![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
raybearAt work tonight, an attorney gave me an e-mail with some changes he wanted me to redline and e-mail back to him. The document was, get this -- his son's essay on John Donne's Death Be Not Proud. For real? For real?!? I couldn't believe his old school blatant powerplay use of secretarial resources. I thought about refusing to do it, but it just seemed like too much effort and frankly I was mildly curious to read this high schooler's 5 paragraph essay (and what changes his lawyer father had recommended). There was a moment though when he tried to hustle me along, because I wasn't done soon enough for his liking, and I looked at him and said, "[The Greek] needed me to make edits on his real document" and he kinda backed off sheepishly and let me finish then thanked me profusely afterwards. I don't know, maybe I'm fooling myself into thinking that doing random isht like this banks up some credit with people. I do think I do win occasional currency, but its maybe not as much as I'd like. Too bad I already wrote my essay on "Why I Deserve a Holiday Bonus 2007" because that isht would totally have been in there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today I'm wearing Idole by Lubin which has some really unfortunate marketing, though I suppose many colognes do, it seems to be quite popular and romantic to feature copious colonialist imagery. This one seems especially egregious though, which is a shame because I'm utterly in love with it. I put it on after I showered, right before work, nearly 8 hours ago, and what is left behind on my skin is so amazing, so soothing, it is like the smell of skin itself, warm and sweet and a touch salted earth. It conjures up memories of people and moments and its the exact reason why I'm obsessed with colognes and essential oils and whatnot. It is not to cover up the smell of myself, it is to enhance it, to experiment with how my body chemistry will transform itself. The other reason is the olfactory memories, the triggering. It is soothing when I find smells that remind me of other people. It is fascinating when I smell of something I have never encountered before and then when I go to bed it is like sleeping with the scent of a new body, like a lover. Ok, maybe this last part is overshare of my imagination, but seriously, I think there's something to be said for putting on cologne that is not yours and then taking yourself to bed, even just to sleep which is mostly what I'm doing anyway. I mean, I'm sure most people have done this with the smell of a new lover anyway, a real life person who left behind a shirt or even just themselves on a pillow. What can I say -- I don't want to wait for that to happen in real life, I will take my desire fulfillment into my own control. Plus, its really not always sexual, since sometimes my skin smells reminiscent of different family members, old friends, etc.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anjibobanji sent me lots of CB I Hate Perfume samples, which led me to LuckyScent.com and now I have an exorbitant wishlist, but you know, why not. If you know my last name, you can find it. Mostly its to keep track of what I like and aspire to have. I have ordered lots and lots of samples, worn them on my skin for a day, maybe three, understood what they do on my skin and how long they last, how much I like them, what I feel like when I smell it. I will probably only buy one bottle a year. (Ok, let's be honest, probably two.) And its good to plan ahead and know exactly what I want and why. CB I Hate Perfume was a brief tryst, I fell hard, then I fell away quickly, because I was impatient and cranky with how short-lived the smells were. Except for Pipe Tobacco. I think maybe his "accords" last longer than his perfumes? But then last week I put on Mr. Hulot's Holiday again and was so, so in love with it. I think I need a scent that is the sea. I have a sample of one in my LuckyScent cart right now. I found my green scent: vettiveru of Comme des Garcons. I'm now hunting for my spice scent. It might be this one. It might also be Divine's L'Homme Sage or FRANK No. 2. I definitely want the Escentric Molecules one.
Scents are the new wine for me. I haven't been buying or drinking much wine at all lately. Right now I'm indulging in a cocktail of whiskey and cream soda, bottles of which were left in our fridge from a guest and I'm not generally a fan but it makes for an excellent mixer with bourbon. The cocktail goes well with the bay rum/woody smell of my wrist that I keep sniffing. I do this out in public frequently and I wonder if people think I am talking into my wrist. 'Its the new bluetooth technology!'
Every year it is something, it seems, some tangible category of item to collect and fixate and research and experiment. For some reason, I like that at least this time, its something that will get used up. I used to be the opposite. I didn't like spending money on things that would disappear (e.g. food), I wanted large sturdy bulky things I could look at and feel were worth my hard-earned cash (or easily-squandered credit). Now I want to give away the 3 dimensional items in my house and subsist only on the thoughts and experiences conjured by the smells that lead to my distraction and imagination, which I suppose one could say wine served that same purpose as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today I didn't do much and I had to tell myself again and again that it was okay. That I didn't have to either distract myself or necessarily be 'productive' to be a worthy human being. (Ugh, that word, I hate it some times.) I spent most of Sunday out of the house anyway, so some solitary lounging was probably necessary. Plus, you know, some other stuff. Walking from the office to the train tonight, I realized things are sitting in my gut, not in my chest, where they usually reside. For some reason, this seems like a good thing to me. Because it is different. Of course now I'm home and things sit heavy on my chest again, but then I smell my wrist and put myself to bed under the downy cover and listen to the ice storm pass over us in the night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today I'm wearing Idole by Lubin which has some really unfortunate marketing, though I suppose many colognes do, it seems to be quite popular and romantic to feature copious colonialist imagery. This one seems especially egregious though, which is a shame because I'm utterly in love with it. I put it on after I showered, right before work, nearly 8 hours ago, and what is left behind on my skin is so amazing, so soothing, it is like the smell of skin itself, warm and sweet and a touch salted earth. It conjures up memories of people and moments and its the exact reason why I'm obsessed with colognes and essential oils and whatnot. It is not to cover up the smell of myself, it is to enhance it, to experiment with how my body chemistry will transform itself. The other reason is the olfactory memories, the triggering. It is soothing when I find smells that remind me of other people. It is fascinating when I smell of something I have never encountered before and then when I go to bed it is like sleeping with the scent of a new body, like a lover. Ok, maybe this last part is overshare of my imagination, but seriously, I think there's something to be said for putting on cologne that is not yours and then taking yourself to bed, even just to sleep which is mostly what I'm doing anyway. I mean, I'm sure most people have done this with the smell of a new lover anyway, a real life person who left behind a shirt or even just themselves on a pillow. What can I say -- I don't want to wait for that to happen in real life, I will take my desire fulfillment into my own control. Plus, its really not always sexual, since sometimes my skin smells reminiscent of different family members, old friends, etc.
anjibobanji sent me lots of CB I Hate Perfume samples, which led me to LuckyScent.com and now I have an exorbitant wishlist, but you know, why not. If you know my last name, you can find it. Mostly its to keep track of what I like and aspire to have. I have ordered lots and lots of samples, worn them on my skin for a day, maybe three, understood what they do on my skin and how long they last, how much I like them, what I feel like when I smell it. I will probably only buy one bottle a year. (Ok, let's be honest, probably two.) And its good to plan ahead and know exactly what I want and why. CB I Hate Perfume was a brief tryst, I fell hard, then I fell away quickly, because I was impatient and cranky with how short-lived the smells were. Except for Pipe Tobacco. I think maybe his "accords" last longer than his perfumes? But then last week I put on Mr. Hulot's Holiday again and was so, so in love with it. I think I need a scent that is the sea. I have a sample of one in my LuckyScent cart right now. I found my green scent: vettiveru of Comme des Garcons. I'm now hunting for my spice scent. It might be this one. It might also be Divine's L'Homme Sage or FRANK No. 2. I definitely want the Escentric Molecules one. Scents are the new wine for me. I haven't been buying or drinking much wine at all lately. Right now I'm indulging in a cocktail of whiskey and cream soda, bottles of which were left in our fridge from a guest and I'm not generally a fan but it makes for an excellent mixer with bourbon. The cocktail goes well with the bay rum/woody smell of my wrist that I keep sniffing. I do this out in public frequently and I wonder if people think I am talking into my wrist. 'Its the new bluetooth technology!'
Every year it is something, it seems, some tangible category of item to collect and fixate and research and experiment. For some reason, I like that at least this time, its something that will get used up. I used to be the opposite. I didn't like spending money on things that would disappear (e.g. food), I wanted large sturdy bulky things I could look at and feel were worth my hard-earned cash (or easily-squandered credit). Now I want to give away the 3 dimensional items in my house and subsist only on the thoughts and experiences conjured by the smells that lead to my distraction and imagination, which I suppose one could say wine served that same purpose as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today I didn't do much and I had to tell myself again and again that it was okay. That I didn't have to either distract myself or necessarily be 'productive' to be a worthy human being. (Ugh, that word, I hate it some times.) I spent most of Sunday out of the house anyway, so some solitary lounging was probably necessary. Plus, you know, some other stuff. Walking from the office to the train tonight, I realized things are sitting in my gut, not in my chest, where they usually reside. For some reason, this seems like a good thing to me. Because it is different. Of course now I'm home and things sit heavy on my chest again, but then I smell my wrist and put myself to bed under the downy cover and listen to the ice storm pass over us in the night.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 05:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 05:36 am (UTC)this post was for you!
Date: 2007-12-11 05:44 am (UTC)I'm okay with scents fading and changing. But not disappearing completely! I fell out of love with the fancy italian Mazzolari for the same reason. Three hours and poof, gone. My dryer sheet smell last longer than that.
I wonder, with CB, if the absolutes stay longer? I couldn't tell if the sample you sent were the water perfumes or what.
Re: this post was for you!
Date: 2007-12-11 06:01 am (UTC)Pipe Tobacco is an absolute. The ones with fancy names are the perfumes and the ones that describe one thing are absolutes. I think Burning Leaves is a perfume.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 05:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 06:02 am (UTC)<3 this post.
Date: 2007-12-11 09:28 am (UTC)Re: <3 this post.
Date: 2007-12-11 09:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 12:49 pm (UTC)To me, this is the difference between reminding yourself that you're real (pursuing the tangible) and reminding yourself that you're not real (rejecting it). Both of which are true.
All I want to wear is Sequoia. I'm sure that I'll need to mix it up in a couple of months, but it is making me happy now. I need to filter the huge pile of samples again. You will be the beneficiary.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 01:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 01:54 pm (UTC)Are our smelling tastes the same as our music tastes (strong overlap, strong dissonance)? I like that.
no subject
Date: 2007-12-11 01:24 pm (UTC)Made me swoon.
muffybolding pointed me your way... hope you dont mind...
Date: 2007-12-11 04:58 pm (UTC)great bit of writing!
Re: muffybolding pointed me your way... hope you dont mind...
Date: 2007-12-11 08:09 pm (UTC)your user icon reminds me of a friend of mine who lived in SF and was roommates with the DP of Bend of Boyfriend (or maybe BOB 2) and i watched it on new year's eve in their living room with some british boy my gf and i are the time were halfway attempting to seduce. it didn't work! ha.
Re: muffybolding pointed me your way... hope you dont mind...
Date: 2007-12-11 08:38 pm (UTC)and welcome to the madness that is my mundane life/lj!