpkin Patch III (p-smthng? & pomegranate) (sniffie) Quincy Morris (sniffie) Carceri d'Invenzione Death of Autumn Diwali Enraged Orangutan Musk Gingerbread Poppet '06 Illustrated Woman (75%) Lurid Library Midwinter's Eve '06 (75%) All Souls '07 (75%) The Castle (50%) The Snow Storm (75%) Sportive Sun (70%) Hearth '05 (30%) Door 13 (sniffie) Snow, Glass, Apples (imp in a bottle) harvest moon 2006 vampire tears asp viper green tree viper saw-scaled viper night's pavilion winter of our discontent aries cancer bitter moon (~ imp in the bottle) blue moon 2007 budding moon holiday moon (little less than a full imp in the bottle) snow moon dia de los muertos (quarter-bottle) enraged groundhog musk fire pig poisson d'avril the perilous parlor 1/2 purple phoenix red lantern sticky pillowcase parlement of foules treat #2 sniffie (liquid) storm moon sniffie (dry) cereberus 3 am 1/2 imp gelt rum butter cookie lick it like you mean it sugar cookie 2008 visiting the temple of auspicious fortune alone on the winter solstice carnaval diabolique mme. moriarty, misfortune teller xanthe, the weeping clown theodosius, the legerdemain the flower song (imp in a bottle) faith hope licwlglunga cytherea marguerite midnight on the midway the presence of love mole (decant in a bottle) lines written among the Euganean hills all they had seen, and all they had lost the magi rose red winter of our discontent democrat independent Snow Angel 1/3 i fell in love with a floating brain mutant hot-rodders from hell high spawn of the she-demon that! the terror from over there! crimson christmas invasion of the flesh-eating reindeer from uranus milk moon snow angel: resurrected snowblind: resurrected gluhwein hollyberry and mistletoe scattered gloom uncertain horror bah humbug Antonino, the Carny Talker (decanted 09/2007) Australian Copperhead (decanted 11/2008) Boomslang (decanted 11/2008) Coral Snake (decanted 11/2008) King Cobra (decanted 11/2008) Priala, the Human Phoenix (decanted 11/2008) Pulcinella & Teresina (decanted 09/2007) Thalassa, the Galapagos Mermaid (decanted 11/2008) Wulric, the Wolfman (decanted 11/2008) Zarita, the Doll Girl (decanted 11/2008) Pumpkin Patch I Pumpkin Patch III Pumpkin Patch V Tanuki Egg Nog The Fruit of Paradise La Befana Lick it One More Time The Peacock Queen Rose Red 2007 November Tiger Lily Virgo sniffie Snow White 2008 sniffie Daiyu - decant, 95% Kunstkammer - 1/2 decant La Vita Nouva - decant, 85% CTII CCCXLV sniffie w/ drops CTII CDXXXIV sniffie w/ drops CTII CLVIII CTIII DCXVIII CTIV CCCXX CTIV DCCCLXI 1/2 CTIV MCVI CTIV MCCCLXIV 1/2 Fearful Pleasure - decant, 30% full Khajuraho 08 (full to top of label) Sleepy Hollow: Gunpowder flower moon Cheshire Moon Lunar Eclipse Luperci 2008 Te Po (Atomic Luau Lounge) Golden Wave (Atomic Luau Lounge) Knecht Ruprecht 2006 (stained label, slightly below label) Dionysia Hanami - imps worth in 1ml roller vial The Head of Holofernes Jolasveinar 2007 - imps worth in 1ml roller vial Penumbra Spell of Amorous Love - imps worth in 1ml roller vial dia de los muertos 2005 decant sniffle imp: fruitcake (dry) beltane '06 30% glamour farewell to false love the grindhouse la vague the churchyard aries dark delicacies mars lilith victoria sapphics white phoenix long night moon lune noire old moon beltane 2008 huesos de santo jacob's ladder pickled imp glitter harikata Anactoria Black Moon Christmas Rose 2007 Dragon Moon (older year) Pumpkin Patch #1 2008 Montresor Snow Maiden The Brides of Dracula The Emathides The Ghastly Garden love's philosophy eisheth zenunim glowing vulva sniffie, generous drops gwyneth melisande crumpet rebelion lydia monsterbait: closet monsterbait: underbed monsterbait: underpants shanghai tunnel tarot: wheel of fortune tarot: the moon 1/2 tarted old venice 1/2 tarted emperor jolasveinar 2007 zarita the doll girl snow-flakes '06 spanked (sniffie, almost entirely dry) ashlutum (sniffie, dry -- suspect it leaked in the mini-bag) banded sea snake (sniffie, barely a drop) king cobra (sniffie, almost entirely dry) the blasphemare reliquary the contract of theophilus of adana tabula smaragdina two-headed goat Chaos Theory III-CCLXXXIV (mocha, to me) Glasya 2006 Herr Drosselmeyer Sagittarius 2007 yuletide 2007 decant devils night 2005 decant toad hall decant blasphemare reliquary the wild men of jezirat aeronwen agrat-bat-mahlaht clemence inez dia eustephanos (imp in a roller vial) khrysee makhanitis melainis morpho philommeides pontia pothon meter symmakhia earth ox 413 U.S. 15 / Miller Vs California dark chocolate and cherry dark chocolate and pepper-smoked caramel milk chocolate buttercream white chocolate marshmallow and coconut white chocolate and strawberry white chocolate and sugared violets (leaked, soaked, sticky label) couple consulting an enpon eight views of actors in their dressing rooms flowering chrysanthemums giant vulva lovers in a ricefield lovers with rutting cats man with phallus head manners among men and women in the red light district tissue voyeurs among the cherry blossoms cheshire moon sugar moon dyan moon mourning moon x2 sturgeon moon hay moon budding moon singing moon sea of tranquility honey mone beaver moon pink moon night thoughts x2 hanami clod and pebble her voice vampire tears moon of ice la vita nuovo parentalia ivanushka victoria mort de cesar sapphics libra abhisarika New Year's Eve in Dogville Pumpkin Queen Kindly Moon (2/3) Virahotkantita (2/3) lady luck blues (~1/2?) arachne (sniffie) (drops) aeaea (~90%) velvet clown velvet cthulhu velvet nudie velvet panther velvet pink kitty velvet tiger velvet tiki velvet unicorn coxcomb marotte motley the deserted village the dole of the king's daughter eanach ehuin the host of the air the ides of march hand of hermes road opener stfu charisma milk & honey bette noir kaiden yurei witchblade door (decant in a bottle) hunter the floating market lamia black death (decant in a bottle) black heart black lace Metal Tiger Bijoux Enchanted Wood Florist Zadok Allen Vineyard Khrysopelex Miaphonos Thoos Thouros Anactoria Perfumed Garden Two Loves Unveiled autumn moon of the mirror stand beanman & beanwoman prepare to attack the vagina harimse kiss amongst discarded tissues konseishin the penis god lovers in a carp streamer needlework octopus and abalone diver okayaki penis admiration picture book and pleasure toys pink mood prosperity of a country ronin unveiled doll's eye infused honey jerusalem cherry infused honey yew berry infused honey paduan killer swarm gypsy luna rosy maple common jezebel monarch paper kite spicebush swallowtail The Magician The Priestess (decant in a bottle) The Fool Countess Willie Crib Girls Emma Flora Helena Josie Lulu (decant in a bottle) Attuning Mnemosyne Aegis Brass Balls Jinx Removing Blessings of Isis Mantle of Venus Nocturne Bocal del Sang (FRIMP from DarkDel) Cicuta Sanctus Vespillo Tombeur Transeo VILF Ordered from decant circles: dia de los natitas lambs-wool 2010 nothing gold can stay punkie night pumpkin latte blue pumpkin floss samhain 2010 halloween: brooklyn halloween: san francisco halloween: new orleans ghoulish pomegranate I pomegranate II pomegranate III pomegranate IV pomegranate V encroaching madness LE/discontinued/Salon/Tal/unimpable bottles: clio green phoenix (detached label) Chanukkiyah 2007 ashlultum phantom calliope house of mirrors w/ snake charmer label madeline samhain 2008 tabella e pluribus unum candy butcher dog days of summer pancake breakfast Snow Angel Gluhwein Snowblind (1/2) The Gladdener of All Hearts (at label, maybe a smidge below) Blue Moon 07 (smidge above label) Ostara (~3/4 full) Bilquis (.6 full) Dyan Moon Presence of Love moon of the terrible x 2 snake charmer: resurrected gennivre candy phoenix metal phoenix snake charmer resurrected gelt visiting the temple of auspicious fortune earth ox agape x 3 maud ruthyn blue phoenix monsterbait: bloody mary lady luck blues nahemoth new year's eve in dogville pink phoenix taurus 2007 13: march 2009 flower moon 2009 chaos theory 5 v1: the dorian series chaos theory 5 v1: the o series (I think I got rid of this one) chaos theory 5 v1: the snake oil series philommeides tissue manners among men and women in the red light district man with phallus head flowering chrysanthemums Libra 2007 Irrelevant and Disturbing Crawdad Dreams Katrina von Tassel hunger moon (.6 bottle) beatrice (.8 bottle) pumpkin V 2008 (empty) BPTP: BPTP gula bath oil sample [might be used] gula bath oil sample [might be used] 1/2 Yuletide Past atm spry (generous half) Yule bath oils: proserpina Yule bath oils: winter maiden Yule bath oils: holiday stress relief Atm spray goblin squirts: the queen's croquet ground Atm spray goblin squirts: okiya Goblin of Yuletide Past atm spray decant Goblin of Yuletide Present atm spray decant ghost of yuletide present amt spray decant ghost of yuletide past amt spray decant ghost of yuletide yet to come amt spray decant bah humbug amt spray decant snow white atm spray decant ice prince bath oil decant luxuria bath oil (mini bottle) l'autumno bath oil (mini bottle) [might be used] Possettes: dioxazine purple fireflies id Fluoxetine The Girls Love Pink Pepper High Tea Midnight Mass at Old St. Mary's Naples Yellow The Scent of Angels Silver Roses d Super Ego Titanium White possets: cadium orange possets: dioxaxine purple possets: scented gloves Possets - Girls love Limeys - full decant Possettes: The girls love limeys possetts: paisley possets: silver violets possets: sweet new england (vermont) possets: the clockwork kumquat (oregon) possets: dioxazine purple Sunshine in a Bottle -- California The Clockwork Kumquat -- Oregon Moon of Carolina -- South Carolina Sweet New England -- Vermont The Gingerbread Whorehouse The Gingerbread Crackhouse Ego Glee Lambs Madame X Maggie Penelope Puce! Strawberry Heart Ultramarine Blue The Girls Love to Go Clubbing! The Girls Love a Good Posset! The Girls Love Vanilla! ault park eve cadmium red dioxazine purple x 2 fluxotine friction the girls love limeys the girls love vanilla handkerchief water hearts and flowers x 2 madame x scented gloves a snowflake in the martini strawberry heart super ego titanium white ultramarine blue western hills bottle: Forever Home bottle: Mark bottle: Starry Night bottle: Walter bottle: Lily - The Halloween Vixen bottle: Venus Black bottle: Yule Posset 2008 bottle: Epinoia bottle: Pomander Ball 2008 bottle: Lavender Water - Le Soleil bottle: Lavender Water - Les Espices bottle: Lavender Water - Les Fleurs bottle: Hearts and Flowers bottle: Friction bottle: Zuben-el-Genubi bottle: Wiley - Mr. "Schnecken" bottle: Candy Thong Other samples: Arcana's Peppermint SN - full decant Arcana: Sleepy Hollow Arcana's Sweet Milk SN - full decant Conjure Oils Shape Shifter Conjure Oils Shape Shifter - full decant Four Season Fragrances: Autumn Equinox HAEE: cherry blossom (1.5 size) HAEE: innocence HAEE: lolita HAEE: "moonlight fairy" Dream Esscents: vintage pumpkin Dream Esscents.com noix de coco Dream Esscents.com candy cream DE teakwood DE au lait (probably -- a little rubbed off) DE shanghai pearl Midsummer Muse presents White Paper Mythos Mixtures: konohana nocturne alchemy egyptologist Sidhe Creations: Vampire's Teeth Superbad's Bond Girls - full decant Superbad's French Model's Breakfast - full decant Superbad's Pulp - sniffie w/ drops Superbad's Rarely Wrong - full decant Superbad's Souvenir - full decant velvet moon bathery "Vanilla Mourning" Violette Market: Betty (full mini bottle -- about half a bpal bottle) wylde ivy custom "Sweet Earth" Arcana: anodyne (10 ml) cobalt blends: headless gingerbread man (bottle) cremoso bath: brigid's eternal fire ZOMG Smells :] -- Beyond Blueberry Soap Box Co = I Smell Good: sea salt chocolate marshmallow lily violet vanilla peach coconut apple rose mango almond rhubarb cake plumeria cherry amber I Smell Good: Berry SN - full decant I Smell Good: Lily SN - full decant I Smell Good: Peach SN - full decant I Smell Good: Marshmallow SN - 1.5 decant, vial is bigger than an imp sized vial

What kinds of crafts does everyone either enjoy making or enjoy getting? Do you have a certain type of handmade item that you love to collect? Socks, boxes, jewelry, dolls etc? I'm not a big crafter, but I do dabble in jewelry and food, and I've been thinking about learning to knit (bought Stich 'n' Bitch, and got a couple of needles and some yarn as gifts) but just haven't gotten around to it. I also like papercraft type supplies. Getting? Anything knit wants to be really lightweight, as I live in the land of sun and soon will be adding heat and humidity to that, so I spend a lot of time being warmer than I want to be. I do occasionally go back to Minnesota in the winter, so tall socks, legwarmers, scarves, and gloves would probably get at least some use, anyway. I love boxes and am in constant need of more. I love jewelry of certain styles. I love stationary. I love food, baked goods, drink mixes. No to the dolls, though I do own a little knit, stuffed Cthulhu and he wouldn't mind having some friends (I keep thinking he might enjoy a knit Dalek or something; I like stuffed animals in general as well). I would prefer things that would be not too difficult to pack (or consume), because I'm moving in early fall. if you're NOT a vegan how would you feel about soaps made with emu oil? Squicked out/concerned about animal cruelty, or willing to try them? Willing to try them. Are there any of the BPTP bath oils you adore (particularly ones that you cannot get anymore). What about the room sprays? I've only tried a handful of bath oils and room sprays (Proserpina, Winter Maiden, Holiday Stress Relief, Gula, Ice Prince, L'Autumno, The Queen's Croquet Ground, Okiya, Yuletide Past, Yuletide Present, Yuletide Yet To Come, Bah Humbug, Snow White) and would mostly just like to try bath oils I haven't tried yet. How would you feel about an ultra-girlie shawl or wrap in summer-weight (lace)? Thrilled! Those are gorgeous, and so lightweight I could probably even use them fairly regularly. what would you think of hand-dyed items? I'd probably be pretty positive, as long as the colors were dark and the pattern pretty subtle. I don't know that I'd want a whole shirt like that, but a scarf, shawl, camisole, socks, pillowcase, or skirt would probably be pretty cool. How do you feel about hand-knit socks? Good! I especially like them knee or thigh height (stretchy and with room to accommodate my fairly rotund legs) and as thin as possible, and/or with spiffy patterns. For non-US witches: is there anything from the US you'd love that you can't get where you live now? I'm in the US, but from overseas I love UK Cadbury Fruit & Nut bars (the chocolate tastes different!), Tim Tams, and weird-flavored or nutty Pocky. I also have a soft spot for Kinder Eggs, Asian bottled fruit drinks (not the think gelatin-y ones, but the strong-flavored grape or peach or orange or apple drinks), and strange savory cracker-like snacks. Oh, and also? Exotic spices or spice mixes -- I'd love a bunch of different Hungarian paprikas, for example. How many potential witchees have an iPod, or download MP3s? I have a little black full-to-bursting 8 GB nano, but I'm always always always looking for more music, via MP3s or cds or podcasts or whatever. If you're looking for more info on my musical tastes, the following mix isn't a bad place to start: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=52...p;#entry1381571 I also tend to talk music in my livejournal reasonably often (there's a tag), and will sometimes put something in the "Current Music" field. Would anyone like bath bombs or bath melts scented with one of their favorite Bpal scents? Maybe a few, though not a super-huge number because I can't use in my current apt because it has a crappy tub. But I'd save them for when I next find a good tub. Would you like homemade cinnamon buns or sticky buns? YES! Is there anyone here that likes Hello Kitty or any other Sanrio Characters? I am reasonably fond of the flat panda and find the rest of them neutral-to-mildly-good. I do have a Hello Kitty purse, but it's made out of black vinyl and hot pink trim, so I guess stuff on the gothier side will appeal to me more. Ok, for all you shower people, would you like Bpal scented soap? I'm out of soap stuff right now, but if I can get any anytime soon, would that be something that you'd like? Or how about Bpal scented massage bars or solid scrub bars? Yes, definitely! I prefer bar body soap and liquid hand soap, and would be especially interested in the solid scrub bars. Do you play any online games, like World of Warcraft? If so, what server do you play on, what's your character's name, etc.? Alas, I currently do not. Is there a program you might have missed or show you love which is gone from the airwaves which might be found (or burned) for you by a Witch? Things watched in the distant past that I'd love to have: Head of the Class! Star Trek: The Next Generation, Rags to Riches, 3-2-1 Contact, Gummi Bears, Saved By the Bell, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Kimagure Orange Road, Kino's Journey... Missed and curious: Black Books, Twin Peaks, Saiyuki, Inu-yasha, Witch Hunter Robin, Samurai Champloo, Full Metal Alchemist, Rurouni Kenshin OAVs, Azumanga Daioh, Avatar, Merlin, Project Runway, American Idol either 7 or 8, Profit, The Unusuals, Breaking Bad, Privilege, Gossip Girl, Farscape, Rescue Me, 30 Rock, Prison Break, Rosemary and Thyme, New Doctor Who, Rome, Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Mad Men, The Wire, Big Love, Numb3rs, Criminal Minds, Dexter, 24, Scrubs, The Sopranos, Chappelle's Show, Deadwood, Dirty Sexy Money, Traveler, Castle... If you were to make a seasonal mix CD for this summer, what would you name it? A two-disc set: Deceptive Leisure/Quiet Love Do you collect dolls or miniatures? What kind? Do you like to get new clothes or items for them? Nope, though I do occasionally like tiny objects like tea sets or whatnot. So what are people doing with their saturdays so far? Staying up way too late hanging out with an old friend and watching a silly movie, then coming home and spending a few hours reading fiction and poking at the internet. Now I'm busying being annoyed at my finances and writing up answers! Soon I will be having dinner with my family, and later I might go out dancing at a goth club, or I might do some sorting and packing. Actually a pretty typical Saturday for this summer except I won't usually have my family around once I go back to San Diego. My fiance sent me an early dvd rip of Coraline that he was given (pretty sure it's not been released yet, but I sometimes have a hard time keeping up) and I was wondering if anyone would like a copy of it? I loved Coraline when I saw it in the theatres (in 3D! so awesome!), but I don't feel the need for a rip. Thanks, though! Would you like any recycle/upcycle supplies for your crafting? I like pretty pictures, photos, postcards, etc. [i also like things that could be made into jewelry -- keys, small old computer and engineering parts (resistors are pretty!), cool old buttons and such.] ***7/12*** Question...do you fret or take it personally when your witch or witchee gets too quiet? Like they figured you out and don't like you? Not really. But I'm not super-talkative myself. Do you try to figure out who your witch is? Do you want your witch to give you clues? Not really? But it would be cool to get clues. Whatever works, though! Who has a Kindle? If you do, would you like a Kindle gift card, Kindle accessories, etc. as a gift? Whadda you need? I only wish. What about other electronics (Blackberries, iPhone, etc.)? Do you need any accessories, etc. for those? Again, I only wish. Those are not really affordable on a broke grad student's salary. ***7/8*** I've recently been listening to Rasputina's 'O Perilous World' album and am particularly enamored by '1816: the Year Without a Summer'. So I'd like to know if my witchee likes Rasputina, and would like any music by them? I do like Rasputina, though I seem to like their covers album and seeing them live more than I like their other albums, but that's only based on Cabin Fever and The Lost & Found 2nd Edition, the two albums I own. It would be interesting to hear stuff off of albums besides those two, come to think of it. ***7/6*** What new scents from the update are calling your name? Berry Moon, possibly Stinky and Whoso List To Hunt, Alice's Evidence, All in the Golden Afternoon, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat, Imperious Tiger-Lily, and Snooty Rose. I have easy access to Asian candies, tropical fruits(mangosteen, mango, durian, jackfruit) flavored biscuits/chips/snacks, dried tropical fruits, Japanese/korean/taiwanese cosmetics brands and music/CDs. Is there anything you will like from Singapore or Asia in general? I would be interested in folk music of all kinds and the KAO Asience line of hair products, and in red lipstick (on the dark side) for lightly tanned yellow-toned skin. The things I miss most about Asia is actually the fruit drinks -- not the thick kind, but the kind that are clearly meant to be like juice, only aren't really juice. Well, and good, fresh doujiang, but that's not shippable. I do also like a variety of asian snacks, especially salty snacks. ***7/3-5*** Do you play any musical instruments? Which ones? If not, are there any you'd like to learn? What styles of music do you play, and are you interested in learning any different styles? I'm primarily a vocalist, but I play the piano, and I played the violin for a couple of years as a kid. I'd love to pick up the violin again, but really what I want is to learn to play the cello. I also have rudimentary experience playing the clarinet, recorder, guitar, xylophone, and erhu. Besides the cello, I would be psyched to pick up the guitar, drums, and guzheng (of these, I have access to the guzheng). Most of my musical education has been in strictly classical styles; I would indeed love to branch out. Are you partial to any kind of comedy? I guess? I like dry British humor, absurdity, satire, and comedy that's smart. The Simpsons, Monty Python, Eddie Izzard, Sports Night, and Wonderfalls are some specific examples. What did you do for the 4th and/or the holiday weekend? Mostly nothing, but I did go with a friend to see Up for the second time. It made me cry. Again. Partials, samples, sniffies? Er. Yes, please? Have you read anything by China Mieville, Neil Gaiman or Charles de Lint? If so, what? Like/dislike...?? Gaiman, approximately in order of like: Sandman and Death: The High Cost of Living, American Gods, Anansi Boys, The Graveyard Book, Coraline, Neverwhere, Signal to Noise, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The Books of Magic. [i have somehow, inexplicably failed to read Stardust despite owning 2 different versions. I haven't seen the movie, either.] I have almost everything of his, the only things I think I'm on the lookout for are Blueberry Girl, Wolves in the Walls, Melinda, Odd and the Frost Giants, Don't Panic, the script version of Snow, Glass, Apples, M is for Magic, Interworld, A Screenplay, Shoggoth's Old Peculiar, Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Angela, and the audio drama of Signal to Noise. The only China Mieville I've read is Un Lun Dun, and it was terrific. I've been meaning to read more but haven't yet. I think I have at least one of them kicking around somewhere from years ago, long before Un Lun Dun came out. Just never got around to reading it. The only Charles de Lint book I've read is The Onion Girl. It was pretty good, but it hasn't really inspired me to pick up more. I'd be willing to read more, if it was shoved at me. Other than books/cds/dvds are there any "things" that you collect or symbols which you have an affinity for? Jewelry, to an extent. Quirky stuffed things. Bladed weaponry. As for symbols... Trees. Bears, because my last name means "bear" in Chinese. Chinese characters. Mountains, winter. Death, to an extent. The Moon. Music-related things, reading and writing related things. Do you like musicals? What have you seen? What do you want to see? Any you'd like to own? I do. I've seen a ton of musicals live if you count student productions (and a lot on video as well), but the only major professional productions I've seen are Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Babes in Toyland, Chicago, Pacific Overtures, and Avenue Q. I would love to see professional productions of Into the Woods (my favorite), Wicked, Les Miserables, Jersey Boys, Working, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, The Lion King, 1776, Cabaret, Cats, Chess, Fiddler on the Roof, Hairspray, Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, She Loves Me, Assassins, and Spamalot. I'd like to own pretty much all of the ones in the "want to see" list, plus Avenue Q. What are your thoughts on J.R.R. Tolkein? I enjoyed the Hobbit but got stuck in Rivendell partway through Fellowship and I'm starting to suspect I'm never going to actually read them. If you answered that you would like recipes, are there any national or ethnic cuisines you prefer or don't prefer? Not really. I have mixed results with Korean food (it's always love-hate, never mediocre), but otherwise I pretty much like the whole range. What's your favorite summer activity? Swimming! Would you like a recipe booklet (homemade) for homemade smoothies and shakes? Yes, yes I would. What's your favorite vacation spot? I don't really have a favorite, because I tend to like going to places new to me rather than going back to ones I've already visited. Right now the top of my "return to" list: Rome, Maui, Hong Kong, Budapest, Banff. Would you like anything nostalgic? Things you loved from their childhood or maybe things you've always loved that were from a time before your own? Yes, quite possibly. Some random childhood things: My Little Ponies, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, Gummi Bears, Care Bears, Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Free to be you and me, Big Bird Goes to China, Berenstain Bears, Muppet Babies, Babysitters Club, All-of-a-kind-family, things relating to LM Montgomery books, the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, Oz, Narnia, Beauty and the Beast, older Disney films, both animated and live-action, Adventures in Babysitting, Weird Science, Head of the Class... Probably a lot of other stuff. (I grew up in the 80s and early 90s, but had a slightly atypical relationship to pop culture because my parents are first generation immigrants. I was in Minnesota (in a suburb of the Twin Cities) all through my childhood and young adulthood.) ***7/2*** What styles of jewelry do you like? Bold and funky? Delicate and dainty? Short necklaces, long ones, chokers? Bracelets or anklets? A variety, but I lean towards elegant and delicate -- I have a few larger pieces, but they're on the simple and elegant side rather than the "bold and funky" side. The exception is my fondness for weirdly shaped plastic items. I do tend to like large rings with square, diamond, or rectangular components. My favorite length of necklace is short, just barely not a choker. and I like chokers as well. I also think I want to experiment with really long necklaces, and also the length of necklace where the center (I prefer necklaces with a clear midpoint, usually marked by a pendant or larger piece) is right above my cleavage. Does my witchee like hats, a floppy summer sun hat or something more stylish? I do like hats, but I hardly ever wear them. I think the only type of hat that I'm currently in the market for is a top hat, preferably collapsible. Would you like a hand knit cap or hat? I would be very unlikely to wear it, primarily because I live in such hot climes. What kind of shopper are you? Do you make a budget? Planner, or compulsive? I tend to make both impulse purchases and obsessively researched purchases, depending on the item and my mood. I am bad at budgets, though I've been wanting to go in that direction. Do you like to buy what's new, special offers, only the usual? I generally buy things on sale, unless it's something I really need right now or it's something that almost never goes on sale in useful sizes or whatnot. I like to try new things, but I also like having a few staples. ***7/1*** Non-melting candies....what are your favorites? Mentos, starburst, jolly ranchers, werther's, smarties, peppermints, lemon drops and the like, jelly belly, old fashioned candy sticks, honey sticks... What are you happiest about (besides SW)? What makes you feel good this summer? Any summer? Not being a grad school anymore. Having free time. Ice cream trucks. [i much prefer winter to summer in general.] Do you like coffee and/or wine? Yes, both. I especially like dessert wine. What are your thought on World Market? I love World Market! If you are a dog lover, or gigantic dog nerd like I am, would you like any breed-related items from this site? If so, which breed(s)? Not for me. A witch wants to cheer you up. What are we cheering you up from? In other words, what are the most pressing problems you're facing right now? Being super-broke and unemployed, plus being stressed out about packing and moving. But job hunting is definitely be key problem. Who out there is equally challenged and would appreciate icons/banners as witchy gifts? Sure! Lip balm? I like lip balm, though I like tubes more than I like jars. What's that one thing you keep meaning to get but keep forgetting or passing over? The Absolute Sandman series. I have all the old graphic novels, but the Absolutes look really awesome and would be fun to have. It's just hard to convince myself I need them. ***6/30*** Have you any desire to read Hannibal? Nope. If your witch goes to Convergence (or is bestest friends with someone, same thing), is there anything you'd love to have? Probably only the Convergence exclusive, if that ends up being something appealing. Are you freaking out over any of the discontinued scents, dear fellow Witches? Nope, although I have a sneaking suspicion that I may fall in love with Succubus once I try it. For those candy loving witchees. Are there any 3 that u love and would like more of? Of the regular American mass-market candies: anything Reese's (especially the big things because they have the highest peanut butter to chocolate ratio), peanut butter or almond M&Ms (especially dark chocolate), Hershey's milk chocolate with almonds. I also like Milk Duds. (I generally prefer high quality chocolate to any of this, but these are the ones I do eat and love.) And, are there any 3 that u just cannot stand and would not like any of? 3 Musketeers, black licorice, Rolos. Do you have an electric stove, and would you like a bowl and tarts to use the residual heat (and for extra safety)? I do have an electric stove, and sure, that would be neat. What is your favorite classic fairy tale or children's story? I have to have a favorite? Fairy Tale: probably Beauty and the Beast for the brave, proactive protagonist. I like Mulan for this, too, though the original poem (which is the version I love most) wasn't necessarily for children. I also like darker versions of Cinderella (and darker versions in general). Children's story... this is much hard to pick a favorite in. Alice in Wonderland, Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery, Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace, The Secret Garden and A Little Princes by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, everything by Diana Wynne Jones (but for children (rather than young adults), especially the Chrestomanci books, Tale of Time City, Power of Three, and The Homeward Bounders), All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, The Enchanted Castle and Five Children and It by E. Nesbit, Little Women and Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott, So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane, The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks, and Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. What of the summer update (Egyptian, Lawn Ornaments, etc.) appeals most to you?[/b] Feast for the Greatly Revered Ones and Spinning Multicolored Metallic Pinwheel, possibly Labores Solis and Lawn Gnome. With all this talk of chocolate, do you prefer milk or dark? Dark is my favorite, but milk is good for some things, as is white. ***6/29*** Do you like coconut? Sure. . Puddin' posts ebay sales of older stuff every now and then - what of the current lot are you dying for? Alas, I missed it. Do you tweet? I have a twitter, but I don't really tweet. What kind of mythology are you interested in? In vaguely decreasing order: Greek, Chinese, Norse, Egyptian, Hindu, Japanese... pretty much all kinds. Something new would also be awesome. ***6/28*** Which flavors are you interested to try from the Chocolate Research Facility? Pretty much all of the Spring/Summer '09 series, but especially Cardamom with Almond, Peppermint with Mint Flake, and Rose with Rose Petal. Everything in the Exotic series but French Vanilla, Strawberry Yogurt, and Cheese; especially anything involving sesame. Everything in the double fruit series, especially Longan with Pumpkin Seed, but in general these are lower priority than the other categories. Everything in the nut series, but especially almond with almond nib (my nut hierarchy for being paired with chocolate: almond, hazelnut, macademia, pistachio, pecan, walnut, cashew. Everything in the fruit series, especially lychee and blueberry. Very much yes to everything in both the alcohol tea, and coffee series. Do you wear makeup or nail polish? Need brushes, containers, storage, mani/pedi supplies? What colors and brands do you like? Not really. I do own a lot of makeup -- most of it Mac but also some brands that Sephora carries -- that would want a container/storage, though. Do you like shiney hanging porch decorations like windchimes or those things that spin and swirl in the wind? Sure! Hair adornments? So much yes! I love hair sticks and related toys, plus pretty pins (mostly for decorating buns), smallish snap clips (for holding flyaways when I have my hair up), hair combs (for pulling back hair from my face while leaving the rest loose), and the kind of large jaw clips with the sort of triangular shape (I have a lot of hair, it needs room to sit; an example here: http://www.scunci.com/product_detail.aspx?...d=78&lp=13). I also like clever/new/weird hair tools and decorations. Is there any infomercial product you're dying to try even though you know it probably sucks? I didn't know (except for basic kitchen things like a juicer or chopper or dehydrator, all of which would be cool), so I went looking around a little. In order of most interesting to least, the "Cleavage Control Clip," "Entertainment Coupons" (The Entertainment Book for Austin, TX), "Blendy Pen," "Smart Spin Storage," "Clever Clasp" for jewelry, and "Hercules Hook" all look potentially fun or useful. What are your favorite websites (besides this one, and the online shops you listed in your questionnaire)? Hmm. Livejournal? There are some pretty good webcomics out there as well -- I don't read them regularly, but I do like them. Wikipedia's pretty useful too, despite it's irritations. And, of course, Google and Google Maps. Oh! And I'm very fond of opentable.com's online reservation system. Chowhound's pretty neat, too. We have so many talented witches and they really need to promote themselvesI more so, if you made something by hand for a previous witchee or have an etsy store or some other outlet for hand made goods, will you post it here with pictures or links? Or, if you want to brag on a previous witch's talent, this is the place for that as well. My previous (and first ever!) witch, Somnambular, makes really nifty, slightly steampunky jewelry, primarily necklaces and earrings. Photos of things I'm now the proud owner of: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?autocom=gall...m&album=520 Her etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5233834 I also really loved the handmade bpal boxes she sent me, but I don't have pictures yet. If you could make your perfect scent (or at least most desired at the moment!) what would be in it? Xi Shi: osmanthus, lychee, cherry, cherry blossom, apple blossom, plum blossom, moon-shimmered mist, champagne, and just the lightest breath of sandalwood fan. paired with: Taiyang: osmanthus, pear, peach, peach blossom, chrysanthemum, amber, sandalwood incense, Lao Li (ancient Chinese ritual beer made of rice, honey, grapes, and hawthorn fruit), and delicate curls of gold from the gilded wings of a sunbird. So I have a question for the witchees, and hopefully mine will answer as well...In trying to decide what to fix for dinner, I thought that I've received some great recipes from friends (particularly the culinary mastermind that is scotchgrrl). I also have a few great recipes of my own. So would anyone like to receive some original, or very much loved recipes from his/her witch? I would adore recipes! List things you DO NOT need any more of: At the moment, anything heavy and/or bulky and/or difficult to pack, as I'll be moving very soon. Mascara, foundation. ***6/27*** Is there something that would offend you if you received it in your mail/gift/email)? (as in profanity, a bad words in an email/card/music ... or a card or something with a scantily dressed man/woman pictured on it, crude/immature humor tshirts, etc ...) Nope! What do you like to snack on? Wow, huge question. Roasted nuts and sunflower seeds, trail mix (especially the kinds that include dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate), Sun Chips, Cheetos, white cheddar Pirate's Booty and Smart Puffs, 94% fat free microwave popcorn, high-quality chocolate, chocolate-covered nuts, fruit, raw veggies (especially carrots), hummus, cheese & crackers, popsicles, ice cream and/or frozen yogurt and/or gelato, baked goods in general... What is the color scheme you use most when you decorate? I don't really have one. Black and red is a common one for me, as is shades of blues and sometimes also purples. I would consider things dark green or wine colored. I also like dark woods. If you have music or DVD's on your wishlist, do you mind getting a burned copy? How about if it is original packaging but previously used? Or do you only want it new? That's fine; I prefer mix cds for burned music and used copies for DVDs, but really anything's fine. Who is your favorite artist? What are some of your favorite pieces of their work? I don't really have a favorite artist (I like many different types of art), but I've always liked Arthur Rackham (all his Arthurian legend stuff, a lot of the Alice in Wonderland stuff and Fairy Tales stuff, Titania Sleeping, Freya the Fair, Twilight of the Gods, Brunhilde, Feeling Very Undancey, Enter the Two Brothers, The Old Woman in the Wood...); I'm not so much into the fairy ones unless they're pretty dark and/or creepy) and Mucha (for example, Les Saisons 1990, Seasons 1896, Les Saisons (the one with long hair even more amazing than 1896) Music, Dance, Reverie du Soir/Evening, Repos de la Nuit/Night's rest, Stars, Zodiac, Lorenzaccio, Laurel, Fruit, the Slav Epic, the Lottery of National Unity, the Zdenka Cerny cello concert poster, and Meditation; I tend to prefer the less cluttered, more graceful and elegant pieces, and subtle (but not washed-out) neutral-ish colors and blue-range palettes, though there are always exceptions -- I do really like some of the more intense coloration better, it all just depends on the specific colors and comos; note also I tend to prefer darker-toned to lighter-toned.). [For example, from these four Seasons, my preferences best to less good: http://www.art.com/products/p10278198-sa-i...aisons-1900.htm http://www.art.com/products/p13200468-sa-i...our-seasons.htm http://www.art.com/products/p10310465-sa-i...les-saisons.htm http://www.art.com/products/p12903632-sa-i...easons-1896.htm] Are you a candles person, incense person, or just a BPTP spritzer for room scents? Candles a little more than incense, though I do like both. I like the BPTP room sprays but have enough for years at this point. What is your favorite latin or faux latiny phrase? Probably deus ex machina -- so fun to say, and so very useful for any writer or person who wants to talk about books. ***6/26*** How are you doing for BPAL storage? Need any boxes? I am always in need of boxes. Is there any place you've visited where you feel like you left your heart there? Oh, tons. Venice, Rome, Budapest, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Seattle, New York, Chicago, Banff, the Grand Canyon, Itasca State Park (the headwaters of the Mississippi), Acadia National Park in Maine, Hawaii, and Vermont. (This doesn't include the places I've lived or am planning to move to -- Minneapolis/St. Paul, Boston, the Bay Area, San Diego, and Austin.) What one item would you just love to have that is made by a Switch Witch? The answer is always jewelry. But food/drink is very close behind! Is your abode a palace covered in fur, a disaster area ,or a neat freaks delight? A disaster area. Are there any phobias you have that you absolutely, positively, do NOT want anything from your witch referencing? Nope, not that I can think of. Are you a good witch or a bad witch? Both! The answer is always both. What kind of a car do you drive and would you want something you could use in your car? Rear view mirror charms, steering wheel covers (a new thinkg for the knitters ), car blessing medicine bags I do not have a car, but I'm planning on getting one soonish. I would be interested in rearview mirror charms and car blessing medicine bags for that eventuality. Do you want to know when you have something coming in the mail, or would you rather it be a complete surprise? Either is fine! What is your mailbox situation? My housemate and I live in a condo complex, so there's a small mailbox in a big wall with all the others; small packages (about the size of the small priority mail boxes the lab tends to use) fit in there, but everything bigger tends to get delivered to our door. ***6/25*** Are you interested in Tarot or Tarot art? I am mildly interested in Tarot itself and very interested in various Tarot art. I only one deck, the Haindl Tarot, and the two books that go with it by Rachel Pollack. I would be up for expanding my Tarot horizons. What would you think of soap samples/shampoo bar samples? (I believe the latter can be used as soap if you are not shampoo bar inclined). Or other sample sized bath/beauty products, for that matter? I am very much not interested in shampoo bars, but I am conversely very interested in soap bars! In general, I am up for sample-sized bath/beauty products. I like trying things! What about burnables as in candles, tarts and/or incense? I like them, though I don't actually use them super-often. But maybe if I had more I'd use them more, I don't know. Who knits? Do you also spin and dye? What supplies, that you wouldn't buy for yourself, would you just love to have for that activity? I do not. Do you like coffee? Whole bean or ground? Bold/Medium/Mild roast? I do! Any of those are fine, it's the other aspects that matter more. So you have enough socks and wraps... (shush, VCW!) Are there any other knitted goods you might like? Lap blanket? Fingerless gloves? Arm warmers? Little knitted animals? Silk scarf? Head band? Wrist cuff? Dish clothes? Lap blanket, very much yes. Fingerless gloves, yes, but preferably in extremely light weight, and same with the arm warmers -- note that my forearms, while not super-thick, are also not super-thin. Dish cloth, yes, silk scarf, yes; head band, wrist cuff, no. Of these, little knitted animals (and the lap blanket) and the things that makes me most go "oooooh." ***6/24*** Are you obsessed with honey? If so, is there a particular kind you like best? Spun honey, flavored honeys, certain types of honey....etc. I don't know about obsessed, exactly, but I really love it, pretty much all kinds. I'm a fan of creamed honey (aka spun honey, I believe), I like some flavored honeys (rosemary and lavender are favorites, and I expect other herbs might also be good), and in general, the darker and more strongly-flavored, the better -- for example, I like Trader Joe's 100% Desert Mesquite Honey. What are your favorite materials? Or material things? Some people like jewelry, some like woods, some plants... Silk, dark wood, fine soft cotton, steel, silver, 24k gold, porcelain, glass. Also all sorts of stones, gems, and minerals, among them most of the jewelry types -- agate, onyx, lapis lazuli, garnet, jade, hematite, obsidian, black pearl, black opal, mother of pearl, jasper, malachite, turquoise, tigers-eye, marcasite, dark amethyst, corundums and beryls -- though I also just like cool-looking rocks. Copper's pretty neat, too, except for turning my skin green. I also like paper, paper is awesome. Is there anything you've been wanting to learn that your witch might be able to help you with? See the question about musical instruments. Also, graphic design, more cooking, maybe knitting (as mentioned above), vidding, and I'd like to get back into art, mostly drawing, calligraphy, and possibly painting, oh, and maybe origami and papercraft.. Posters, yes or no? Yes! What are your favorite animals? Or, what animals resonate strongly with you? Bears and big cats. I also like pandas, penguins, and birds of prey. Also, among dogs, Westies and black labs are my favorites. Are there any historical figures you are particularly interested in - say, that you'd enjoy reading about, or movies, etc.? Qiu Jin, Lady Hao, Empress Wu, Yu Xuanji, Ban Zhao, Zhuangzi, Gao Yaojie. Queen Himiko. Herodotus, Thucydides, Alcibiades, Socrates, Plato, Pericles, Aristophanes. Meyer Lansky, and possibly other mafia-related figures. Jane Austen. Clara Schumann, Frederic Chopin, Bartok, Dvorak, Sibilius, Stravinsky, Beethovan... really most romantic-era composers and turn of the century/early 20th century Russian greats have the potential to be interesting, depending on the quality of the storytelling. I like modern music history too -- rock, blues, folk, etc. Most female rulers, including Eleanor of Aquitaine, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Victoria, and both Elizabeths, as well as Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and the like. Mary Magdalene. Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Isadora Duncan. Bettie Page, Marilyn Monroe, and Jackie-O. Most female writers, come to think of it, including all the ones in my book lists. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other early feminists. Donaldina Cameron. And probably others... What, if anything, are you earwormed with right now? "Don't fall in love with me yet/we only recently me/true I'm in love with you but/you might decide I'm a nut/give me a week or two to/go absolutely cuckoo/then when you see your error/then you can flee in terror/like everybody else does/I only tell you this 'cause/I'm easy to get rid of/but not if you fall in love/know now that I'm on the make/and if you make a mistake/my heart will certainly break/I'll have to jump in a lake/and all my friends will blame you/there's no telling what they'll do/it's only fair to tell you/I'm absolutely cuckoo." Sometimes Magnetic Fields songs are insanely catchy. What scent are you wearing right now, if any? Chaos Theory V: recursive self-similarity v4: snake oil series: CCCXXXIV ***6/23*** Anyone reading an amazing book right now? Actually, yes -- The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick. I'm not very far into it yet, but so far, it's fascinating. What socially respsonsible site would you recommend to ALL Witches? sHeifer International, perhaps. What is your favorite anime, or if you don't like that what is your favorite animated series? Do you like villians that are funny because they are meant to be, or are you like me and love the villian that just can't seem to get his evil schemes to work? Whisper of the Heart. (I'm also fond of Kino's Journey, Here is Greenwood, Escaflowne, and most Studio Ghibli, among others.) I actually like morally grey, sympathetic, smart villains (and heroes for that matter) the best, but funny and bumbling villains (poor Wile E. Coyote!) can also be entertaining. Tea. How do you feel about it? I like tea! would my future witchee like to receive steampunk style jewelry? So. Much. YES. Does your feline like catnip? I don't have one. Salt soap bars (soap made with a large quantity of salt, like salt-scrub-in-a-bar)? Sure, could be neat. How would you feel about homemade jelly/jam from home-grown berries? I really love jam, so this would be amazing. Homemade dill pickles? Made from cukes, beans, snap peas, baby zucchini? Ooh, yum. I like cukes the best, but any of those would be fine. ***6/22*** Based on Prior Carnivale act prototypes...which one are you truly excited about? Alley of Games! And possibly The Sword Swallower. Would it bother you if you are not the first person to receive the same gift? Imagine a Witch who always sends her favourite book, for example. Nope, that would be fine. Pets: What do you have, and do they need/want anything? I have no pets. Does anyone play video games? What platform(s)? Are there any new or vintage games you would like? Some, though not so much recently. I've got a PS2, and I've been thinking about getting a Wii sooner or later (I'd kind of like to get a Fit) and possibly an Xbox 360, but who knows when that will happen. I've got a Mac laptops (running 10.5.6) and could run games on it as well; I also have access to a Nintendo 64. The current game I'm most interested in is Ico. As for classic games, I really love all the Monkey Island games, plus Mario Kart and Street Fighter and that sort of game. Also, Worms. And I miss Sim City and The Sims from when I was a kid a lot, also... Frogger. And Zork/Dungeon and Rogue/Hack/NetHack, perhaps. And I always meant to try Civilization. But really, I'd be up for trying most games that you think are worth playing. Twilight fans, would you be interested in any products from this Etsy seller? If so, add the items you like to your Etsy favorites and make sure your wishlist is posted somewhere for your witch. Not for me. Are you in need of decanting supplies, wand caps, or other scent-related paraphernalia? YES! I'd love to get into decanting, so a start kit would be awesome. Also, wand caps for the Lab's bottles. ***6/20-21*** Are there any single notes (likely non bpal) that anyone is dying to have/try? Not particularly? Osmanthus, perhaps, or lychee, or champagne, or cherry blossom. net flick or the likes gift subscriptions? A month of Netflicks vs a DvD? I have Netflix, and more would always be nice. Either of those would be great. Any non NZ or Aus witchee that I get gets Tim Tams, OK? Very, very okay. Tim Tams are delicious, and hard to get here. New (or added to), 7/20/09: ***7/15*** Who knows about wizard rock and wants more? Who doesn't know but wants to?[/b} I've heard of wizard rock but haven't heard much and don't own any. I would be happy to hear more. What's the wallpaper/screensaver on your computer? Just a view of Earth from space with starry night sky, one of the default backgrounds that came with my computer. Do you like Sugar Ray (the band not the boxer)? Not really. ***7/14*** Would you be interested in receiving some pasties from your witch? Actually, yes, that would be neat. It would need to be 3" minimum diameter; 3.5" might be safer. [i would also be in favor of meat pasties, yum.] How did you get your forum name? http://www.bpal.org/index.php?s=&showt...t&p=1505725 Anything from the trunk show? ... whoops. Guess I should've answered this earlier. Nothing struck me as "must have," though the Aphrodite prototypes are tempting, as are the ones of TKO and Hua Mulan. Mostly I don't know what some of those vintage scents are supposed to be like and I don't have time to research right now. Anything that seems like it would appeal to me based on notes and such, perhaps. [b[Anything from the newest ebay listing? Nothing offhand, though again, this is a matter of not really know about many of them. "If I could be I would be ____________ for a day." Fill in the blank. Filthy rich; I would pay off so many loans and do the charity thing and give piles of it to my family and invest the rest to play with later. ***7/13*** What are your favorite types of baked goods? How would you feel about candied citrus peel, chocolate-covered or not? Would you be interested in the mix version of the baked goods or perhaps a spice mix, something along those lines? All of those sound awesome. I like most baked goods, but off the top of my head, some favorites: really peanut buttery peanut butter cookies, carrot cake, gingerbread, bete noir and flourless chocolate cake in general -- darkest chocolate possible, almond cake and cookies and biscotti and croissants, mint chocolate cookies, poppy seed hamantaschen, blueberry muffins and tarts, anything with black sesame. But really, pretty much all baked goods. Have you found any new loves since the beginning of the round that you wished you'd known to include on your questionnaire? Not that I can think of. Questions not (yet) on the list, but discussed in the thread: So what is everyone else lusting over from the ComicCon CBLDF Lines? WKAP sounds like it's going to be too foody for me (which is too bad, because I love the Dresden Dolls -- I have all the music and I have at least one of the DVDs, but I would love more stickers/buttons/books), but I'm hoping the booth has imps like they did for the Gaiman scents in '07. Basically, if I want any, I'm hopefully going to just pick them up myself. (If they run out of something I want before I can snag it -- like Sunbird -- I'll add it to my wishlist.) All you lovely witches out there, are u planning on revealing to your witchees? Probably, yes. Possibly accidentally. /o\ Do you have a favorite insect, like a ladybug or dragonfly? Do butterflies or praying mantis creep you out? I like spiders a lot, but also things in the ladybug-dragonfly-butterfly, as well as scarabs. Preying mantises, grasshoppers, crickets, and bees are also pretty cool. I'm not a huge fan of millipede-type things, ticks, lice, aphids, flies, mosquitos, or cockroaches. Summer Blockbusters? Not really interested in any of those. Horror movies? Not for me. I would be interested in especially good (28 Days Later -- loved, Alien -- pretty good, Silence of the Lambs -- have been meaning to see) or particularly funny (Shaun of the Dead = awesome) thriller/horror movies, but in general it's just not my genre. I was just too much of a scaredy-cat when was a kid (seriously, Labyrinth, Ghostbusters, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom all scared the ever-loving shit out of me when I was about 8). I'm trying to catch up now that I can handle it, but slowly. I do tend to like urban fantasy stuff (including vampires, were-animals, fae, ghosts, demons, etc), and I like some aspects of paranormal-type things as well. So... it depends. With Harry Potter mania about to burst in the US again with the release of the new movie, how many HP fans do we have here? And would you like HP related stuff? I do like the HP books though I'm not a canonical fan, as it were. I would probably enjoy HP-themed stuff of various kinds, though preferably either elegant or cute, not garish or tacky. For example, these: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15076063 are pretty neat, but if it for me, I would prefer them to be less... fringey/tasselly, if that makes sense. House-wise, I am so Ravenclaw it hurts. But in the good way. The Ravenclaw colors are nice as long as the bronze is really bronze. I also have a fondness for Slytherin, and love their colors. So tell me my darling Switch Witches (whom I adore)...what puts you in a Sassy I am woman/man hear me roar mood? is it a scent? piece of Jewelry? Article of Clothing? Song? IS there something that just makes you feel...ON!? Stompy boots (preferably my beat-up, old, woefully discontinued Docs), swishy-but-body-conscious skirt (broomstick skirts = bad (alas), flippy/flared at the knees or fishtaily at the ankle = yay) -- I used to have this amazing stretch black velvet skirt with a line of sleek, barely-there, almost-ruffle just below the knee that was amazing, kickass top -- again, body-conscious, something that emphasizes the hourglassiness of my figure (stretchy "babydoll" style tees = yes, a lot of the standard, cheaper "women's" t-shirts = no (grr)). Awesome dangly earrings often give me a little boost, and I used to have this gold pendant my grandmother gave me that I seem to have failed to unpack the last time I moved. Also, my hair being in a good mood. Music will sometimes help, too. "Barracuda" by Heart, "When the Levee Breaks" (and actually most of IV) by Led Zeppelin, "Kill All Your Friends" (and several other songs -- "House of Wolves," "Teenagers," "Give 'Em Hell, Kid," "Thank You For the Venom," etc) by My Chemical Romance, most of War by U2 as well as some Achtung Baby, Joshua Tree, Rattle & Hum, Facelift by Alice in Chains, The $5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited by Metallica (well, that bit of Garage Inc. now, but I have a cassette from high school kicking around somewhere), some songs off Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins, "Good Day" by the Dresden Dolls, "King of Nothing" by Ghost of an American Airman, a handful of Nirvana songs, "Wishing Well" (actually most of that album) by The Airborne Toxic Event), sometimes Cake's Fashion Nugget or a handful of Violent Femmes songs, to an extent "Guilty Pleasure" by Cobra Starship and a handful of Midtown songs, "When Eagles Dare" by The Misfits, Love, Life, and Leaving by The Detroit Cobras, Neptune by The Duke Spirit, "Me & Dorothy Parker" by The Flash Girls, "She's a Rebel" by Green Day, "Sometimes" and "Laid" by James, somewhat ironically "Hallelujah" as sung by Jeff Buckley and "The Golden Age" by Beck, "Black Cat" by Ladytron, "The Age of Understatement" by The Last Shadow Puppets, "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick (and Letters to Cleo), Snapline's album Party is Over, Pornostar, and a handful of PK 14's stuff, "Goddess on a Hiway" by Mercury Rev, "Starlight" by Muse (and most of that album), "Ophelia" by Natalie Merchant, "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, "Jack the Ripper" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "For Real" by Okkervil River as well as most of The Stage Names, Horses by Patti Smith, "Tenement Teeth" by Pela, several songs off Doolittle by the Pixies, "Down by the Water" and "Send His Love To Me" by PJ Harvey, "Bastards of Young" and "Alex Chilton" by The Replacements, Surprise Attacks by Ribbons, "Rich Woman" by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, "Lioness" by Songs: Ohia, "Gun Street Girl" by Tom Waits, "Black Soul Choir" by Sixteen Horsepower, Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos, "Iowa" by Dar Williams, "Rags & Bones," and "This Girl Is Taking Bets" by Thea Gilmore, the War Tapes EP, "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes, "Adore Adore" and "Wake Up" by Yoav... basically everything I have around that kicks ass, rocks out, or in some cases just hits me deep in a particular way. [sorry for the length, I tend to get carried away with lists...] Would you rather received music burned onto a cd in audio format OR a thumb drive with songs in mp3 (or you specify which) format?: Either cd or thumbdrive is fine, though right now I seem to have misplaced my cd/dvd drive, so thumbdrive would be a touch more convenient. But it has to be around here somewhere. Mp3 is fine, though I tend towards mp4/AAC more. Lollyphile-wise (http://www.lollyphile.com/), the White Russian lollipops are the only ones that really appeal to me.

ETA 1/30/10: I would LOVE to try most of the Warrior Queens because I missed that inquest. I'm especially interested in Jingu and Tomoe Gozen, but also Hua Mulan, Semiramis, and just the perfume for Ysabel. I also completely missed everything during Yule 2009 and the most recent Anniversary and would likely love to try some of that (and would adore the Naughty/Nice tees in XL; for Inquisition scents I'm particularly interested in Playing with a Loaded Gun (I know, I know) and Comforting Plush Companion, and possibly Overprotective Possessed Talking Doll and Very Slightly Haunted Dollhouse). I was also really sad that I missed this past Peach Moon, and would be interested in Berry Moon, Strawberry Moon, and Flower Moon as well. ETA 9/8/10: I really really want to try stuff from the Atomic Luau Lounge and also most of the new GC honeys. ETA 9/11/10: Adding to list: Citadel of Awesome atm spray, decant of Sara Pezzini, The Volstead Act (decant or bottle), decant of Sky City (Before), decant of Iron Parasol v1, Geek.Goth (bottle or decant), Gothabilly (decant or partial), Loli.Goth (decant or partial), Victoriana.Goth (decant or partial). Oh, and Bathtub Gin (decant or bottle)! I haven't had time to put together a really thorough wishlist yet, but here's a list of stuff that has sort of randomly come up so far in my BPAL endeavors: imps/decants to try: (GC): oneiroi (LE): needle in a haystack screaming mandragora anaconda i married a vampire from planet x diary of a lovestruck teenage cannibal freakshow fairy wine fairy market monsterbait: tokyo stomp the ghost ouija scorpio egg nog latte black lace (original) storyville ho ho ho punkie night hod la primavera orange bottles: pumpkin queen pumpkin II '08 pumpkin III '08 the witching time of night Carnaval Diabolique: probably: the maltese cross of sanctus germanus: blood orange-amber incense, lilac-y floral western diamondback: spicy smooth creamy leather sage vanilla mellow snake oil maybe: l'heure verte: complex absinthe and rose, bit of lilac, opium death adder: smoky vanilla, dark coconut, spicy sweet gritty vetiver the blood garden: fruity dark wine, leather, incense, clove temple viper: resin and snake oil, sweet and smoke marcilla: light floral, lily-lilac nectarine beeswax complex, confused marianne: fruity-floral red musk and patchouli probably not, but weirdly tempting: arachnina: red musk, strong dark floral, slightly fruity, patchouli, poppy eshe: delicate, dry, dusty herbal floral, light jasmine base stormclouds over the midway: heavy dark rain incense ozone opium knucklebones: lime gin tobacco incense masculine v confused reviews parthenope: mossy aquatic musky jasmine-honeysuckle bezoar: golden wood, warm and round faeu boulanger: green swampy violet, bit of mint, watery the grand inquisitor's heretic's fork: burnt wood and vetiver hand of glory: creepy smoky incensey leather and beeswax shrunken heads: woodsy damp fern deep green leather

In the imp: Fizzy-bright, sweet champagne, and a little underlying syrup-perfume that's got to be the rose. Pretty! Kind of like rosewater ginger-ale. Fresh on the skin: Pink ginger ale, with the rose blossoming quickly. Very pretty! 10 minutes later: Light, soft, fizzy perfume. Delicate rose, really quite lovely. 1.5 hours later: Fizzy, fuzzy candy rose, starting to go a tiny bit soapy underneath. 3 hours later: Mostly fuzzy champagne left, with a little warm rose powder swirling at the bottom of the flute. Gone a little sticky. 4.5 hours later: Faded down to powder-syrup rose, very light. 6 hours later: Faded almost all the way down to thick sweet powder, a little tickly. Verdict: Really very lovely! Wish it didn't fade quite so fast. One phrase: Rosewater champagne.

In the imp: Champagne, but a little darker than the others. Maybe a little tobacco. Fresh on the skin: It's remarkable how consistent the champagne scents are on my skin. 5 minutes later: I guess my skin amps champagne. This one is practically aquatic, it's so full of champagne. 20 minutes later: Light, bubbly champagne with maybe a thread of something else. Starting to go a bit plasticky. 1 hour later: Fading out to a light, slightly prickly champagne. Verdict: Nice enough, but not particularly distinctive. Possibly suffered from being the third tried of the three Champagne scents. One word: Champagne.

In the imp: Mostly sweet champagne, a little tiny bit of chocolate. Fresh on the skin: Almost exactly the same. Surprisingly nice! 5 minutes later: Nearly all champagne, a bit of musk. 20 minutes later: Gorgeous, gorgeous champagne. 1.5 hours later: Sweet, delicious champagne, a bit rich. 3.5 hours later: Sweet, light champagne, with underlying musk. 16 hours later: Huh. Fades to something very faintly laundryish. Verdict: Delicious. One word: Champagne.

In the imp: Fruity citrus creamy soap. Fresh on the skin: Citrus-cream with a sort of fresh soap-wood base. 10 minutes later: Not terrible, but almost doing that ick that food and wood together tend to go on me. But light. Not bad. Still that bit of citrus cream. Just. Tainted. And very close to the skin. 30 minutes later: Huh. This has become something soft and pretty, a complex, delicate vanilla. I'm surprised, I expected to dislike this, but really it's quite nice. A little soapy and definitely powdery, but. Nice. 1.5 minutes later: Warm, soft vanilla, not too sweet. Fine, but not inspiring. 2 hours later: Sandalwoody. Fuzzy with fading vanilla. 3 hours later: This is pretty, if not really me. A little... antique. In both the good and bad ways. 5 hours later: Light vanilla musk, not too sweet indeed. Nice. Verdict: Meh. Okay, but not for me, quite. One phrase: Soft vanilla.

In the imp: Bright orange, a bit bitter. Fresh on the skin: Orange scratch-n-sniff sticker, only yeah, bitter in a rather boozy way. 15 minutes later: Sweetened up considerably, like orange sherbet floating in sprite. Quite nice. 40 minutes later: Sweet, warm, bright, orange. Yum! 1 hour later: So pretty! Want! 2.5 hours later: Faded orange. Still pretty! 4 hours later: Faded to light soap, unfortunately. Verdict: I liked this a whole lot. Pure, bright orange. One word: Orange.

In the imp: Warm caramel spice. Fresh on the skin: Scorched wood, bitter black center with oddly sweet edges. Like the pungent wood of old, worn cathedral pews. 5 minutes later: Wow. I never, ever want to smell like this. It's not exactly bad, but. Seriously, no. 10 minutes later: Caramel-spice-wood, only scorched. Not okay. 20 minutes later: This had calmed down into something that's almost not terrible, but the scorched rubber at the end ambushs the nose and turns the whole thing ick. 1 hour later: Calmed down even more to mostly a nice caramel-wood. Still not my thing, but could be worse. Verdict: Definitely not for me, though it's rather fascinating, in its way. One phrase: Scorched caramel-wood.

The only library/book-ish scents I've tried are Miskatonic University (library filled with Irish coffee -- but with emphasis on the coffee, at least for me) and Clio (orange-patchouli library -- emphasis on the library, all woods and parchment). Clio's the muse of history, so it's really quite appropriate. A couple of the Carnaval Diabolique Wunderkammer scents also seem to have library elements, like The Contract of Theophilus of Adana and Licwiglunga...

In the imp: Citrus with a sort of perfumey base. Fresh on the skin: So. Perfumey. Uck. But with citrus sillage, which I like. Kind of bitter, overall. 10 minutes later: Love the citrus, hate the... other stuff? Labdanum and ambergris, I suspect. Not that I'm sure what those smell like by themselves. But overall, this is highly problematic. 30 minutes later: I kind of hate this. Hate. And it's quite strong for being so light. 45 minutes later: Ah, tonka. That helps. This has calmed down quite a bit, thank goodness. It's still kind of not okay, but much less so. 1 hour later: This is not actually offensive, but I do definitely dislike it. At least it's quite light now. 2 hours later: I do like some of the citrus at the edges of this. But the center of it is just not for me, and I can't even explain why properly. 6 hours later: Huh. The end of this is actually quite pretty, though still quite perfumey. 7 hours later: Yup, kinda pretty. 9 hours later: Fading slowly, light and quite nice, in a perfumey sort of way. 12 hours later: Basically gone. Verdict: Love the citrus, hate the rest. Unfortunately, this = noooooooooo. One phrase: citrusy perfume.

In the imp: Bitter caramel candy. Fresh on the skin: Sour-bitter-sweet. This is not my thing. 20 minutes later: Indeed, sour-bitter-sweet, quite complex and fairly strong. Uck. I think it's possible that labdanum does not agree with me much. 1.25 hours later: Deep, dark sour-bitter sweet. I kind of really don't like this. 2.5 hours later: Syrupy, almost. It's kind of impressive how much I don't like this, but without having a violent recoil reaction, either. Verdict: No. Just, no. Not for me. One phrase: sour-bitter-sweet.

In the imp: Sweet, bitter, cherry blossom. Fresh on the skin: Soapy cherry blossom, oddly complex. 5 minutes later: Ooh. Soft cherry blossom, a little perfumey, slightly bitter. 15 minutes later: This is so pretty! Unusually pure cherry blossom, soft and not very sweet. A little perfumey for my taste, but oh, very pretty. 30 minutes later: A tiny bit soapy in with the perfumey, but overall, I like it. 1 hour later: Sadly, gets soapier and soapier. 2 hours later: Fading out into a light perfumey scent. 5 hours later: Gone except for the faintest breath of cherry blossom. Verdict: I like the cherry blossom, but it's just a touch to perfumey/soapy for my taste. Will probably try it again, though. One phrase: cherry blossom.

In the imp: Sweet, creamy fig-berry, not too sweet. Fresh on the skin: Sweet, a little spicy, creamy, a little... bitter? Oceanic. 5 minutes: Ahh, smoothing out. Sweet but not too sweet, creamy, fruity, a little... something else. Complex, very nice. 10 minutes later: A little powdery. I like this. 1 hour later: Huh. Sweet, powdery, berry... and scotch tape? Huh. 2 hours later: Yup, powdery, berry scotch tape. Kinda nice! 3 hours later: Vaguely berry-flavored scotch tape. Pretty sure this has stabilized. 4.5 hours later: Pretty, delicate, berry scotch tape. The confusing part is that I always thought the scotch tape was ozone-related, but I can't understand why I'm getting it for this blend. Hrm. Verdict: Really nice for something that reminds me of scotch tape! I'll keep the decant and try it again sometime, but I suspect this isn't bottle-worthy for me. One phrase: Berry scotch tape.

In the imp: Syrupy, spicy rose. Fresh on the skin: Bitter-fresh-woodsy almost-rose. 5 minutes later: Spicy-sweet teak; rosewater had spilled across it a few weeks back, and while most of it had been wiped away, a tiny amount soaked into the wood. It also smells sort of like pickles. 10 minutes later: Okay, all the woods and rose got beat up in the schoolyard for their lunch money... by pickles, a whole gang of them, including a scratch-n-sniff version. I'm not sure I'm going to survive this stage. 20 minutes later: Still all pickles and spicy teak. Grah. 1 hour later: My idea of fun does not include smelling like pickles! I even like eating some pickles, but this is ridiculous! 4 hours later: Okay, finally, it's calming down to more like woods and less pickle. Thank goodness. 7 hours later: And now it's basically gone. Verdict: So not for me, and in a totally confusing way! I guess my skin chemistry just doesn't work for one of these notes, and the only thing I'm certain of is that it's not the rose that's the problem -- heck, usually I amp rose and I could barely detect it. One word: Pickles.