valentina

I don't see mention of Dorian yet, and that is a most yummy light musk in him!

Conflicting feelings aside (that's easy for me to say!), I think you and your hubby should declare yourself to be newly-newlyweds, and act accordingly! You need to live as just the two of you and celebrate your marriage, and it's never too late to do that!

I'm sure you watched him leave with some relief and some remorse. You and your hubby were very kind to take him in for as long as you did, especially as newlyweds.

I want a Pumpkin Queen review from you! (Or maybe you've already reviewed in the regular reviews...) I keep thinking I might enjoy it, although it's not like I need it -- I have my Lab imp packet on order, a 7 or 8 imp decant circle order, a bottle of 13 and three bottles from Possets on their way. And I have bottles of Snake Oil sitting in the "Snake Oil cellar" to age, since I'm obsessed with aged Snake Oil. Just why would I think I need Pumpkin Queen? But I do. It sounds like you are going to be quickly employed after the current gig ends... and I hope the hubby can do the tech transfer for so you can at least have the laptop!

Hey there everyone... Given the somewhat decadent image I tend to craft for myself on the forum, I really do more than check my manicure and pedicure, fuss with my hair and peruse shoe departments and Victoria's Secret catalogs. (Although those are some of my favorite things to do.) I also go up to the gym and ride cardio machines and I lift weights. I've become fond of doing lunges holding a 12-lb. medicine ball all the way around the indoor track. That would be approximately a block long. It's good for the legs and the bum, and at my age, I need all the help that I can get to keep the bum suspended somewhere above the back of my knees. And I take vitamins, mainly out of habit, because when I was going into high school, I'd apparently had a bit of a rapid growth spurt that caused me to become really anemic. I had to take slugs of vitamins until that was remedied, and then I just kept up the habit. I drink, but it seems that I've always tended to either get full (if drinking beer) or fall asleep before I get really drunk. I also had a formative experience on my 20th birthday that perhaps altered any tendency to drink a lot. I was living in a resort town for the summer and some girlfriends took me to a bar for birthday drinks. Various tourists hanging in bar kept sending me drinks. The notion of the lascivious geezers who were sending my innocent 20-year-old self tequila makes my current self shudder and thank the powers of the universe that I had several friends who didn't ditch me. Anyway, my friends deposited me on the front door of where I was staying, I crawled in and made my way to the shower. My roomie and her boyfriend kept waiting for me to scream and I didn't. I happily showered for about 15 minutes, puked and fell into bed. It seems the hot water heater had died and I took an ice-cold shower without knowing it. The hell that I felt the next day is something I still remember. And I don't smoke, and I never have. I tried, but was hopelessly incompetent at it. I guess that was my good luck. And now I'm going to sound like a harpy old lady, but if you smoke, do think about quitting sooner rather than later. A guy who worked in my office up until a year ago, when he took a different job in the same building, was diagnosed with lung cancer about 2 months after he started his new job. He'd stopped smoking a year earlier. But he smoked entirely too long and didn't quit soon enough. I don't think he's going to make it. This sucks. He used to have a gorgeous head of thick wavy hair and now he's bald from chemo and he's holding onto the walls to keep his balance when he walks down the hall. When he stopped working in my office last year, I took a photo of him, copied it a number of times and "Andy Warhol-ized" it by coloring over it with pastels. I modified his hair, put glasses on him, turned him into all sorts of things. He loved it and took it with him to put away as a keepsake. I really don't want to see it hanging up on one of the memory posterboards that you see at a funeral, but shit, I think that may be what's going to happen. Weird thing is, this guy was the king of kvetchers when he was well. If his lips were moving, he was probably bitching, albeit in a likable, often funny sort of way. After his diagnosis, he developed a shockingly good attitude. It's amazing. He's tried to work and stay social and even go on his powerwalks when he had the energy. And he never complains about being sick or losing his hair, and he flat adored his hair. It makes me really sad. And my blog has recently sounded like the old lady in the retirement center with her endless stories of people dying, and seriously guys, this has been an unusual stretch. Lest you think I'm not myself, let me tell you this: I went down to my ailing former coworker's current office to say hi to him one day in late August. I wanted to give him a hard time about something or other, because he loves to be harassed and treated like nothing is the matter. I had on one of my summery wrap dresses that can dip kind of low in the front. Normally I'm pretty careful to keep the foundation garments out of the public eye, so I'd frequently check what the neckline was doing. So I was sitting there talking to him, and I knew my bra was showing a little, and I just let it. I know he noticed because he called a mutual friend and told him all about it. And I didn't care. So there. Vaguely naughty is a good, good thing.

The mental image that you presented here is priceless. I have a vision of darkity spontaneously breaking into lunge-walk and the Mister looking up with mild curiosity.

I am a sucker for a Scottish accent, so of course Craig Ferguson is way cute to me, but here's a link to a political blog that has two really really funny segments from his show. I thought for a minute that it was real, then realized they're screwing with the tape to make it sound that way, but methinks they didn't have to screw with the tape that much. I nearly pulled a muscle laughing at it. If you venerate our current president, and not my favorite ol' poonhound and ex-president, William Jefferson Clinton, then don't watch this. (BTW, it's worth it just to hear "Bush" said with a Scottish accent. ) http://www.crooksandliars.com/index.php?s=Craig+Ferguson

I'm guessing I was wearing either Smut-O-Rama or Snake Oil.

Hi Betty Baker! I'm one of the pride of Leos who showed up on your intro thread. Give up your power to BPAL and smell better than any human could dare to smell. Welcome to the blog island! We're a small, friendly, stream-of-consciousness group.

In the imp, Quincey is leather, but in a buttery, buckskin sort of way. No hard black leather here. When it hits my skin, it's again soft leather that quickly dries down into a really nummy rush of pear and vanilla. Then after 5 minutes, it's back to the soft leather smell that's backed up by the mild sweetness of the pear and vanilla. If my body would not amp leather to degree that it does, Quincey would hold greater potential, but I do largely consider it a manly-man scent in a good-guy sort of way. Absurd as this sounds, it's how I imagine Marshall Dillon on "Gunsmoke" would have smelled.

In the imp, Follow Me Boy smells like jasmine, and once it hits my skin, it is similarly jasmine, but in a good sort of way. There is also a slightly herbal smell; maybe lavendar? There is also something in the blend that gives it a slight powdery quality after a bit -- maybe a light amber or pale musk? But the jasmine-herb-powder smell is really very nice and pretty; and it lasts. I put it on my wrist at 9 p.m. and it's very present about 10 hours later! (Why do I write reviews at 7 a.m.? Can anyone tell me that?) Anyway, as to its efficacy, I haven't worn it out in public, but I'm sure that any male who's roused by jasmine would love this scent. ETA: I layered FMB under some Siren (very compatable scents) and went forth into my day. It has its effects, because I left home feeling rather growly and not at all pretty, and I've had an inordinate number of people tell me that I look great, or that there's just something about me today...

In the imp, Has No Hanna is gold and floral -- a buttery, rich, round sort of floral. On my skin, it is again floral, but not in a cloying, unbearable way; to me, it seems to have ylang-ylang or some exotic smell that is rich and nectary. There must be something else in this blend to cut the extreme floral aroma, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what it would be -- maybe a bit of ginger or pepper? I wore a few drops of Has No Hanna for the first time simply to test out its power on an evening when I felt a bit troubled and dark, and it certainly had the intended effect. While this may not be a scent that I would wear simply for its fragrance, I am keeping my imp because of its brightening and uplifting qualities. Edited to correct my whacky spelling.

Lucretia said what I was thinking when I read your, and even if the people in your former group do look really good, pretty does not always equate to happy. I've known a lot of physically gorgeous, but tortured souls in my time. Besides, I'm guessing that you're still beautiful (I've always pictured you that way), it's just that we're all our own worst critics.

Wonderful photos! I remember visiting Tilamook when I was in the Northwest. I see their cheeses in a few stores here in the middle of it all, and it brings fond memories. And look at Snarky in that photo with her long hair and the sideswept bangs! You look lovely, and I don't think you were just reflecting the artichoke's radiance!

I have been reading through the blog and forum comments about how people react to the new update scents. I really enjoy that, it's fun to read. Seriously, we're all so attuned to scents and body chemistry and blends of aromas, it's pretty amazing. Compared to the rest of the world, it's astonishing. A lot of you have really sophisticated noses. I would guess that many of you are the type of person who sniffs their food. I could get a latte with flavoring in it, but not know what the flavor is, and I'm not always able to discern the flavor by only the taste. But if I smell it, I can almost always get the flavor category. Many of us tend to get on ourselves about our BPAL addiction, and I'm certainly on that bandwagon. I showed a small amount of restraint this last update, although when you read what I did, you may not think so, but one person's restraint is another person's abandon, right? I got into a decant circle (eviltemptressd's!) so I can try out 6 or 7 of the Yule scents before I order. The new 13 sounded intriguing, so I did get a bottle. And as much as I wanted to buy bottles of Love Lies Bleeding, Mania and Horreur Sympathique, I ordered them in an imp package, because I've always wanted to try out Nosferatu, Miskatonic U and La Petite Mort. This will be fun, so much to sample! I think BPAL is wonderful because it challenges us to use the wiring that's there in our brains to distinguish certain smells. This is something that the human brain can do (obviously, because even my brain can do it!), but it's not frequently needed for survival in the modern world. So rather than letting it sit and molder, we use it for our pleasure. So there's a very Gil Grissom-like rationalization for buying the shit out of BPAL. And as Ani DiFranco said, fuck guilt! I haven't written a lot in the blog lately because I was rather -- oh, what should I say? -- spent. Last week was one of those weeks when everyone was interested in confessing things to me, wanting me to be their therapist or plugging into my energy. Whatever you want to call it, people were there, almost like zombies. I did have a relatively beneficial and mutual conversation with the guy at the coffee house (Mr. "Wandering Gypsy") about how he writes lyrics to his songs. He said something very similar to interviews that I've read with other singer/songwriters, who say that it's just channeled to them. They can't explain it any other way. They sit and write endless crap and then, standing at the refrigerator, something amazing downloads in their brain and they run over, find a piece of paper and write the lyrics to an entire song. I read an interview with Greg Brown, who said he had an entire album come to him as he was driving home in the dark; it was like he had the radio on, listening to new music, but he didn't -- it was in his head. The psychology folks say that's just the left brain letting go and the right brain taking over, but my friend (and a lot of other songwriters) don't think it's that simple and/or simply biological. I read a book where a number of neurologists and researchers said that when one riddle of the brain is solved, it also leads them to discover that there's 10 more things that they don't understand. I don't think we'll ever figure it out, and why should we? Maybe the mystery isn't ours to understand. And I'll get off that kick and close by saying that I tried my imp of Has No Hanna last Wednesday night when I thought a little boost would help. And if what happened afterwards was any indication, I can't explain it, nor do I want to, but it worked...

I'm doing a decant circle on some the Yule scents that you're interested in, and I ordered an imp package with at least one of the new GCs you want to try, so for everything that doesn't work on me, I now know who will need to try them next! The new 13 formulation did sound rather nice, didn't it? And Beth said it was sexy as hell, and when her royal high priestess Beth-ness says its sexy, I sit up and listen! What's happening on the job front, as far as timelines/other possiblities? It's always hard to part from a group of people that you enjoy. I work for a legislature and a term limits constitutional amendment passed a few years back, so the first (very large) group of term limited senators had their last session this year. It was really sad; I'd known and worked with a lot of those people for years and I like and respect many of them. It felt like a part of the job died; I didn't realize how sad it would make me until the goodbyes during the last day. So I understand your feeling of melancholy. May a nice order of 13 bring you happiness good luck!

Congratulations, girlfriend! It looks lovely, that lush wooded view is wonderful. Good for you! Hooray!!!

I've found that if there's a sweet/milky/foody element to a scent, there also needs to be something to cut the sweetness -- such as the lemon in Dorian or the ginger in Sudha Segara. Maybe in Midway, it's the salt that gives the edge and the contrast? (I've never tried it, so that's just a guess.) Scents like Hellcat or Cockaigne are OK on me at first, but then they get cloying and overwhelming and vaguely nauseate me, so I know of what you speak!

A few other photos -- not as intriguing as the photos from Will Call! The first one is of Mugzy, staring down a squirrel; it's in the shadows, but he's standing next to a weeping mulberry tree that he loves to use as a back-scratcher. And here's Ella Bean, wending her way through an path between the major garden area and a small garden pond, which has a lilac bush and day lillies planted around it. A brisk southern wind was blowing those Basset ears around! I like to plant Mexican sunflowers every year because they're great butterfly magnets. I hope this little guy has headed south, because snow showers are forecast for tomorrow night. Yech!

In the bottle, Trick #2 gets a big "mmmmmmm..." for its depth and smoothness. You could simply fall into this scent by sniffing it alone; I can really pick up the oak-aged vanilla in the bottle. On my skin, the pomegranate and pine intially fuse to create a bright scent that for a moment almost seems a bit citrus-like; but that calms down very quickly and everything takes it place within this blend. I find a great similarity to Mme. Moriarty, obviously because of the patchouli and the pomegranate. However, this is how Mme. Moriarty would smell if she was a fortune teller in a secluded cabin in the midst of a dark forest -- the muskiness of Moriarty is replaced by pine, berries and smokiness. This is a beautiful, wonderful fall-winter scent that's very sexy and arousing! ETA: To me, this scent is the love child of Mme. Moriarty and Golden Priapus. H.O.T.!

Here's some distance shots and a couple little close-ups of the garden. I'll post more in the next day or two, including one of critter-life around the back yard. Everything was shot on Sunday morning, October 8, and for you gardeners, I'm in zone 5 (on the edge of 6) on the growing season map:

Here I am, checking in with odd comments and reports of the usual odd goings-on in my life. Why would anyone drink orange juice when they could eat an orange? I love oranges so much. Apples are really great this time of year, but apples make me hungry. Does anyone else experience this? But oranges are so yum. And orange juice is a fine beverage, it's just that I'd rather eat an orange. A woman that I know passed away yesterday. I was acquainted with her via my ex-husband and through my job; she wasn't a close friend but someone I always enjoyed when we ran into each other. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on her 54th birthday, which was 3 months ago. Doods, that is express check-out. Like a Zen master once said, our problem is that we always think we have time. This woman knew a lot of people, she had a certain zest for the world, and especially this little corner of the world. A lot of people will miss her. The last conversation that I had with her somehow morphed into a discussion of how cute Che Guevara was, and her comment was: "Yeah, he even looked good even when he was all shot to shit." Her legacy for me is to live like there's no tomorrow, never be ashamed to be quirky, and to be proud to love all the things that aren't supposed to be cool to love, but you love them anyway. I need to photograph my garden tomorrow; it's supposed to be warm and sunny, and the weatherdudes say that by next weekend, it's gonna be cold! Eeek! I tend to have a fall garden; my garden is really looking interesting when other people have ripped out most of their flowers. Of course, I let things get really wild-looking and I love it that way. I like to say I have a cottage garden or a more "naturalistic" way of gardening. I'm reading "Devil In The White City" about the Chicago World's Fair in the 1890's, and the man who planned the midway (Olmstead) went to England and decided he liked the more naturalistic, wilder, overgrown English countryside far more than the perfectly planned and ordered British gardens. I felt terribly affirmed when I read that. So maybe next week, I'll post some wild prairie garden photos. The purple dome aster that has gone bezerk, the Mexican sunflowers that have run amok, the hyssop and cleomes that keep blooming, the salvia and the zinnias, the native grasses. I am lucky enough to actually love the plains plants that thrive in this environment. So until later, be happy, be quirky, laugh a lot and of course, smell like an angel or a very sexy devil!

Eating apples with protein does seem to alleviate whatever it is with the acid in the apple that tends to make you hungrier... I am in no way as elegant as minilux and I tend to use peanut butter. I don't like peanut butter that much, except if it's on an apple or a banana. And I'll actually drink milk all on its own if I have it with peanut butter and bananas. And I love to cook with apples... ah, really good apple crisp, or apple pies, or baked apples. If I get some sugar and butter and cinnamon on them, then they don't make me hungry when I eat them.

I am with you in my link-challenged tendencies. I used to be able to do it, and then it quit working. Actually, I think there was something going on with my computer software that was messing me up, and I think I fixed it. But I'll have to try today to insert a link, and if it doesn't work, you'll be getting a PM to give me a tutorial... I think my recent fixation on oranges is because my body simply craves more raw food. I'll have to look into that some more; eating properly is something I always intend to do, but sometimes I don't... Good to see you back on blog island!

Nice to see you again! I'm glad the trip went well! That's a bummer about the job, but you must be very employable! Jeez, to be able to head back over to your old job, that's a good thing. I do know what you're saying about missing your current coworkers; if I were to switch jobs, which is increasingly becoming a consideration, I know I'd miss most of my coworkers. Not all of them, but most of them. It's like a little family. I too did an inquisition order earlier this week. I hadn't planned to, but I sold some things and accordingly turned the sales proceeds over to the Trading Post and Lab. I let them pick, as I did last year for the naughty or nice inquisition, but I do give them something to work with. I'll be very entertained to see what I get!