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  • Silvertree

    Mod post: No wishlist posts in blogs

    By Silvertree

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

Going Home

One of the questions I was asked repeatedly before leaving Afghanistan was, “So, are you going home before heading to your new post?” To which I would reply, “I just spent a week in Kazakhstan. That was my break.” Generally, people who don’t know me very well think it is strange that I would take a break from Afghanistan in another Central Asian ‘stan. But this is how it is: I have spent most of my adult life in Kazakhstan and I have family and friends there. Most of what I know and how my adult character has been shaped is due to my time in the former USSR. I can’t bear dirty shoes or wrinkled clothes, bring a gift whenever invited to someone’s house, take my shoes off at the door (and put on slippers) and even last night caught myself sticking a cork under the metal handle of a pot lid. It is more than these habits, though, and this is what sucks about my lifestyle and my line of work: it is the relationships you form with the people you have to leave.   I first came to Kazakhstan with the Peace Corps, just out of grad school. After only three days in-country, with quick and intense Russian lessons, I was handed over to the people with whom I would live for the next three months. Hating children, I had requested to live with a couple about my parent’s age with adult sons. Reihan and Syrail came to pick me up at the sanitorium with their daughter-in-law, Ranosha (who spoke a little English). In a rented Lada, they took me away to my new life in a small village near Talgar. What I remember most about that day was watching my future husband walk off with his Russian host family and wondering when I would see him again.   The next two months were all about acclimating. I spent eight hours a day in Russian lessons, after which, Stas (another Volunteer in my village) and I would drink fortified wine and watch 18-year-old village boys play soccer with their shirts off. Reihan and Syrail treated me like their own daughter: the taught me pidgin Russian, made sure that I was well fed, and built me a shower in the backyard (they only bathed at a neighbor’s banya once a week and they had no running water). They took me to graduation ceremonies and to visit relatives. Syrail told me about how his father died in World War II before he was born and Reihan told me about her childhood emigrating from China with her 10 brothers and sisters. I was the first American they had ever known and they were anxious to tell me all about their people, the Uighurs. For those of you who don’t know (and most of you don’t), Uighurs are an ethnic group who live in the northwest of China in the area bordering Kazakhstan. Because they are Muslim and seek an autonomous state called East Turkestan, they have been persecuted by the Chinese government, labeled terrorists, forcibly sterilized, tortured, and generally experienced all of the other terrible fates that befall minorities in China. (Some of you might recall that there were some Uighurs held in Guantanamo; the US had no further reason to hold them but knew they would be sentenced to death in China, so they sent them to Bulgaria after their release.)   After my initial three months with my new family, I was sent out on my own to live in Siberia. Before I left, Reihan gave me a freshwater pearl necklace which she had gotten from her mother, “I never had a daughter, but if I had, this necklace would have gone to her” she told me, “you are my only daughter.”   I wrote letters to Reihan and Syrail (now “Mama” and “Papa” with the accent on the last syllable) and called them, and of course visited when I traveled to the Southern city of Almaty. When they found out I was getting married, they bugged me about having children, even offering to raise a child for me whom I could visit on the weekends. When I finished my two-year stint in the Peace Corps, leaving Mama and Papa was heartbreaking. As we were all crying and hugging goodbye, I took a petal from one of Mama’s rosebushes in the courtyard for safekeeping, somehow hoping that a small charm would bring me back to them.   It was almost a year before I came back to work in Western Kazakhstan. Then, luckily, was offered a job in Almaty, only 40 minutes from Mama and Papa’s village. For the next two years, I saw them nearly every weekend. Once, my husband was building a fence around our Almaty yard and Papa and one of his sons came to help. A nosy Kazakh (drunken) neighbor ventured over several times asking questions about me and my husband and what we were doing there. “I was in the military in Belarus, where I met the girls’ mother,” Papa told the neighbor about me, “she is my biological daughter, but her mother moved to America right before she was born.”   Nearing the end of my two-years in Almaty, my host father had a heart attack. Mama told me the prognosis was poor; we went to see him in a truly Soviet hospital in Talgar. I remember driving up in the snow in my beige Neva, and walking down the long, dingy hallways. Papa was lounging in the room in a track suit with another patient. He was feeling alright (Mama had not told him what the doctors said) and once assured that he would be OK, I proceeded back down the stairs. On the way down, I heard him tell his roommate, “That was my American daughter”.   During my time in Kazakhstan, their first and second grandsons were born. Abdullam and Rabkhat, now six and four, have known me all of their lives.   When they found out I was leaving once again, they were upset. When they learned I was going to Afghanistan they were just as anxious as my American Mom and Dad. Luckily, there were direct flights from Kabul to Almaty, so I was able to visit three times during my two years in Afghanistan. The last visit was just a few weeks ago, right before coming to Africa. I took a marshrutka (minibus) from the central bus station in Almaty to the village, bearing gifts for everyone and when I got there, Mama was not around. “Where’s Mama?” I asked frantically. “She’s at the hospital, we will go and see her tonight.”   After finishing dinner, and spending time with Abdullam and Rabkhat crawling all over me and vying for attention, my host father broke the news: Mama’s youngest sister, whom I had met several times and visited, had died of a sudden stroke ten days before. Mama had high blood pressure and that is why she was in the hospital. Rustam (the older son) and Papa drove me back to Almaty about 7:00 pm to the hospital. It was a nice place—the Presidential hospital, where Nazerbayev has his own ward—the complete opposite of where Papa had to stay a few years before. Mama was crying and upset when we saw her, putting aside her grief, the first thing she asked me was, “did you eat?”   Mama told me again about her sister, about what a good person she was and how she had saved her whole life (her sister was a surgeon at the Veteran’s Hospital) and was just at the point in her life where she could relax (her first grandchild had just been born) when she died. I realized that it was the stress of her sister dying that put Mama in the hospital. I promised to visit a few days later.   That next Sunday, Stas (the Volunteer from my village, now an old friend who can’t seem to leave Kazakhstan) and I went to see Mama at the hospital. Anyone familiar with the Soviet system will tell you that the hospital stay is TEN DAYS. No more, no less and most people go to the hospital to relax or recover from a cold. Mama was sharing a room with a Russian war veteran and another talkative old lady. After giving me money to buy candy (Mama knows how much I love sweets) she took us around to introduce me to everyone on her hall. “She doesn’t look like you” the talkative old woman said.   Saying goodbye was hard. I knew that I was leaving Asia and I was not sure when I would be back. Even living in Bangkok or Delhi I could fly back to Kazakhstan for a week easily, but my new position in Africa makes visits to Mama and Papa almost untenable. I broke down as soon as we walked out of the hospital. “Come on, let’s go get a beer,” was Stas’ reply.   So this is my Uighur family from Kazakhstan. It’s strange how you can form relationships with people who have such different backgrounds, cultures, and languages, but grow to care about them as much as the people you have known your whole lives. It really sucks when you have to leave, but I am sure I will be back.
Confection

Confection

1
Goth Hobbit's Blog
 

More on the home front.

Hey, look everybody! I'm finally updating this thing again!   There has been a lot of Stuff going on at Chez Hobbit; so much so that I hardly know where to begin. I'm just going to pick a spot and go.   My Dear Grad Student, D., made the drive down for Spring Break with Maggie-dog, and it was good. A little awkward, in some ways; he was staying with his parents, which meant that I was as well. (I have a very small place and a housemate, plus two elderly cats and the ferret; adding another human and a large dog with knee problems who isn't used to two flights of stairs would have been utter insanity.) In fact, when he asked them if they would mind having me over for a night or two, they had already anticipated the possibility, so it turned into them seeing my bleary smiling face every morning all week. At some point, they were going to learn that I am not a Morning Person, so it was probably good to get it out of the way.   I'm not sure that D's parents were quite prepared for just how solid our relationship is, but again -- they were going to see it at some point, and if they have any reservations about my presence in his life, they had plenty of opportunity to bring it up. All in all, I don't have any worries on that front.   While D was here, he got word from CU. They want him. They really want him. Needless to say, the acceptance letter for their offer has been sent, along with the properly regretful "thank you for your interest in me" letters to the other schools. D is coming Home in August, and while the situation with Minnesota remains bittersweet, I think that things are going to be okay in that respect as well. D has been homesick beyond the telling of it. Although that isn't the best reason for choice of a PhD program, they did make him a good enough offer to tip the scales, and he was really impressed with the way that the program has come together in the past couple of years. Next up: house-hunting.   Saying good-bye gets harder and harder every time we have to do it, and this time was no exception. The only bonus is that we now know that there is a finite number of times that it's going to happen again. May, for D's graduation, and probably a mid-summer trip.   Speaking of May, both D and the Housemate are trying to convince me to fly instead of drive; I'm still torn on the idea. It isn't just graduation; I'm also going to Florida on that same trip for my chosen sister's museum exhibit opening, and I'll want to spend some time with my mom and birth-sister as well. I haven't been convinced that flights, extra suitcase charges, and a rental car will be any less expensive than gas and motels; plus having my own car gives me an escape route if Mom and I should have a major disagreement over some of the things I'm going to discuss with her while I'm there. On the other hand, airport shuttles do make residential pick-ups, and flight reservations can be changed, if you're willing to pony up the cash. It just takes more time to do so than packing a car. Decisions, decisions.   This week in particular has been hard; I found out a week ago today that a friend went in for what was supposed to be a routine surgery and didn't come out. Gabriel's heart stopped while he was under, and the doctors couldn't resuscitate him.   People are still reeling from the news. A bunch of us spontaneously converged on the local hangout the night that word got out. Everyone, including me, kept looking at the front door of the Cafe, waiting for Gabriel to walk in ...even though we all knew that it wasn't going to happen.   I had more beer than food, and I wasn't the only one in that state, either. Maybe I was betraying my Irish roots by sticking to Newcastle, but the Cafe doesn't have Harp or Smithwick's on tap, and doesn't carry Beamish at all. I don't drink all that much, despite having the alcohol tolerance of Bacchus, and I lost count of the pints I was downing. I have this vision of the brewery staff at Newcastle solemnly hanging my photograph in the lobby.   I had to break the news to the Grad Student that same day. Before I started abusing my liver. I didn't want him to just stumble over it like a trip wire, and the news was all over our friends' assorted blogs. I still feel bad about adding to his already crappy day, but he was glad to hear it from me instead of someone -- or somewhere -- else. Gabriel was his friend as well, and I know that it hit D hard. He said "Gabe and Vanessa should have been sitting in the corner at our housewarming party, making snarky comments." And I feel doubly bad that I wasn't physically there with D, doing what I could to make things easier.   It still doesn't seem real.   I told a friend at the first gathering that, were I Jewish or particularly religious, I would say that the world is short by one of the tzadikim; being neither, I was still saying it. She replied that she is Jewish, and she agrees with me entirely.   Gabe's memorial was Friday at the Cafe; it was entirely appropriate, as he spent more time there than in his apartment. The organizers wanted it to be a celebration of his life rather than focusing on his loss, and I think that we managed for the most part. People got up to tell stories and reminisce. I didn't know if I was going to speak or not, but in the end, I did. I got the final word, so to speak, when Rachel handed me the microphone. I kept it short, commenting that Gabriel Wisdom was the most aptly named person that any of us are ever likely to meet, and summed it up with two lines from my favorite Dylan Thomas poem: Though lovers be lost, love shall not. And Death shall have no dominion. Just to bring the suckage full circle, tomorrow (okay, today, March 28th) is the 1 year anniversary of my Granddad's death. I can already tell that I'm either going to be wildly productive, or a complete basket case; it depends on how well I can manage to keep myself distracted. Granddad will never get to meet Daniel, nor see how happy I am with him. Daniel will never get to shake Granddad's hand, or tell him how much he loves me. It hurts almost as much as it did a year ago, knowing these things. While the part of me that still has faith that this world is not the end tells me that Granddad already knows and approves, we still won't get to see it, and that makes a difference.   I wish that I could end this on a cheerier note, but I'm just not in that state of mind right now. I'm really looking forward to D's call this evening.
goth_hobbit

goth_hobbit

2
jazlyn's blog.....
 

non-BPAL/BPTP fragrances tried

A separate list for non-BPAL/BPTP fragrances because when they were combined, it was too long to scroll through! A few of these were extras in swap packages; the others are scents that I swapped for to try or tried on my own.   Alternative Breeding Vital Signs     Arcana Soaps Ambrosia Breakfast in Hollywood Pomegranate     Atropa's Cottage Aries     Ava Luxe Viva     Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Ecucalyptus Spearmint Relax soothing pillow mist Japanese Cherry Blossom body mist     Bathed & Infused Cherry Blossom perfume Kir Royale body mist     The Body Shop Fuzzy Peach perfume oil     The Coconut Hut Coconut & Pear tiki roll on Hawaiin Luau tiki roll on     Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Feuilles     Demeter Pomegranate     Fyrinnae Fruit Juicy Melon Mango Lemon Pineapple Ginger Pomegranate Raspberry Swirl Tiki Vanilla Berry   Japanese Collection Gothic Aristocrat Rising Sun   Sweets Pumpkin Pie   Traditional & Holiday Scents All Hallow's Eve   Traditional Feminine Scents Layla     Heaven & Earth Essentials White Cat     Isle of Eden Kiwi Breezer (discontinued scent?) Strawberry Mango Daiquiri (disc.?) Tropical Champagne (disc.?)     Possets Lavender Water Les Espices Lavender Water Les Fleurs Silver Roses Ultramarine Blue     Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction body mist <3     Zents Citrus (discontinued?) Mandarin Sun     Brand Name/Commercial Fragrances Burberry - Tender Touch Women Chanel - Chance (the perfume I wore 'before BPAL') Christian Dior - Miss Dior Cherie Clinique - Happy Dolce & Gabbana: - Feminine - Light Blue - Sicily Estee Lauder - Pleasures Fresh: - Bergamot Citrus - Hesperides - Lemon Sugar - Memoirs of a Geisha - Pink Jasmine - Pomegranate Anise - Sake - Sugar Blossom - Sugar Lychee - Tangerine Lychee Giorgio Armani - Sensi Givenchy: - Ange ou Demon (I think I like!) - Hot Couture Gucci: - Envy Me - Rush 2 (may like this one!) Isabella Rossellini - Manifesto Juicy Couture - Juicy Couture Marc Jacobs - Essence Origins: - Ginger Essence sensuous skin scent - Ginger with a Twist sparkling body cocktail Salvatore Ferragamo - F by Ferragamo
jazlyn

jazlyn

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

Quickie

I am still undecided. I want this quarter to be a really good one! I don't want to regret not taking precalc. Um. That's about it. Hope you're all doing well!
smallvoice

smallvoice

0
circe_blue's Blog
 

Hot Fuzz Advanced Screening!

Friday night, the boy and I went to an advanced screening of Hot Fuzz, a comedy by the team behind Shaun of the Dead, one of my favorite movies ever, and Spaced, one of the best TV shows ever The movie was hilarious. If you liked the type of geeky humor in Shaun of the Dead and Spaced, you'll love this move. I won't give away too much except to say that it's to action movies what Shaun of the Dead was to zombie movies.   We were so excited to not only get in (it was first come, first serve-the (free) tix didn't guarantee entrance) but get amazing seats- third row, center! Seriously, I'm convinced that Simon Pegg is my bf's heterosexual man-crush, lol.   Here are some pics (with the bf cropped out b/c he doesn't want to be on the intarwebs):   The panel L to R: Nick Frost, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg pointing accusingly. I think this is where he answers a fan's question of "Whose idea was it to dropkick the granny?"   Me and Edgar Wright:   Me and Nick Frost who was adorable and friendly.   Me and Simon Pegg who told my bf "Hey, thanks for coming out, mate!" Fangirl squeeee! Sorry about the gigantic pic. It won't resize and the direct link isn't working for some reason.
circe_blue

circe_blue

1
This Old Snark
 

The Tube of Boobs

Snarky has absolutely nothing profound upon which to pontificate. She has completely rotted out her brains on television lately (TV "watching" - which is more like TV listening the way Snarky does it - is the perfect companion to repetitive lace knitting) and can only bullet point the programs that have permanently wiped out such things as high school calculus, family members' birthdays, and her favorite cornbread recipe:   * 24: mmmmm Baueriffic. Not that the show is meant to be plausible in anyway, but the Snarks do like getting a good workout early in the week.   * ANTM: Snarky started watching this in earnest again last week and confessed, tail between legs, to her co-workers that she had... only to find out that they had been sneaking episodes too! It was the freakin' laser beams that pulled them all back in!   * Babylon 5: they are up to season four and are really enjoying seeing all the arcy goodness come to fruition. Snarky especially enjoys the cast commentary included on the tenth anniversary DVDs (Kosh's "eye" is referred to as "the sphincter" )   * Battlestar Galactica: the Snarks are still unable to watch their favorite show on its new night because they are only getting older and crankier and really do require a reasonable bedtime on Sunday nights. So no, they haven't seen this last episode yet. They have gotten the shock wave of angst from across the country from their BSG loving friends, though.   * Grey's Anatomy: this show is thisclose to going On Notice. Snarky would really, really like to know where all these Izzie/George 'shippers are. Because she wants to understand why the sudden luurve where there wasn't any at all, and why all this support for this magical luurve and JUST WHY?! It makes no freaking sense.   * March Madness: Snarky isn't really paying attention to this, but it is what's on at ChezSnark. So it gets a placeholder.   * Planet Earth: The Mister stumbled across this series on the Discovery channel last night. Amazing, beautiful, breathtaking footage. Even (possibly especially) the brutal moments - like the shark pursuing and ultimately devouring a seal in midair - are just absolutely captivating.   * Princess Tutu: Snarky did not get the whole shojo thing until this weekend. This is the perfect confluence of Snarky's dance background, her love of fairy tales and story telling, and all those stolen moments of pretty-boy anime oogling back when she visited her cousins in Hong Kong. Really very clever.   * Ugly Betty: awesome as always. This show has the palette of an Almodovar movie crossed with the subversive joy of Peewee's Playhouse plus the deftness and timing of a Gene Kelly dance number (and sometimes also the tight sailor pants to boot!). Or something. Just total eye candy and wonderfully snarky/bitchy/delicious throw-away lines.   Snarky is either planning on getting a life soon before her ass completely melds to the couch... or... well, there is Eunny's print o' the wave pattern she could be working on... (as soon as she finds cobweb weight yarn. )
darkitysnark

darkitysnark

6
I smell glorious
 

Prices are up...

...and normally I don't care who spends money on what. But lately I've been noticing a trend in some parts of BPAL fandom -- prices are on the rise, in a huge way. This always happens to a certain extent between updates, but I've seen a couple of bottles go for amounts that really make me raise my eyebrows, if only because I can't compete with that kind of cash. I throw around a lot of money -- aside from Starbuck's, my BPAL collection is basically the only thing I spend my spare cash /on/ -- but I can't compete with some of this, and it's making me blue.   Storyville -- $140 for a full 5mL Queen of Spades -- $113 for a 60% full 5mL   these are just two that I remember off the top of my head. I feel very lucky to have managed a swap for an imp of Storyville, and so I'm content; I just hope that this increase in prices isn't going to continue and become 'normal'. I have enough of a problem keeping cash as it is... this'll either make me totally broke, or make me break my habit.
myoubi

myoubi

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

Countdown to Tuesday

Grades will be posted on tuesday, so I'll know for sure that I passed. My husband is being ever supportive, but I'm freaking out. Dude. I am almost positive that I only did 5 of 6 essay questions on my LotR final. (We get to choose 6 of 8 topics, and I'm thinking I split early without realizing it.) So if I did that, who's to say I didn't choke on my math final? Blarg.   Hope you're all doing well, lovelies.   Eee, school starts a week from tomorrow. AND THE SCHOOL STILL HASN'T POSTED THE BOOK LIST!!! What the hell is up with that?? Okay, off to snuggle with the boy.
smallvoice

smallvoice

0
I smell glorious
 

I just bought more stuff :/

Yeah, so I just bought a partial of Mabon and a 10mL of Lex Talionis on ebay. In my defence, the prices were all right given the content (Mabon was a little expensive, I probably should've actually read the auction info...) Lex is a gift for Ian, because I feel a little guilty about realising that I'm keeping "his" bottle of Schwarzer. (He'd better like Lex, because he's got a damn huge bottle coming.) Mabon I just wanted to try, but not enough to actively hunt down an imp.. then this half-full bottle appeared in front of me, and I leapt.   I'll wait until all the bottles I have coming are here, sniff through them all, live with them for a bit, then do a massive destashing. I think I'll email Jocosa about Ice Queen... I'm thrilled to have gotten to try as much as I have, and there are one or two bottles I still have my eye on (most notably some Havisham up on Ebay) but once all this has been gone through I think I'll stick to a small stash of fragrances. Still want to try Black Moon, but other than that... eh.
myoubi

myoubi

0
jazlyn's blog.....
 

tried (lotiony/soapy/things of that sort)

This is here to help me keep track of what I've tried (scented things (of the lotiony and soapy variety), but not fragrances)!   Black Phoenix Trading Post Snake Oil soap     Arcana Soaps Byzantium soap     Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Ylang Rose Sensuality hydrating body cream     The Body Shop [body lotion] Strawberry   [shower gel/body wash] Aromatherapy - Uplifting (mandarin essential oil) <3 Passion Fruit <3   Cooling Leg Gel (it's peppermint) <3     LUSH [soaps] 17 Cherry Tree Lane Demon in the Dark Figs and Leaves Honey I Washed the Kids Ice Blue Karma Sea Vegetable     Victoria's Secret Love Spell skin-moisturizing hand and body cream Strawberries and Champagne skin-moisturizing hand and body cream
jazlyn

jazlyn

0
HJackson's Blog
 

Amazon Wishlists

I have a series of wishlists at Amazon... search for hjourdenjackson@gmail.com and you'll find me. Some are organised by artist/show, some are just random "dumping" grounds where I put items until I have enough to justify a themed list.   I don't know if these links will work or not... but if they do, it might make things easier.   Star Trek George Harrison WishList The Beatles Paul McCartney John Lennon Ringo Starr Munchkin (It should be noted that Munchkin Cthuhlu comes out this month, we think... but I'll be buying it for myself so I can support my local game shop.
hjourdenjackson

hjourdenjackson

0
HJackson's Blog
 

Lush Wishlist

I can't figure out how to add my Lush wishlist link... so I'm copying and pasting it in instead...   I think the stock number will tell you what the product is... I don't know... when I tried emailing it, I got a weird file. Like I said, I don't know... Your wishlist currently contains:   X Stock SKU Description Quantity Price Subtotal 2601 Ne Worry Pas $5.25 $5.25 Move To Bag --> 2158 Think Pink $5.55 $5.55 Move To Bag --> 18 All That Jasmine $5.40 $5.40 Move To Bag --> 2429 Black Pearl $4.45 $4.45 Move To Bag --> 2159 Sakura $5.50 $5.50 Move To Bag --> 52 Avobath $5.40 $5.40 Move To Bag --> 2465 The Happy Pill $5.70 $5.70 Move To Bag --> 2171 Honey Bee $5.60 $5.60 Move To Bag --> 2172 Blackberry $5.40 $5.40 Move To Bag --> 032 Big Blue $5.40 $5.40 Move To Bag --> 2607 Dream On $4.25 $4.25 Move To Bag --> 157 Sex Bomb $5.60 $5.60 Move To Bag --> 12 Butterball $4.50 $4.50 Move To Bag --> 2354 Youki-Hi $5.50 $5.50 Move To Bag --> 2476 Golden Slumbers $5.60 $5.60 Move To Bag --> 2463 Romance In A Stone $4.45 $4.45 Move To Bag --> 2363 Chelsea Garden $5.50 $5.50 Move To Bag --> 2477 Still Life $5.30 $5.30 Move To Bag --> 039 Fairy Jasmine $5.75 $5.75 Move To Bag --> 2478 Tea and Sympathy $5.30 $5.30 Move To Bag --> 22374 Party On $10.70 $10.70 Move To Bag --> 22371 Whoosh $9.90 $9.90 Move To Bag --> 741 Bathos $5.95 $5.95 Move To Bag --> 2487 Flosty Gritter $5.45 $5.45 Move To Bag --> 2485 Marathon Bar $5.45 $5.45 Move To Bag --> 2468 The Comforter $8.45 $8.45 Move To Bag --> 742 Blue Skies $9.95 $9.95 Move To Bag --> 2151 Ma Bar $6.95 $6.95 Move To Bag --> 2471 Pop In The Bath $5.95 $5.95 Move To Bag --> 2484 Temple of Truth $5.85 $5.85 Move To Bag --> 740 Amandopondo $5.95 $5.95 Move To Bag --> 2189 French Kiss $7.95 $7.95 Move To Bag --> 2482 Sunny Side $5.85 $5.85 Move To Bag --> 601 Dreamtime $5.25 $5.25 Move To Bag --> 592 Ceridwen $7.75 $7.75 Move To Bag --> 2154 Something Wicked This Way Comes $5.45 $5.45 Move To Bag --> 2160 In The Nude $5.45 $5.45 Move To Bag --> 2153 Elixir $5.25 $5.25 Move To Bag --> 2156 Youve Been Mangoed $5.50 $5.50 Move To Bag --> 2387 Whoosh Balm $7.95 $7.95 Move To Bag -->
hjourdenjackson

hjourdenjackson

0
I smell glorious
 

At the End of the day

I don't like having a lot of bottles sitting around not getting any affection. I also don't like not having bottles of stuff I know I /do/ love -- like tarot: The Hermit, and Brisingamen, and Perversion. I do like being identifiable by scent, so here's the short list of what's staying, what needs to come in and what I know eventually has to go:   STAYING Havisham La Fee Verte [signature... when it's not that time of the month] Snow Bunny [dance/saturdays/special-but-not-Going-Out stuff] Shub-Niggurath [winter comfort scent] Perversion --> NEED BOTTLE [Jon] Brisingamen --> NEED BOTTLE [work/professional scent] Tarot: The Hermit --> NEED BOTTLE [studying/focus/divination/introspection scent] Monster Bait: Closet [come-smex-me scent -- could use another bottle] Dark Delicacies   GOING The Ecstasy of Passion The Ecstasy of True Love Spooky Snow White Skadi Ice Queen Trick #2 Devil's Night 05 [ach! How I wish I wore this more! it's beautiful... I just don't reach for it much :/] Bitter Moon Pink Moon 2005 Buck Moon Milk Moon Beaver Moon Stardust 05 Spanked Snowblind Cinnamon SN Siberian Musk SN   EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED Vieux Carre Bruja Ingenue Brides of Dracula Gypsy Queen   MUST TRY Black Moon -- even though it's the same niche as Dark Delicacies, which I looove too much to ever give up Storyville -- I have a weird feeling I'd like it. Yes, even though I've tried it. don't ask me why, I just go with my little hunches... Boomslang -- what can I say, i'm hopeful!   MUST BUY Tarot: The Hermit/Brisingamen/Perversion Blue Moon Cancer astrological blend April Fool's blend, whatever it is
myoubi

myoubi

0
I smell glorious
 

can't sleep, time to ramble

It's funny: Ice Queen, the scent that spawned my love affair with BPAL's snowy/icy blends, is actually the one of them I like least now.   I still enjoy it, don't get me wrong. It's beautiful, but it's just a little too sharp/hard for me: the white musks are just slightly too prominent, it's just -- well, "too hard" is the only way I can describe it. I have low hopes for Skadi, because it seems that Skadi is Ice Queen but slightly /harder/. Guh.   I'm avoiding Frost Moon (eucalyptus smells like armpit funk on me) and Cold Moon/Snow Moon just don't seem worth hunting down. I've tried Ice Queen, Snow White, Snow Bunny, Snow Angel, and Havisham, and I have a bottle of Skadi coming my way. Of those, Snow White I have realised must go -- while she's lovely, she's just too sweet for me, and there's something slightly too aquatic about the scent for me to be comfortable. Part of it is the coconut, but there's this strange milky non-sugar sweetness to it that (while it's nice) I find ultimatel off-putting. and there's no sense in sitting on two bottles of something so sought-after if I'm not gonna love them. Weirdly, I like Snow Bunny much better than I like Snow White -- the Bunny has all of the good things about Snow White, combined with some of the powdersugar perk of Snow Angel. Honestly, while I like Snow Angel (especially on the drydown) I think I might like Snow Bunny better! But Shhh, don't speak loudly of my sacrilege.   Havisham is, of course, achingly beautiful: a strange-yet-classic frosty aquatic rose, not a scent to wear every day but a scent to cherish. I'm almost glad I have so little of it -- peversely, it'll stop me taking it for granted, something I feel like I do with my GC loves Perversion and Brisingamen. (Incidentally, I need to learn to stop reviewing scents the first time I wear them: I'm usually too enraptured by their loveliness to step back and see how they /compare/ to things I already like/dislike. Thus my reviews all tend to be gushy, even though I only like some of what I've got.)
myoubi

myoubi

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I smell glorious
 

Ammo Boxes

My ammo boxes came today. I have four 50-count green ammo boxes and I'm trying to decide how to sort my imps into them... one box is reserved for intent blends (voodoo, celestials, tarot, sephiroth [if I ever get any], panacea, and of course TAL) and one box is reserved for favourites/multiple imps, but I'm not sure what to do with the rest of them. Oh well... I'll figure it out   Also, the imp-to-bottle ratio sucks. five imps (admittedly, 2 were partially empty so really about 4.5 imps) make up about 3/4 of a bottle. 4.5 imps = 0.75 bottles, so we're looking at 6 imps to the bottle. Some decanters say they get 7 imps to the bottle. ((glum)) Oh well... at least I have the equivalent of two bottles of DD. Orchid-scented deliciousness, apply here.
myoubi

myoubi

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I smell glorious
 

The Next Order

m'akay, here's how the next order is shaping up:   Milk Moon April Fool's Blend [$35] The Ghost [$50] Tarot: The Hermit [$76.50]   April 1, I can/not/ wait for you to get here...   I'll ignore Rose Moon, so I should be safe next month (:S) but my beginning-of-June order is gonna start like this:   2xBlue Moon [$35] Brisingamen [$50]     oh yeah, and I totally caved. Got a partial bottle of Black Moon. :/
myoubi

myoubi

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Toasty Blog
 

belly up

One of my fish died this morning. Yeah, he was just a fish, and just a little neon tetra at that, but I'm still sad. I wonder if his tank mates miss him.   It's been over 3 years since Tito, my big albino Oscar, died, and I still miss him. He was the most petlike fish I've ever seen. As irrational as it may sound, I think he knew me as a friend. He got all excited and wagged his tail when I came near the tank. My husband always fed Tito, but he only wagged for me.   Random BPAL info: I'm wearing Neo-Tokyo today, for the first time in a long time. It smells weird on me today. Not bad weird, just different than I remember. Aunt Flo is visiting, so it could just be hormonal.   This has got to be a candidate for the most boring and uninspired blog entry ever.
kwsix

kwsix

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Eoywin's Blog
 

Birthday Pictures

Here's some picture from my birthday!   This is a few pictures of my Disney-fied cube (people at my work are big into decorating cubes for birthdays):         And here's one from Lunch - We went to a Mexican place, hence the hat. That's my hubby, Todd, next to me:  
Eoywin

Eoywin

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I smell glorious
 

Running out the door, but...

Snow Bunny = teh SEX.   I may need another partial bottle to make up one full bottle. I like it better than I like Snow White... it reminds me a lot of Snow Angel, actually, which is a good Now I'm just trying to convince myself /not/ to try Black Moon... even though I'm pretty sure I'll like it, Dark Delicacies fits in the same niche, and I already have a bottle and 7 (yes, seven) decants of that one coming.   Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is okay. It dries down to a pleasant sweet vanilla-amber-sandalwood that reminds me a bit of Underpants, only cuter and nicer. I may keep the bottle.   RUNNING TO h_f's PLACE!
myoubi

myoubi

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Is Anybody Out There?
 

Haircut!

I got an awesome haircut from my sister. It's the shortest it's ever been in my entire life, and I really love it.   Math final tomorrow. SO. STRESSED.   Among other, more fun, less stressful things.
smallvoice

smallvoice

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Birdsongs
 

Rollercoaster

So this weekend Jason brought his new girlfriend (the one he dumped me for, who by now I have no problem hating) over to the house we share. I was standing in my pajamas making coffee in the kitchen when they arrived, and ran & hid in my room for a little while - but his room is just the other side of my bathroom wall. So our other roommate, my best friend for ten years, took me out & we had a nice day at the park & seeing a movie (Music & Lyrics - it was cute, Hugh Grant is aging well).   Since then Jason & I have exchanged some e-mails. He thinks it's selfish of me not to consider how they have nowhere to go (they can't go to her place because her ex-fiance that she dumped for Jason lives there) & can't relax & watch movies together. And yet he wants to be friends, he says, because he thinks of me as his best friend & I was everything he wanted except for not enough sex. Which I did try to work on, & we were doing better, but he gave up on us so it doesn't matter. Nothing I did was good enough for him, and I'm better off without him. And apparently he's an ass who expects me to be just fine with him bringing over my replacement & making lattes for her like he used to for me, & doing everything we used to do, here.   Last night I was over at my friends place, and I felt all philosophical & accepting & thankful for all the wonderful blessings in my life & ready to move on. Then I got home this morning, and they were here, & I hid downstairs & fell apart & wanted to die. And he's not even worth it!   I may end up camping out on friends' couches until the end of June (lease ends) after all. I'll just have to figure out transportation & try to make it up to them for being such a burden.
spanishviolet

spanishviolet

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I smell glorious
 

Shuuuuuubbbb...

Someone frimped me a sample of Shub soap. I just bathed with it, and I am sooooo glad I have a bottle of gingery Shub-Niggurath-y goodness coming my way.   Also, Bruja is divine. I have half a bottle and it's not a MAD QUEST FOR MORE scent like Ingenue... but of course, another DC I had to fall for. :/ Ah well.   Mom fell in love with The Ghost -- I gave her a frimp of it and she wants a bottle. And there's probably going to be an April fool's blend when Milk Moon goes live. So the Milk Moon order is looking like this:   -1 bottle Milk Moon ($17.50) -1 bottle Therianthropic (?) ($17.50) -1 bottle The Ghost ($15) -1 bottle April Fool's blend ($17.50)   Sheila Ross also fell in love with my Brimstone locket! So we're getting her a Phoenix locket for her birthday, which has passed. I think I may slip some soaps in with that order...
myoubi

myoubi

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