Blogs

Relationships

I just read a blog entry that reminded me of something I'm desperately ashamed of. So, of course, I must write about it immediately. I was involved with someone online about seven years ago, and I was naive. I caused a lot of grief to people I will never know, and I regret that more than I can ever express. He had a step-son who was only about 4 years younger than I was, and he was 10 years my senior... I encouraged him to leave his wife, because I was in love with him in that achingly open and raw way I don't think I'll ever experience again. That relationship changed my whole experience of love in a profound way. He was beautiful, and he polished the moon for me; made it shine a little brighter, and gave me the stars, one at a time. I was so sure he loved me. It's hard to think he didn't. I couldn't give him space; I just had to hold tighter, because... I don't know. It's so hard to explain. It felt like I was losing a piece of myself; the best part of me. The beautiful me. The part he made special. His wife asked him to come back and try and work things out. He chose to go back, but he needed a break first. He went on a trip, far far away. He decided that he didn't want to go back to his family; he wanted to stay where he was. So he came back, packed up, and moved there. I stole that boy's only father figure. I'd like to apologise, but how do you begin to do something like that? I'm sorry I invited this man to leave you when you really needed his presence. The awful thing? I don't think I'd feel badly about it if he and I had ended up together. I'd be too wrapped up in me. I broke that family. He made the choice, and I realize he's ultimately responsible, but. . . I can't cop out like that. I do carry blame for it.

August 25, 2006

Knitting

I can knit! I'm really awkward, and I don't know any sort of technique for holding the needles, and I'm excruciatingly slow, but considering that my 9-year-old tutor couldn't remember how to cast the yarn onto the needle, I think I'm doing fairly well. She also told me that I couldn't take the first needle out of the line of stitches until the next line was all done, instead of sliding them over to the second needle as they're being done (does that make sense? The explanation, not the technique, which is absurd. Heh.) I basically couldn't move my needle by the end of that one row. So I figured out how to do it and I"m slowly getting better. I don't know anything, though. Just the basic casting stitch thing. I think. I don't know. It looks pretty, though! And it's more versatile than crochet, I think. I'm pretty excited. It's given me something to focus on and not think about life. Yay for knitting! I've got a small piece of a rather wide scarf-- it's about two hands wide. Wide hands; they're mine. My needles are really long, and they're 10... uh, gauge? I don't know the term. But that's the number. I wish the needles weren't quite so long, and a little thicker. I may have to do some shopping. I want to knit something for my nephew, who shall be arriving into the world in December-- here's the problem my husband pointed out. He's kind of in the south. Like, southern Mississippi, near New Orleans. It's just not very cold there. He doesn't need a lot of blankets or hats or anything. So, any ideas?

August 25, 2006

Sourball Ho!

Latest drama

One thing that always amused me while working in the legal field was the potential for argument everywhere -- you could have 2 sides arguing one fact, and one side sees white while the other sees black. I don't think you can put 2 people together most of the time and get them to agree the sky is blue and the grass is green. So when someone has a differing opinion, you have to take it with a huge grain of salt -- they're coming from a completely different headspace and see things in a completely different light. But how can someone justify the continuing use of names and images when they've been asked by the creator and owner of the property to stop? They've been asked nicely, in fact, instead of via a cease-and-desist letter or a lawsuit. I picture a child tantruming: "You're not the boss of me! I'll do what I want! You don't own the universe!" This kind of deals with what I posted previously about the pursuit of the LEs: some people think LE = rare = BPAL at its finest, when there are plenty of great catalog blends that don't have the cache associated with a "Limited Edition OMG I NEED THIS LOL!!!" For me personally, I banninated myself from eBay because of the bidding wars and excitement and the focus on "winning" the auction. I haven't "won" anything, I'm paying cash money for it! I simply wanted to pay more than others were willing to. Anyway, I'm babbling at this point, but maybe if people weren't so focused on the LEs they wouldn't be concerned about the "professional" resellers who want to make a profit off someone else's hard work.

dawndie

August 25, 2006

Sudha Segara

In the imp: A soft, vaguely sweet smell - for some reason, Dove soap immediately springs to mind. On wet: This has got to be, without doubt, one of the faintest BPAL blends I've ever tried. I can barely smell *anything* after immediate application, and I all but slathered it. The barely-there whiffs I *am* getting are still soft, lightly sweet, and soapy. Drydown: Still incredibly faint - to the point where I actually had to sniff around my wrist to find where I'd applied it. Still primarily soap, too (though I'm pretty sure I caught a ghostly whisper of something that *could* have been ginger at one point) and not much else. Overall: This was one of the first frimps I ever received. I tried it as soon as I got it, discovered how weak it was with my skin chemistry, and promptly put it in the 'Try Again' pile. Since then - almost a year ago - I've broken it out a few more times, hoping that it would have aged into something more intense, or that my nose, being fed a steady diet of BPAL, would've somehow become more aware of it. Alas, this fantasy I've so desperately clung to has not come to pass. Sudha's just as Dove soap for me now as it was that first time I sniffed it...and that makes me a sad panda. A (very reluctant!) 2/5.

August 25, 2006

Birdsongs

TAL believer!

I've been having a craptacular month (summer, year ...), & sometimes it just gets a bit overwhelming. The other day I dug out my bottle of Anthelion (Overcomes poverty, illness, and bad luck. Drives off despair and grief, and enables you to find hope and joy in life again). I've worn it before & been impressed both times, but feel reluctant to wear it too often for fear of ... I don't know, wearing it out? Asking too much & breaking it? But I definitely needed a lift, so wore it Tuesday. The day started out not-so-great (I'm getting a Needs Improvement on my mid-year review - but my manager did say she's going to move me to another position since she knows I hate training), but then later my favorite former co-worker got called in to cover someone else's shift, and my boyfriend showed up to play games with the group in the cafe like he used to do, before his schedule got rearranged & he couldn't anymore. So I got to talk to my friend & see Jason & be all happy, & he gave me a ride home so I didn't have to wait for the bus, & we got yummy tacos & all was good. Little glimpses of how good life can be sometimes really help you carry on when things just completely suck the rest of the time ... Now I need to find my bottle of Lionheart (Grants you immense amounts of courage and drive. Useful to help you recover from intense depression and ennui. Brings on a positive outlook, renews hope, and replenishes positive energy. Fills your spirit with the courage and nobility of a lion, warmed by the life-giving joy of its solar aspects). I keep misplacing things lately - really need to make a sales post & clear things out ...

spanishviolet

August 24, 2006

The Star

In the imp: Mint...coconut...and an almost bitter lime scent. On wet: The mint and lime are doing a funky tango on a dance floor made of coconut! Drydown: Those initial three notes are still what I'm smelling, though the coconut's become a bolder presence, working with the equally smooth mint to tame that brash splurt of limey goodness. Overall: The combination of notes works incredibly well in this blend - especially once the drydown mellows them out a bit. And you wanna talk about morphing ability? When the coconut and mint take center stage, it's as if I've dipped my arm into a vat of some deliciously creamy confection - a minute later, it's the fresh green zing of minty limes assaulting my nostrils, forcing eyes gone dreamy to open, focus, and remain alert - a minute after that, I've been transported to a sugar-white beach, where coconut-lime cocktails are delivered to my chaise by sun-browned, half-nekkid serving men who regard me with warm eyes and eager-to-please smiles... ::pauses to daydream about such a place for a few moments...:: ::reluctantly returns to reality to complete her review:: In a nutshell, I absolutely *adore* each of the three main notes on their own, so it's no surprise that I'm loving 'em mixed all together. A delighted 4.5/5.

August 23, 2006

Whiskers and Whispers

There is a black moon on the rise!

I think I'll use this blog to blather about BPAL and smelly stuff. My LJ needs updating but my life has been so unexciting it's unreal. Seriously. Apart from little perks like my cousin and her children staying over (little Claire is the sweetest thing ever-I've never seen such a well behaved, helpful, and ever so polite 5 year old girl!) and massive lows like my impending maths exam not much is going on, apart from the little pleasures and indulgences, like BPAL... This Black Moon update, though small, looks fantastic. Here's a little detailed breakdown: BLACK MOON: BETH'S CREATION The absence of light: motia attar, black orchid, mugwort, English pear, cucumber, blue lotus, jonquil, massoia, calamus and crystal musk. I've never smelt motia attar but if this smells like my jasmine attar that I have, I will be so happy-I think motia attar is jasmine perfume distilled in sandalwood *swoon*. Black orchid is the note that grabbed me in Queen Mab, that beautiful sweet rich floral. But it's the blue lotus that grabbed me most. I thought 'no way, not the famous blue lotus, perfume of the pharaohs?' I have a bottle of blue lotus perfume from Egypt and also a BL absolute-I love this stuff. However, I've heard there's an Indian blue lotus as well which I've not smelt, not sure if Beth will use the Egyptian or the Indian variety but either way, it looks stunning. Crystal musk looks like it will be beautiful. And massoia...I need to try Lost for Words (by Arcana) to see what that's like. All in all, this looks like it will be even better than Blue Moon (omg that sounds like blasphemy! ) SCHWARZER MOND: BRIAN'S CREATION The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa. Ohhh RESINS!!! I love opoponax, myrrh and amber (Tunisian amber? If it smells like my Attar bazaar stuff...) and the zdravetz looks intriguing-geranium resin with supposed hormone balancing qualities? That I must see! I'm very curious about terebinth and what that smells like. And I'm also wondering if the pimenta will smell like bay rum or like allspice. But it's the antique patchouli that grabbed me. I'm a huge fan of another perfume etailer's AP (hint, it's the one with the 50-year old patch) but I have a feeling that AP done BPAL style will blow them out of the water. Ohhh. And the night musk? That brings to mind all the gorgeous night-time musky scents, will it be a Buck Moon musk (insert nosegasm here) or a Nuit musk? I can't wait to find out. I am coveting these scents like nothing else. The Black Moon scents eclipse (geddit? Eclipse? ) my previous covetings of CDs!

PurringPulsar

August 23, 2006

Positivity

It is awesome that the lab is updating like crazy. It means there will be ever so many scents in which to delight, and loads of fun swaps to arrange and hunt for and experience. It is not a bad thing that I can't buy anymore BPAL for several months (er, that might get tossed out.), it just makes life more interesting. I will pay off all debts and focus on school. The notes don't immediately appeal (pear, blue lotus and crystal musk do strike my fancy, I must admit), so I can certainly afford to miss this one single (er, double) lunacy. It struck me right through the heart when somebody compared it to the legend of Miskatonic U, though. Regardless. I do not need any new scents. It'll be more fun when I can more easily afford them anyway. Plus, it'll be neat to read the reviews and stalk the forums for decants.

August 23, 2006

captain diana's log

this machine imp pack!

TUM Wet: Grape candy! There's a bit of a dry herbal note to it as well. Drydown: the grape smells like bubblegum. The herbal note, whatever it could have been, has almost gone, but there's a tinge of it left that's keeping the grape note from being too overwhelming. It's almost got a wine-like quality to it at this point, but it's subdued. This is an odd blend! It's not sweet, but it's not purely herbal either. I'm just confused. This is one I'd get if I were to use it with ritual connotations rather than to wear as perfume. AGLAEA Wet: Fruity fruit fruit. Very candy-like pear. Drydown: This is still very sweet. The wine/pear & floral notes are almost penicillin-tangy on me, but not too tart and not too sickly, sticky sweet. As it dries, more of the floral notes come in and make it even more tolerable, which is odd since floral blends usually turn me off. It's just so cute! Not something I could see wearing, but totally something I'd pass off to my 15 year-old neice. SLOTH Wet: Super heavy, thick vetiver Drydown: the myrrh appears, and brings with it a bit of a spicy punch. the myrrh is also intensely heavy, and adds a slightly bitter quality to the blend. This is heavy & dark, definitely embodies the qualities of sloth. It does soften quite a bit as it dries, and isn't as toxic smelling as you'd think (for those anti-vetiver people in the crowd). It's nice if you like darker, resin-based blends. BLUEBEARD Wet: Violet, just a hint of vetiver and a tiny wisp of lavender Drydown: surprisingly, the vetiver has been overpowered by the violet! I love violet so much, but it tends to not stand out so much against heavier notes, so this is a nice surprise! It's much softer & prettier than I thought it would be. It is much sweeter than you'd expect for a scent named after a mean jerkyface. If you like Ultraviolet or The Raven, you'll really love this one too. GAUEKO Wet: funky, damp lavender. Drydown: whoa! the lavender is still there, but it's blended into a smokey, hazy aura of wonderful aroma that I just want to get lost in (sorry for ending a sentence with a preposition; Gaueko made me do it!). I guess it's the nag champa that's the main note that I'm picking out, and the lavender adds a curious sweetness to it, which I am in total love with. I think I may need a bottle of this! HELLFIRE Wet: Sweet, gooey pipe tobacco Dry: The tobacco note becomes sweeter & nicer & a bit drier as it sits on the skin. There's also just a faint aroma of hot, sweet leather, which I totally love in almost every blend. It's a total guy smell, but I think that's part of the appeal. I just want to snuggle with it. UTRENNYAYA Wet: soft pretty floral mixed with mint Drydown: the mint loses most of its power pretty quickly, but the floral notes are there to pick up the slack. there's just a touch of rose, which isn't overwhelming, and an overall soft, pretty, and cool & glittering. Very nice. REGAN Wet: soft, floral vanilla Drydown: soft, rich, vanilla with just a bare hint of a floral note. It's not necessarily a foody vanilla, more of a true vanilla scent overlaid with a light, sweet floral. already own 5mL KYOTO Wet: sweet, soft anise Drydown: the cherry blossom is pretty faint, and is overall it's like a softer version of Kabuki, which is a blend I love to wear. The combination of the anise + cherry blossom produces a soft pink, but slightly metallic smelling combination. It's really pretty, but I prefer the heavier in-your-face cherry note in Kabuki. BAYOU Wet: wet, heavy, sweet floral notes... magnolia? a bit ozoney/aquatic Drydown: the floral notes fade away, and this starts to smell more and more aquatic as it dries. Not a category I favor; it smells a little too artificially "fresh" to me, and a bit sharp. It's not bad if you like ozone-fresh-aquatic blends, but I typically can't wear them, and this is no exception. Winners of this batch: Gaueko & Bluebeard!

Diana

August 23, 2006

Anxiety

I don't know why, but my anxiety is all wonky right now. Like, really badly. And there's sort of not a whole lot of reason for it to be especially high. On the upside, I'm hoping that the BPAL birthday package my mom ordered me will be arriving within a week or two. (I'm trying to be generous with the time!) I think I will positively love Manhattan! I already know I love Katharina. I'm really excited to find out what my chaos theory smells like, and I think she got me a CD. Xanthe, maybe? Or Gennivre? I know it wasn't the Organ Grinder, because I had some amount of panic about that, and then found a decant of it available. The cool thing about a CD bottle in my hands is that if I love one of my decants more than it, I'll probably be able to swap for whichever bottle I love more. Is it silly that I get so freakin' excited about frimpage, too? There's usually 2 per bottle, so I could end up with De Sade, Severin, the Jersey Devil, Ladon, Cockaigne, Phobos, Tintagel, and Euphrosyne! Yeah, I know, the middle three probably won't happen, but they might! Really, I'd prefer Les Bijoux over the Jersey Devil. It's amazing to me that prattling on about BPAL allows me to forget about anxiety. Heh. How long does it take an inept knitter to knit a scarf? Or 15 scarves?

Fishnets and Frankincense

August 22, 2006

Gone Batty

Bitching and Moaning

Several things have been bugging me lately that are driving me nuts about the LJ communities on my friends list. 1. People using 'big' or 'advanced' words incorrectly or even inanely. This is a sentence from a post that appeared today: "I just love purveying things that are hand made" She's talking about buying things at craft fairs. Mmm, okay. I'm not even going to give her the benefit of the doubt by suggesting that it was meant to be 'purchasing'. It's probably a case of someone using a word that they think means something else. Maybe I'm just weird but any time I'm uncertain of a definition I look it up. Even for words that I use frequently just to make sure I'm not confused. At least she spelled it correctly which brings me to #2 2. Bad spelling - argh! Again, any time I'm not sure of the proper spelling I look it up. A learning disability is one thing but pure laziness (or apathy which I think may also be part of the problem) is another. And something else I don't understand is how someone can't see that they spell things wrong. My biggest example is the tattoo LJs. I can't even say how many times I see someone misspell the word tattoo which is used so often that if you played a drinking game you'd be drunk after reading one or two posts! 3. People posting questions that could be easily answered by using a search engine - is it that hard to look up something? Asking for opinons is one thing but wanting someone else to work for you? Lazy. 4. alot - haaaaate!! And what's even worse is that if it's not in the dicitonary now it will be soon and people will assume then that joining 'a' and 'lot' is correct. Much like many people think irregardless is a real word. Now I freely admit that my grammar and punctuation is crap. The last lesson I had was in 7th grade and, to be honest, I can't remember a thing. Where to put commas and semi-colons, what splitting an infinitive means, why you're not supposed to end a sentence in a prepostion, what a preposition is anyway...dangling participles...all terms and rules that march through my brain with no tangible sense of how to apply them. I suppose everyone has their Achilles heel. Am I a hypocrite for berating anonymous people about one thing when I'm so weak in another? And that I have no frame of reference for why they post the way they do? I don't know. It's food for thought.

miss apple

August 22, 2006

Denise's Cool Blog

Freefalling = FRIGHTENING!

I felt too much like a BPAL Whore today when I realized the newest post in my blog was just my "keeping track" post. SO, I figured I would make a new entry today, so that everyone would not be greeted by that if they decided to look into my little world a bit. LOL. We were on vacation last week, and were able to totally lose our minds and go skydiving! Here are some crazy unflattering, yet hilarious pictures: http://www.boomspeed.com/evltemptress/pictures/skydiving/ Midway is my "flavor of the day"... and I am still getting whiffs of it now (2pm) from having put it on at 7am. Gotta love that! Funny that I would love that scent anyway, when back in April (when I was bitten by that BPAL bug) I was totally turned off by every foody scent I sniffed. YUMMY!!! I love smelling like a 10 year old with candy all over their fingers.

eviltemptressdq

August 22, 2006

Diplomatka

Oh, hell no.

Alright, Government of Afghanistan: I have turned a blind eye when you allowed one of my co-workers to be kidnapped, let it slide when you stood by as rioters looted my house and burned down my office, but the provision that has recently gone into effect is where I draw the line. Yeah, I know about it. I found out when I spent 35 minutes in a hot car riding down the IED-prone Jalalabad Road to the PX to pick up some beer. The security guy at the door looked at my passport and pointed out the sign Effective August 16, 2006, by decree of the Ministry of the Interior, only individuals with ISAF (International Security Assistance Force, aka Coalition), UN or diplomatic identification will be allowed to purchase alcohol. You thought you had me, right? I know you've got something to prove: regular Afghan shops selling beer and the resurrection of Vice and Virtue Office mean that you have to cut back and show you have power. Plus, your new Minister of the Interior was a runner-up--the Parliament rejected him from the Supreme Court because he is a conservative whack job. Well listen up: nothing keeps me from my Pino Grigio, not a decree from the Ministry nor some South Asian cashier at the PX. I bought my beer and liquor in open defiance of your decree (with a little flirting with a guy with an ISAF badge) and I will not be deterred. There are few things I am willing to fight for, and my dear friend Ron Bacardi is one of them. It's ON.

Confection

August 22, 2006

Goth Hobbit's Blog

What I should be doing, versus what I am doing

I really ought to be doing constructive things right now, like sorting laundry and making a packing list. Instead, I'm hanging out on the 'net, eating cookies, and generally goofing off. And trying to put together some first impressions of various BPAL blends, because I doubt that I'll have time to do much serious reviewing over the next couple of weeks. I ought to be at the workbench getting things ready for the push when I get back, as I have two shows scheduled for the weekend after Labor Day. I should be making an order for the silver and stones I'll need, too. I should also wait on getting more stones until the September gem show, but it seems like it's been a hit-or-miss proposition lately; if I need it, none of my regular suppliers will have it. I ought to see if I can find my good leather bodice (and if it still fits around my post-second-pubescent cleavage), just in case Minnesota RenFaire is in the works for this weekend. Of course, with the way the house is right now, I'd be better off spelunking for needles in haystacks, and I'll probably just try and find a couple of coin scarves there to make me feel somewhat garbed. The company will be more important than the costuming, anyway (and I never thought I'd see the day when I'd say that about going to Faire. I was 12 when I went to my first one, and I didn't feel "dressed" until I bought a flower garland.) I ought to put the new cartridge in the printer and print my e-ticket, but that can wait until tomorrow. (For the record, no matter how late I stay up, it's not officially tomorrow until either I've had some sleep, or the clock hits noon.) Once that's done, it'll be a fight to avoid further procrastination by booting up Photoshop and printing out a couple of pictures from the last trip up north. Of course, the ultimate "what I should be doing" is getting my arse to bed so that I have a fighting chance of accomplishing my list of things to do tomorrow, but I'm too antsy to sleep. Too much stuff in my head, clamoring for my undivided attention. Too many "ifs" and "whens" and "maybes", and too little internal silence. All hail Insomnia, Goddess of Sleep Deprivation. Her supplicants are recognized by yawns; Her sigil is the sacred Coffee Cup.

goth_hobbit

August 22, 2006

Waxing and trimming!

The other day I received catalogs/advertising mailings from Victoria's Secret, High Country Gardens and Advance Auto Parts. They were not addressed to "Resident," they were addressed to me. I rather liked the diversity. It made me picture a woman in her VSC "Pink" brand shorts and a bra top, waxing and detailing her car next to her xeriscaped garden. (Did you think I was going into a discussion of bikini waxing and "bush trimming" and such? For shame! Although the way I normally carry on, I can hardly blame you.) But you know, that really could be me, except I'd wear a sports bra and not some fussy VSC number that would be easily mussed by car wax. I would also be more inclined to be seen in oversized cargo shorts. Yesterday I went to the men's department and got a pair of cargo shorts made out of camo material. They were on sale. As indarkmoon would say, man oh manpants, what a deal! And in the car detailing category, Zymol car wax is really good; it's my favorite. You pay more but it's worth it. It makes the vehicles shine like nobody's business. Detailing cars is rather fun; I'm not obsessive like some men can be about such things, but there is something rather soothing about fussing around with your car on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I even drink a beer when I'm doing it, although I eschew listening to baseball or football games; I usually have my car CD player going with my music of choice on. And xeriscaped gardens are low water-use gardens, and I'm all about that. Yeah, the colors may not be as brilliant and the blooms not as showy, but I'm all about preserving the ground and surface water supply. I love resilient plants and flowers, I do not understand why people on the prairie insist on planting annuals that are meant to grown in subtropical areas. Purple coneflowers and sedums and hardy sage and native grasses and herbs rock my world. I like to plant Mexican sunflowers, and by this time of year, the Monarch butterflies are worth it. Having Monarchs fluttering through my garden in late August is so worth not having extreme color in June and July. So, last thing tonight... does that Lab turnaround time on orders simply rock your world? I was thinking it would be a while before my next order arrived, and looking at the CnS status, it may be sooner than I imagined! I love the Lab. So much so, that I have three outstanding orders. I always tell people that if I sell something on my sales thread, I return it to the Lab. Actually, I usually order twice as much. Three outstanding orders is proof of that fact, which is a thinly-disguised excuse for my compulsive behavior. 'Cause when I'm wearing the lingerie and watering the garden as I take a break from waxing the car, I always smell good.

valentina

August 22, 2006

This Old Snark

Wagons East

The Mister's maternal grandmother passed away yesterday. She had been slowly leaving this world for the past two years, but this weekend was her final exit. By all accounts she most likely died in her sleep after they unhooked her from life support. The Mister had already said good bye to her long before all this. The Snarks went to see her when they visited Back East last fall, but she was hardly the woman they knew even from just six months before their last visit. They already remember her from a more vibrant time. They are going back not so much to conjure up those memories, but to provide support to the MIL and The Mister's uncle. They are also going to see their third niece for the first time. The Snarks knew this was an inevitability (the MIL has been preparing them for this for the last five years) but still can't help but feel a little taken by surprise. This also completely negates any plans they might have had to visit around Christmastime as they have already booked up the rest of their time off with the DarkityFam in mid-September (the vacation AKA Hurricanes Ahoy! 2006). Snarky will most likely be incommunicado from tomorrow through Sunday when she returns. They will have two days to prepare the house for the week-long visit of her parents starting next Wednesday. And before they go, Snarky has a second interview at one of her Dream Companies tomorrow. Plenty of things to keep them from getting morbid/morose.

darkitysnark

August 21, 2006

King of Hearts

In the imp: Cherry and lavender. On wet: Cherry, lavender, and I'm pretty sure that the smoothness underneath the two of 'em is the white musk. Drydown: The cherry faded almost immediately, leaving the barest hint of lavender wafting up from my skin. If I mash my nose against my wrist, I can smell the soft sweetness of the white musk. Overall: I failed to detect any trace of rosewood, red musk, or red rose in KoH - and to be completely honest, I rather liked it that way! The white musk's powdery softness proved the perfect grounding for the sharpness of the lavender, pinning both notes firmly in place against my skin, where they lingered quite happily for several hours. A lovely blend! 4/5

August 21, 2006

Do you have a flag?

Entire GC Swap Reviews - SevenSins Package #1

This is the Sephiroth package: Binah, Chokmah, Chesed, Geburah, Kether, Hod, Malkuth, Netzach, Tipareth, Yesod. The first package disappeared after it was sent to Mistress Tera. So we had to put together a new one... these are all my imps I'm donating, so I'm reviewing them before sending them off. Binah. This is the only imp of the set that I don't have. I tried it several months ago and didn't like it. I swapped it away. My only comments in my spreadsheet were that it was "kind of sharp." Other reviews describe it as resiny and floral, and I don't usually like either of those. That's probably why I swapped it. Chesed. Hmmm. A slight pencil-box sort of scent to this one at first. Kind of like sweet resin, maybe some incense. I can't actually tell what all is in this, but it is definitely woody. After a while it develops kind of a fruity scent, like maybe peach or apricot. Interesting. Chokmah. [Reviewed on 5/3/2006.] Dark brown oils are usually good ones for me -- so as soon as I saw Chokmah in the imp I wanted to try it right away. At first I smelled something like a pine/juniper scent, which I didn't like. But after about 30 minutes it smells and awful lot like Snake Oil. It has that same powdery vanilla quality with some yummy spice. On my skin, Chokmah is Snake Oil without the heavy powdery note. It has more bite, too. I didn't expect to get sexy out of a blend called Chokmah, but that's definitely what I got. (And you won't hear me complaining about that at all.) Need a bottle of this one... Geburah. Smells like a very clean man. Leather for sure, and maybe a little bit of salt. I agree with some previous reviewers that it smells like soap. Leather and soap. Kind of a odd combination. But that soap scent goes away and it ends up being all leather. Black, sleek, clean leather. I like this one. Hod. [Reviewed on 6/4/2006.] Powdery and sweet, which makes me think there's amber in this. There's also a slightly bitter floral note in it, which could be carnation. I think it smells golden, creamy and spicy. Kether. [Reviewed on 6/13/2006.] Almond powder. That's what it smells like on me at first. And then it smells like hair-styling products. I smell this and all I can think of is an old lady with her hair in those pink rollers and a hairnet, standing there in a housecoat and fuzzy slippers. So, um, no. This will go to the swap pile. Malkuth. [Reviewed on 6/4/2006.] Spicy, earthy, masculine. Quite fitting for Malkuth, I think. Not light and fleeting at all, it's solid and strong. Sweet, too. I don't usually like cinnamon very much, but I like this. Netzach. [Reviewed on 6/13/2006.] Mostly rose. Kind of an herby, woody, rose. To be honest I think this smells really nice. It's pretty and light. I don't usually wear rose blends as a personal fragrance... but maybe I should. Beth's rose notes smell so good and very true on me, even if the rose scent itself isn't my own fave. My skin seems to like it a lot. Tiphareth. Woody and sweet. A little smoky. Also it's really faint. I like the scent a lot, but I guess my skin sucks up this oil... it nearly disappeared entirely after about 5 minutes. Yesod. Stinging. Strong. It has that strong biting floral scent that I really don't like about florals. It's gotta be jasmine, but there's something else in it that makes the blend particularly nostril-curling for me. (Jasmine really doesn't work on me in the best of circumstances, so I'm not surprised that this one didn't work for me.)

filigree_shadow

August 21, 2006

Who's an asshole?

I was going to post this in the title thread on the forum, but it's a little too involved to clog up the board with. Okay. So, we've got a houseguest living here, because he fell apart. He's here on the condition that he gets help and works it out. We want to see him get healthy. So we go the route of trying to get him hospitalized. The hospital says that they can't even put him on the waiting list until he goes to see someone at the crisis response center and have an evaluation there, and then files for medical coupons with the department of social and health services-- and the waiting list is about two years. So we do all that, and try to get him outpatient treatment at the hospital, which they won't do until he gets evaluated by a specific ARNP in the area and gets a different medical coupon. At this point, they won't even evaluate him if he pays out of pocket. So we go to the specific ARNP, and I ranted about him before, because he told me to shut my mouth when I went to ask him to clarify his plan for my housemate's medication. Which still pisses me off, but also keeps me quiet (and that makes me even more mad, because I hate feeling cowed). He's a freak, and he isn't paying attention to what the housemate, S, is saying. He's condescending and just... rude. I don't like him. S missed an appointment with him, and when he went back, ARNP wouldn't let him in without a fee for missing the prior appointment, which S doesn't have. So ARNP told him to leave. The LDS church comes to our aid, and we go see a psychologist who is very nice and very patient, but eventually he insists that we go back to ARNP. So we go to see the guy, and he's being a prima donna. Seriously harrassing S for never coming back (ARNP didn't offer to reschedule when he sent him away.), and treating him like shit, basically. This man is everything I hate about the mental health professional community. Let me count the ways: 1. He says that hospitalization is an option if S really can't do what he needs to do, so S explains what all we've done to try and get hospitalization. ARNP takes this story and goes, "They didn't tell you that you have the wrong medical coupon. They told you you're not sick enough for hospitalization." Uhh. He goes on to imply that S is faking his condition and that my husband and I will soon have no choice but to throw him out on the street. 2. He tries to put the fear of God into S about what hospitalization is like. Every horror story that ever went through my mind when I thought I'd have to be put away, he brought up. Gee, that's helpful. 3. He says that LDS-guy doesn't know what to do with him anymore, and that's why he sent him back. He says that everybody is frustrated because he's not helping himself, and that he won't put up with it. He tells S that he needs to pull himself together, and that eventually, he's going to look back on this and realize what a dick he is. 4. He reiterates that S is not sick and is using everyone. Then he brings up medication. He prattles on about how S won't notice any changes from any of these medicines, and that's fine- it's perfectly normal. He might notice a slight elevation in his moods at higher doses, but these won't really do anything for him at all. Great motivation to take the little bastards, then. 5. ARNP asks, "So, what do you want to do?" In my mind, I calmly reply, "I'd like to punch you in the face." S asks for clarification, and he snaps, "About the medication!" S is like, "Uh, take it?" So he talks some more about the medication, and I think some more about punching his face, and as he's sending us out, he's all, "It's a good thing I'm not your therapist, huh? You wouldn't like me very much. I'd just tell you to get off your ass." Nice. So then he makes another appointment, and is all, "If you don't make this appointment, then Godspeed. I wish you well. But find somebody else. You won't be coming back here." And I so desperately wanted to say, "There is nobody else, you fucktard! If there were, we wouldn't be here! We would never have come back, ever! But DSHS says that you're the only asshole in the area, so we're stuck with you. Isn't that nice?" But I didn't want to hand him that kind of power, so I just nodded and left. While shaking profusely. Fucker. Thanks for helping not at all.

August 20, 2006

Persephone

In the imp: SWEET! Like, scary sweet, with a dash of something fruity. On wet: Pure roses - of the cheap bathroom spray variety - and nothing else. Drydown: Still nothing but super sweet, bubblegum pink, granny bathroom ROSES. There isn't even a *hint* of that initial whiff of fruit I got from the imp - the fruit that I was counting on for balance. Overall: I can only wear a select handful of rose blends, and sadly, this is not one of them.

August 20, 2006

Sybaris

In the imp: Sugared violets. On wet: Violets gone wild - candy sweet and incredibly bright. There's the faintest hint of earthiness peeping out from beneath that swirly floral haze, but it's too soft to tell if it's the incense or the cloves. Drydown: Mmm...something smooth and warm has risen up and bitch-slapped those wee purple flowers into submission - I'm guessing the tonka. This new, lightly spiced, almost creamy undertone is what transforms this blend into something totally wearable. Overall: Not a huge fan of violets - or florals in general, but the spicy edge that eventually emerges takes this fragrance to a whole other level. Don't know if I'll be wearing it very often, but I'll definitely be hanging on to my imp. A comfortable 3/5.

August 20, 2006

Herr Drosselmeyer

In the bottle: Like herbal...paint? On wet: A sharp yet decidedly warm scent combination - I'm getting leather, spice, and something burning. Definitely keeping true to the description! Drydown: Pretty much the same as above - woodsmoke (which has morphed into the dominant note), leather, and I want to attribute that soft, spicy undertone to a liberal dash of either clove or nutmeg, though I'm probably way off. Could I somehow be misinterpreting the tobacco? As a former - though longtime smoker, how lame would that be? Overall: A slightly smokier, drier, less sweet version of Dee, like some of the past reviewers have mentioned. A good fragrance for when it's cold n' snowy outside, you're inside, bundled into a squishy sweater or blanket, curled up on the couch with a good book, drinking something cidery, chocolatey, or otherwise winterlicious. Very evocative of the season it was created for. 3.5/5