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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
    • 5,732 views
 

Fiddledragon Imp Pack #1

Bliss: This is one of my staples. Goes on smelling like hot cocoa. Really rich & chocolatey. Makes me want to lick myself. It slowly dissipates, but I generally keep a spray of this in my purse for touchups to stay as chocolatey as possible.   Ravenous: Wet: Oddly enough, this smelled like leather & bandaids with lemony-citrus notes when I put it on. Drydown: As it dries, the actual patchouli note come through and it smells less like plastic. The red patchouli starts taking on a slighly herbal/slightly spicy tone to it, but it does have a bit of a musty odor to it. The orange blossom receeds quite a bit, adding a bit of a lightness to it, but it isn't sharp at all.   I'm not sure if it's something I'd ever need a full 5mL of, since I'm not totally sold on the red patchouli. It's an interesting blend, though, and not too far off of something I'd wear regularly.   Crossroads: Wet: very perfumey-floral. Dry: The floral is bright & sweet; it's almost citrus-like... I think this is magnolia maybe? There are some slightly earthy/mossy notes in the background. After a bit, some of the incense notes come out. They're soft and powdery, quite like the incense notes of Sybaris. They obscure the moss notes, but not enough of the florals, which stay fairly bright. An interesting blend, but a bit too floral for my tastes.   Salome: Wet: sweet almonds & a bit of jasmine. i really like the wet stage. Dry: The sweet almond fades quite a bit, and the jasmine becomes more prominent. Then it fades into a weak floral, but the sweetness and warmth of the musk & sandalwood remain. I think I'd like this a lot more if it had better throw; this on me is a nose-to-wrist scent. I really really really like the musk, and wish it were stronger. Overall, it's a nice, sweet, pretty blend. It reminds me a bit of Bastet, but a little softer and less "golden" smelling.   Nero: Wet: very sharp & astringent; smells like eucalyptus Dry: the eucaltypus-ish scent fades and becomes more herbal and also a bit medicinal. The bay is an interesting note, but not one i'd want to really smell like. Then it fades quickly into nothing. I am not a big fan of this blend.   Masquerade: Wet: slightly perfumey, can detect orange blossom & patchouli right away. Dry: the scent becomes a bit spicy, possibly from the carnation. the patchouli is warm and slightly woodsy. Sweet & spicy & earthy all at the same time. The spiciness fades a bit, then it is a warm scent with just a hint of the orange blossom fruitiness. I really like this one... it might have to be an eventual 5mL.   Faustus: Wet: soap & oil. Dry: becomes more spicy as it dries; the cinnamon & frankincense start to appear. It still smells fairly soapy, which oddly enough, I think is due to the violets. I usually love violets in almost any blend, but here they are just not my cup of tea. After a while, the sharp soap note fades a bit to a warm, spicy scent, but it's a little bit too astringent-smelling for me. It's a neat scent, just not one I think I'd really get much wear out of. This probably would smell amazing on a guy, FWIW.   Masabakes: Wet: rich, heavy, but sweet. Currants + resins = yay Dry: Smells a bit like a relative of Lurid. Sweet, but mysterious. The sweetness of the black currants is strong, but not overwhelming, and is balanced nicely by the myrrh. The other notes add almost a dusty, dry base to it. For some reason, I thought I didn't or wouldn't like this blend, but this is actually very much a scent I would wear a lot!

Diana

Diana

 

My old job

My first job in the company I currently work in was the best job in the world. I loved it so much, but I was only temping for two ladies who were out on materinty leave.   I bawled on my last day, on the way home from work, because I loved this job so much.   My boss thought I was a great worker and he tried to A) keep me in his department or keep me in the company.   I'm still in the company, but I don't like my current job nearly as much. Plus my boss in the old job was great, and my current boss is too busy to do much of anything besides sit in meetings.   I just got a company wide email that one of the ladies who had a baby is leaving, tomorrow. Since this is the first I've heard of it, I'm guessing that they have someone else taking her place.   I told my old boss that I would come back in a moment's notice, but I guess that's not going to happen.   I sent him an email - to see if her position was filled. I know if I could go back there, I would have a wonderful job, with wonderful co-workers, and I'd be hired in right away.   Because my mindset is of a depressed one, I feel that someone else is already working in her place, and it makes me want to cry. I can't even apply for the posting for her job, because I'm not hired in.

Eoywin

Eoywin

 

Nice veins!

I feel like I should get a sticker that says "I made a phlebotomist happy today!" Every time I have to have blood drawn for tests they always tell me "oh, you have such nice veins". I guess that's cool. Though I'm not thrilled that you can see most of my veins because I'm pretty pale, I'd rather have an easy time giving blood than not. I'd have to say I'm lucky that no one's ever missed a vein or had to dig in my arm.

miss apple

miss apple

 

4th of July BBQ

Since we bought our house in February, I've been itching to have a party. Since Todd's parents are coming up for the 4th, we are hosting our first party, a 4th of July BBQ.   It will be mostly Todd's familly and friends, though it does sound like a couple we are both friends with are probably going to be able to come.   I'm excited, but I'm sad at the same time - going back to my very whiny comment that I wish I had more friends.   I'm not really sure how to make friends anymore. I tried and organized an Asheville meet & sniff, and it was fun, but it didn't lead anywhere in the friendship department.   I'm not sure where someone goes to meet people in their late twenties / early thirties who like some of the same things I do. I'd love to find another gaming group, but I'm not sure where to find those either (I have looked in every comic shop I go into to see if there is anyone looking for gamers to join a game).   I'm at a loss, and I'm sad about it... mostly because the two friends I have in this town (not counting Todd) seem to be distanting themselves from me (of course, this could be my paranoia when it comes to friends).   This is reason I have issues with friends - in my life I've lost (driven away?) two groups of friends.   I'm shy, though less than I used to be. I was painfully shy in my childhood, and so I didn't have a real friend until I was in the 6th grade. Her name was Heather and we were 'best friends' for the middle school years. We even shared a locker throughout high school.   In high school, I began to discover who I am - the weird, geeky girl I am today. And Heather was more interested in being mainstream, a follower. Plus she could only have one good friend at a time. We had a group of friends, and in my senior year of high school, I began to realize how these people were ditching me, and not really my friends.   They'd talk about trips they were going on, right in front of me, but I was never invited. If I wanted to do anything with them, I'd have to be the one to ask, and plan out the details - that got old really fast. I wasn't invested that emotionally with these people, so I decided one day that I didn't need them, and I'd find good friends in college.   And I did - at least I thought I did. I met Sara freshman year in German class, and we became best friends quickly. We had other friends too, and a group formed that there were about 6 or 7 of us by the time we all graduated from college.   I tried really hard to keep in touch, but as time went on they were less and less interested in keeping in touch with me, to the point that I was doing all the work. Unfortunely, I was very much emotionally invested in these people. I loved them like family, and I would have done anything for any of them.   Unfortunely, they all decided (on their own, or as a group - I'm not sure) they didn't want to be my friend, which ended up them all ditching me on my birthday (Birthdays are big deals for me, especially since my mom died - and they knew this).   This started a very hard time for me, because I ended up getting told that I was a horrible person (via livejournal no less), and it was really hard. I knew they weren't good friends, and that I was better off with out them. But it was like losing my entire family - I really did love them.   So, about 6 months after this happened, we moved to NC, and make 2 friends right away. It was nice, but I couldn't seem to make any more friends.   I'm not as whiney and depressing in real life as I am on online (online = venting), so I don't know what the problem is.   I began to think that whatever drove both sets of friends away must be me... but I don't know why I'm so undesirable as a friend.   Anyway, I've rambled enough - if you read this, and have any ideas why I see to be an anti-friend magnet, please let me know.

Eoywin

Eoywin

 

Wedding thoughts

Since my own wedding is 3 months away, my thoughts are pretty much focused on the wedding, and how much crap I still have to do for it.   When I couldn't get to sleep last night, I flipped on the tv, and found the show 'Bridezillas' on which I watched for about 20 minutes.   One of the brides made the comment that 'the wedding is all about the bride, and the groom doesn't matter'.   I'd like to say that it's the first time I've heard that idea, but it's not. I know of several people who felt that way about their own wedding.   Our wedding will be focused not just on me, because honestly it's not just me getting married. It's Todd and I.   Besides, he might get more attention, since he's inviting more people   I did get some wedding stuff done - I got the cloaks for the bridal party ordered yesterday, and I'll get them in a couple of weeks, which is awesome.   This weekend, beyond cleaning, I'm going to get my invitations weighed, so I can buy stamps, so I can start to get those finished.

Eoywin

Eoywin

 

48 Hours

I'll be married in 48 hours!! I got shoes (they're pretty much hideous, but I don't imagine I'll end up caring a lot about them!) and my nails done- I'm loving them, but not the typing with them on. I hung out with one of my dearest friends from high school for several hours today, and that was fun. She actually learned the first two pages of one of the songs I had wanted to walk to, in case my piano player flakes out, as she is wont to do. That is very nice of her, and quite unexpected. Hopefully we'll be able to get together tomorrow, but tomorrow is going to be very busy. We were able to find a bakery that was SO reasonably priced and extremely sympathetic to my case and just incredibly nice overall who would also be able to get it done by friday, which is so awesome. It's going to be a lovely cake, and there's carrot cake! It's extremely good carrot cake. The other layers are white with different fillings- odd that I won't be having chocolate. I may grab a chocolate sheet cake to make sure we have enough.

smallvoice

smallvoice

 

Puddin' Tom update

It occurs to me that I have not provided a definitive update on the cat who took up residence on my front porch nearly two weeks ago. I was calling the kitty Puddy or Puds or Puddin', and a week ago I took the little geek into the vet to get the giant hairballs cut out of his fur and to get a general health assessment.   So here's the news: the kitty is a neutered male, the vet guesses he's about 10 years old. He'd probably lived on his own for a while, considering the extent of the matted hair on his back, but he obviously was someone's pet for most of his life. He had no microchip, and no lost cat report fits his description. His ears were simply very dirty, he had no mites or parasites except of evidence of some fleas, so he was treated for the nasty fleasters. His bloodwork came out clean and vet gave him vaccinations. The vet also said he was in amazingly good shape, considering his age and his recent "on the road" lifestyle. The shambling gait that he has is probably due to general age and perhaps some sort of old injury. But some of it, I believe, was due to the fact that the poor guy was skin and bones and half-starved.   So for now, he's living contentedly on the front porch with his little kennel for shelter and his food and water. He isn't going anywhere, believe me! He's filling out, I'm brushing him daily to get more of the dead hair out of his coat, and his wobbly gait is improving. He loves to crawl onto your your lap, purr and knead his paws. Ella Bean, Basset Queen, was taken out on the porch to meet him, restrained by her harness and her leash, and Puddin' Tom just watched her and gave a warning growl every now and then. She didn't push it. Mugzy the Boxer was curious, but not aggressive. If they keep meeting up, a truce may be established over time   And as you can see, I'm calling him Puddin' Tom. I think it sounds like a cross between a children's book title and a good ol' southern boy. He apparently feels like he's found his retirement home!

valentina

valentina

 

I feel bad...

I feel bad that:   I didn't make the picture slideshow on my cousin's Myspace page, and that there are two pictures of my selfish sister on there.   my husband's eBay auctions aren't going to sell.   my kitty loves my husband more than me.   my mom is gone, and lots of people still have theirs.

Eoywin

Eoywin

 

More cake

The pans that my mother was borrowing to bake the cakes? Yeah, not available after all. And I've officially been overruled. We're buying sheet cakes from Costco on friday. I can't go to the bakery to find out how much their cakes would be (and I can't find the number anywhere, because I don't know the name, I just know it's on the parkway.) because I'm under house arrest for a day of rest. And cleaning. I'm in major meltdown mode- but I appreciate all the offers of help and ranting in unison and encouragement to become ze bridezilla within. I think I need that right now. And the boy wants to watch House now. So very not in the mood.

smallvoice

smallvoice

 

An addition

I tend to go through phases where I'm highly interested in one television show, or one series of books.   Currently, it's 7th Heaven.   My husband had watched it much longer than me, and when we started living together, we'd watch it on and off. This winter though, I started to watch it faithfully every Monday.   I found a used copy of Season 1 at a game store, and it sat on my shelf for a while. I picked it up and started watching it a couple of weeks ago.   I was watching it nearly every day, and I went through Season 1 pretty quick, so I went to eBay to find a copy of Season 2.   I, against my better judgement, bid on a copy, and won, and it arrived yesterday. So, there will be lots of 7th Heaven-ness at my house tonight.   I don't know what I'll do after I finish Season 2 though... Season 3 isn't on DVD yet.

Eoywin

Eoywin

 

Sad

I've been really sad this week... overwhemling so.   Wedding planning is hard, especially since my mom is gone, and I don't really have any help in NC. Todd helps when he can, but it's at the stage that he isn't interested in - making favors, getting the invitations ready, and such.   I was looking forward to having the couple days off over the 4th to get some of this wedding stuff done, and now I'm dreading the 4th because my in-laws are coming to visit.   I'm afraid I'll be kicked out of my own bedroom (my in-laws helped us move, and took over our bedroom. The first week of our marriage we couldn't even sleep together!) - I don't sleep well to begin with, but I really don't want to have to sleep on a blow up bed, then have to go to work for 10 + hours, then have to come home to 'entertain'. The very thought makes me want to cry.   I'm really sad that the SC meet and sniff isn't going to happen. I know I shouldn't have gone anyway because of the money, and because of the messy house, but I probably would have gone. I had been looking forward to it for quite a while now   And again, I wish I had friends - girl friends, mostly. I don't have anyone really to blather on about wedding stuff, to come to my fittings with me, to help me with invitations, to watch girly movies, and talk about things only girls can understand.   I miss having a best girl friend... and I even miss the best girl friend I had in college (though she become quite a crappy friend the last couple years of our friendship).   Life is hard... and I really try to keep upbeat (I know, it's hard to tell from my posts), but with feeling sick all the time (my lovely headaches insure that I'm in pain, all day every day) and being so lonely, it's hard to keep happy.

Eoywin

Eoywin

 

Entire GC Swap Reviews - WaltzForZizi Package #2

Cross-posted to the reviews forum.   Antique Lace - A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes. This oil doesn't seem to smell as good on me as what many other people describe in their reviews. It's kind of a stale perfumey scent. Milky and vaguely floral. It does smell white, but it doesn't smell fresh to me.   Belle Epoque - Sweet opium, Lily of the Valley, vanilla, mandarin and red sandalwood. Very sweet, very pretty, but also very light. I like the scent a lot, but it just doesn't last one me. I once spilled a whole imp on myself and could barely smell it 30 minutes later. Phooey.   Chimera - The fiery, volatile scent of cinnamon, thickened by myrrh, honeysuckle, and copal. At first it's a lot of cinnamon, but there's a syrupy feel to it, kind of like that sticky frosting on cinnabons. As it dries down it's still quite a lot of cinnamon, more than I generally like. And by the time the cinnamon fades out, any other scent that was under there is gone too.   Lightning - The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain. Wooo, very ozoney. Slightly salty, kind of a weird twang to it. This isn't the kind of scent I would wear as a personal fragrance, but it is the sort of scent I would use for a linen spray. It smells clean and fresh.   March Hare - A twisted teatime tart: apricot and sweet clove. At first the apricot smells a bit like an artificial peach scent used in air fresheners. I used to have a "peach potporri" powdered carpet freshener that smelled very similar. The clove isn't very strong, but it gives the scent an earthy foundation and balances out the sweet fruitiness. And after 20 minutes or so the apricot doesn't smell nearly as aritifical, and the apricot/clove combination is more balanced. It's a pretty scent, but it still reminds me too much of that carpet freshener for me to wear it.   Swank - Simply cool, the essence of Lounge: the scent of a crisp pomegranate martini. Reminds me of a cross between generic bath beads and bubblegum. Plus it's strong. It reminds me of a cheap fragrance for some reason, like a bathroom spray. The second imp I tried smelled better, less like bubblegum, but it's still too much of a sweet artificial scent for me. I'll stick with the peach and apricot ones.   White Rabbit - Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. A clean-smelling white tea scent, and the ginger is pleasant. It smells polite. It's kind of like Dorian plus fabric softener. It has more of a crispness to it and less creaminess than Dorian. And the honey in this doesn't smell like play-doh like it does in other blends.

filigree_shadow

filigree_shadow

 

Entire GC Swap Reviews - WaltzForZizi Package #1

Cross-posting to the reviews forum.   Blood Kiss - Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk. At first I mainly get vetiver from this (I love vetiver) with clove and a little bit of cherry. It's smoky and warm. After a while the honey comes out a little more and makes it creamy... it ends up as kind of a husky smooth clove scent, with only a little bit of vetiver underneath. Complex and wonderful. I like it a lot.   Hollywood Babylon - The essence of innocence shattered: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry. Hmmm... black cherry and red musk, very lovely. Lusty and dark. I don't really get much strawberry, which is okay with me. I love heliotrope, and I always love amber and vanilla. Seriously, the only note in this whole blend that might not have worked on me was the strawberry, and I can't really detect it. This is exactly the sort of oil I'd like to wear 5 days out of 7. I tried this again as part of the GC circular swap after not trying it for a couple of months, and now I realize I need a bottle of it.   Katharina - A strong, willful blend with a soft, utterly lovely soul: white musk with a trickle of bright, sharp apricot and orange blossom. Katharina is a very bright, very springtime scent. There is something in it that reminds me of popsicle sticks. You know that woody flavor combined with the last drops of fruit-flavored popsicle left on the stick. It's very soft though, it doesn't have strong throw.   Queen Mab - A very complex scent, both shadowy and fierce: black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk. I loooooove this oil. It's beautiful and womanly, sexy and powerful. There's nothing young and innocent about this scent, it's the scent of a woman who knows what she wants. The black orchid is wonderful, and I love the sandalwood and musk with it. To be honest I'm not sure what night-blooming jasmine and osmanthus smell like, but if they're in this blend I'm pretty sure I like them. Mmmmm, this smells good. Can't believe I don't have a bottle of this yet... it's going on the list right now.   Rosalind - Dew-covered berries and fresh green grasses with a faint breath of spring flowers. This oil smells mainly grassy, but very fresh. The florals are very faint and not all that noticeable. It does smell a bit dewy as well. It's a young, clean, fresh scent. It's pretty, but too feminine for me personally.   Tempest - A crisp ozone-tinged breeze. The scent of the first gentle rain before the storm. This doesn't smell much like ozone to me, but it does smell breezy. There's kind of a citrus scent to it as well. It smells much brighter than most ozone scents.   Thanatopsis - A deep, solomn earthen scent containing pine, juniper and musk. Thanatopsis was pretty far down on my "to try" list because of the pine and juniper, which are traditionally urgh for me. I put it on, sniffed, thought "eugh, pine," then went back to typing something. About 10 minutes later I started to wonder where that lovely scent was coming from. I traced it to the little swipe of Thanatopsis. So I swiped on a whole bunch more, and waited for the pine to go away again. Is anyone else getting red musk out of this? I swear the musk smells like red musk... and at one point I thought I faintly detected some leather. Very animalistic, and to be honest I don't mind the pine. It actually makes the whole thing seem slightly fresh, giving a pleasant respite from the feral undertone. I can see this being masculine, but I'm reluctant to hand over the imp to the hubby. I kinda want to keep it for myself.

filigree_shadow

filigree_shadow

 

Cake

Remember my wedding cake decorator? Free cake, as a wedding gift? Yeah, apparently, she's not going to be able to do that anymore. The move that she told me she'd be in the middle of when she offered to do it has caused her to be unable to do it. Her pans are all lost and she can't find anything for her kitchen and... dude. DUDE! My wedding is on freaking friday!! YYRRRAAAAARRRGGHHH!

smallvoice

smallvoice

 

reviews this.machine#1

AGLAEA: Three golden ambers, bright musk, peach wine and myrtle. A BEAUTIFUL, bright sweet peach! Smells just like Bath and Body Works discontinued scent Peach Nectar. I LOVE this. The ambers are non-existant on me, either that or they blend in/emphasize the peach perfectly. I also can't detect the musk, but it may be also emphasizing the peach. I don't know what myrtle smells like, but I *maybe* can detect a hint of floral behind the peach? (it may be just because I WANT to smell the floral ) I love this scent so much. I am definitely buying a 5ml.   BLUEBEARD: A scent swirling with dark rage, unbridled jealousy, and murderous intent. Violet, lavender, white musk and vetiver. The lavender hit me at once. Now I can smell those dreadful violets... and they are almost as strong as the lavender. despite my hatred for violets I must say how perfect they blend with lavender. I couldn't detect the vetiver, which I know is a pretty strong, bitter note. The scent didn't smell murdeous to me, but it is definitely masculine and reminds me of the sea.   GAUEKO: The Basque God of Night and all the perils of the darkness. Though he is the God of the Danger that Lurks in the Gloom, he is kind to men and warns them against the nighttime hazards and sets rules of conduct for both the living and the dead as they travel through his domain. It is said that since the warm, vibrant daylight is for the living, the abodes of night are reserved for the dead. All who heed his counsel are protected, but woe be to any man that disobeys the laws of Gaueko: he is swift to punish those that would scorn his advice. Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum. Wow. Nag champa and lavender! I love Nag champa with a passion and I let out a huge squee when I first sniffed this in my imp. Wow, I never knew that Nag Champa and lavender could blend together and compliment each other so wonderfully! The nag champa is most noticeable in the vial, wet on skin it is mostly lavender, dry on skin it is mostly nag champa! Oh, my love! Another to add to my 5ml wishlist. I'm also going to have to make room on my top 10!   REGAN A deceptively sweet orchid vanille with a faint trace of stephanotis. When wet, it is VERY STRONG, and smells very much like Follow Me Boy (which sometimes gives me a headache) smells like jasmine and baby powder, and nothing like the orchids I am used to (like Shadow Witch Orchid). However, after it dries down there is a lovely vanilla (it was disguised as jasmine! it was SOMEHOW really vanilla!)   SLOTH VERY dark and murky. musky. I'm not sure I can handle much of this without a headache. reminds me a bit of cheap drugstore cologne from the early 90's. But it also smells almost like depression, stagnation.   LIBER RESH VEL HELIOS: TUM Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who art Tum in Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Down-going of the Sun. Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day! GRAPES. Smells just like grape bubblegum, which is not a bad thing but it also means it smells artificial. Myrrh or frankincense, patchouli? musk of some sort. hard to detect what is beyond that. It is very calming even though the scent is strong. I could totally see how it can describe the setting sun. The grape remindsme of this weird air freshener my grandmother has. I'm not sure whether I like this or not.   UTRENNYAYA The Morning Star Osmanthus, Damascus rose, violet, delphinium, white mint, palmarosa and white sandalwood. When wet it is very herbally, minty. Very green smelling. It reminds me a bit of Envy with its smell of fresh green cut grass and of mint. Sweet though, as I can smell the florals through it as if the green smells were a fence or a screen. A lot of notes I can't quite place, but it definitely smells like a late spring/early summer scent. ETA: definitely more floral as it dries.   WINNERS OF THIS REVIEW: Gaueko and Aglaea!

ancilla_morte

ancilla_morte

 

Stress

I fear that I'm not a good person. I don't have very many friends, and those I do have seem to be pulling away from me.   I'm not sure why I have such a hard time making and keeping friends. My whole history of friendships show how people end up not liking me as a friend, and then dumping me.   I just want a couple of good friends that I can call and talk to, or hang out with. I have my husband, and he's great (and I do wonder sometimes how he can stand me), but I only see him on the weekends.   I had really wanted to go to the meet & sniff in SC this weekend, and now it appears that no-one is going. I was really looking forward to it, and now all I have to look forward to is a weekend of lots and lots of cleaning.   I'm sad and I'm lonely, and I'm super stressed out over work and the wedding, and now that my in-laws are coming to visit, I'm stressed about that.

Eoywin

Eoywin

 

It's all in your head.

Snarky developed some psychosomatic quirks during her senior year back in Nerd School. She was falling into a mild depression, feeling the strain of separation from her first serious boyfriend (the relationship was a bit co-dependent), and she was at a complete loss as to where/what she wanted to go/do/be after graduation.   About once a month she would come down with symptoms of a particularly virulent stomach virus that didn't exist. Two days of debilitating gastro-intestinal distress then suddenly nothing, and back to her self-imposed hermit-like existance of skipping meals in the cafeteria in lieu of a pseudo-monastic supper of rye bread and onion soup (She's not sure why she settled on this particular combination, it was probably something she picked up from reading The Name of the Rose and/or the better option compared to flagellation.). Naturally her suitemates didn't take any of this seriously and did their best to harrass her into being more sociable.   The psychosomatic weirdness climaxed with a spectacular presentation of a raging case of hives during final exams. Every where her skin was constantly touched - her bra strap, necklines and waistlines, where her low pony tail rested against the nape of her neck, bloomed with red, itchy welts. She added two Benadryls to her rye bread and onion soup communion every night and had nightmares about physics exams and botany practicals.   Eventually her skin cleared and she graduated (probably in that order) and after that traumatic senior semester, nothing quite so extreme happened to her again.   But she remembers that it's possible. A crouching gremlin hiding in her meat and bones, waiting for the right triggers.   Last week The Mister took two days off of work because of stomach problems. Today, a full week later, he's still not quite back to normal. He comes from a family that doesn't always think to go to the doctor until the problem becomes much worse, so Snarky's attempts at getting him to Get Help have been treated as Chiken Little-style freakouts.   Finally, though, he is thinking about seeing his doctor. Even if this ends up being all in his head (his work is approaching a critical turning point this week) she hopes that seeing the doctor will help him somehow.   In the meantime, her own stomach has been a bit sour and sullen as well. Whether it is in sympathy (the closest to synced menses they'll ever get), or due to exposure to him (if it is an actual bug), or due to a whole new resurgence of her old sub-conscious mind/body craziness (always an underlying possiblity), she's unclear. Perhaps she'll never fully focus on the cause. She just hopes the effects for both The Mister and herself go away soon.

darkitysnark

darkitysnark

 

No Coast

I just love this -- there's a roller derby club in the town that I live in called the No Coast Derby Girls. The name alone is priceless. There's two teams -- Gang Green (team color green, obviously) and the Mary Kay Mafia (wearing pink, of course). There's a match in early July and I hope to attend. Several of the girls on the teams go to my favorite coffeehouse, and come limping in, sporting large bruises, all that jazz. They are just wild maniacs, and I do so appreciate that.   And speaking of being in No Coast land, if there's a beach near you, please go to it for me. I have a good friend in Tampa and I'm always asking her to at least drive by the beach and honk at it for me. For those of you who live near very large lakes with quasi-beaches, that works too.   I must share a bit of kitsch from my home state that is probably more evidence that since there's no beach or large body of water or mountains, we fixate on phallic symbols. (You need look no further than me for evidence of that. ) I believe it was in the 1930's that someone decided to create a lake and a faux beach between Lincoln and Omaha near the Platte River. It's called Linoma Beach (heh, heh, Lincoln and Omaha, get it?)   And below is a photo of Linoma beach, and yes, that is a light house. It's often said there have been no shipwrecks there, so it must be doing its job. That may be because the lake is so shallow and it's so dry in this state that only an inner tube can make its way out onto the water. I think I'll have to go there at least once this summer, if only for the amusement value.  

valentina

valentina

 

Crypt

I've been so busy, trying to wrap up my work so I can have a couple weeks of travel before I head home, so I've not resized and uploaded many pictures of the last batch of churches. I went to Poitiers on Friday, though, and was completely taken in by the crypt of the 6th century Saint Radegunde (one of my personal heroines, simply because she was an uppity, yet humble, woman). Here's a quickie of me in the crypt, Peony Moon blooming in the candlelight...   ...and another of the steep stairs down to the crypt. An amazing place.   The crypt up close. It was beautiful and peaceful.   I'm off to Toulouse on Thursday, hopefully more pics up by then!

Heretic

Heretic

 

Picture post, part two: flowering plants

I had too many pictures for one post...   Here are my mini roses, I have 5 buds that will be opening in the next week or two. As prissy as they are, the roses are pretty rewarding.   I got more indoor plants this week too, I ordered an African Violet from Bluebird Greenhouse - By the way, they are *awesome* - The plants came in beautiful condition, and they sent me a free gift plant! I decided to go with a fancy greenhouse because I didn't want to risk getting a buggy plant from Lowes or Home Depot.   This is the one I ordered, Newton Quiet Resolve. I have seen picture's of other people's plants on the web, and this one often has very variagated leaves. Mine aren't showing much in the way of variagation yet, but the plant will be in my office under my flourescent desk lamp 9 hours a day, so the variagation will hopefully become more pronounced. (Check out the one about 1/3 of the way down on this page)   This is the free gift, Aca's Passionate. This one is going to live in my bedroom.

antimony

antimony

 

Garden at the one-month mark.

For those of you that are following the progress of my garden, here are this week's pictures: Please excuse my complete inability to work the autofocus this week.   The enormous tomato: (It's a one-plant jungle) I finally did give in and loosely tie the stems to the hanging hook with old knee-highs, since I was starting to feel concerned that the stems were getting *really* heavy.   Here's a cluster of little tomatoes:   And here's the tomato I showed you guys last week. It's cherry-sized, but instead of being round, it's shaped like a regular tomato!   The experimental tomato, however, is still languishing. Not dead, but not really all that alive either:   The pepper is taking off, it's covered in buds, and I'm really looking forward to having a huge crop of habaneros in a month or two:   The strawberries? The plants look healthy enough, but they are still not growing flowers:   Finally, check out my morning glories/moonflowers: (I've made them a trellis out of jute twine) Despite the look of the picture, they are not speeding acoss my balcony at 60mph!

antimony

antimony

 

Van Van and skeletal librarians

It's been a long while since I posted, but an update on the voodoo - Van Van is wonderful stuff, and so is Horn of Plenty. I have managed to land a job with the sort of income that means that I will be able to spend some serious money on my addiction if I so desire, so I've had to think carefully.I looked over the TAL site and I have found what I think will be a good first order from them - a range of oils that will assist me in things that I want to do. Hymn to Pan will be about keeping me on the creative/designing road while I'm working. Concentration is for me, but also for my boyfriend, who has ADD and finds it hard to focus even with medication. I'd love to try him on this, because he's a fan of BPAL as well. White light is a general all purpose purification blend, and I will introduce it to the group of people I''m about to begin practicing ritual magic with. Attuning is also for this purpose, and will be for waking up to the energies - i'm think of one person in particular who insists that she's psychic as a rock, but it'll be useful to all of us.when I'll get these oils, I'm not sure. I am looking forward to buying Chaos Theory III, and I will have a collection of Salon imps coming to me, so that might drastically change my plans for my next BPAL purchase.but the skeletal librarian t-shirt? oh, want. I've wanted that one above all the others for ages and ages. I'm going to buy it, with my first paycheque, and that's the end of the discussion.The Efficacy of Van Van led me to investigate luckymojo, and I found the recipe to mix your own. I think I like this particular touch for Van Van, so I'm going to buy the EO's and make my own batch, and use it as floorwash and in baths and anywhere I need a good cleanup. I'm going to have to banish and purify my house really soon, and I'd like to do it with Van Van. since I will need to have this stuff in enormous quantities, it's better (and more economical) for me to make it myself. I mean, I need this in the record executive needs a huge bottle of snake oil once a month kind of way, except for ritual as well as beauty purposes.my effects with High John the Conqueror will have to wait - as soon as I got the imp I knew there was someone who was going to need it more, so I gave that imp to him. I also got a little imp of Mercury, and I'm going to save it for anointing when I need to write - that's what I wanted Mercury for.Last Bpal Acquired: Mercury, High John the ConquerorLast Bpal Worn: TezcatlipocaPlanned Bpal Buys: Chaos Theory III, Osun, The Caterpillar, Aunt Caroline's Joy MojoPlanned TAL Buys: Hymn To Pan, Concentration, White Light, AttuningPlanned Trading Post Buys: Skeletal Librarian Tee (waaaaant)

Athena's Owl

Athena's Owl

 

some Voodoo, there

I only own two voodoo blends: Horn of Plenty and Van Van.   I wore Van Van last night before going to bed. when I woke up in the morning my luck had uncrossed itself. I can move forward now. between that and the fact that Van Van oil has vetiver in it I am completely interested in voodoo blends, now.   I've decided to try Horn of Plenty the next time I'm working on increasing my prosperity, as that is what it's for.   I suppose this post is specifically my wishlist for GC voodoo blends, then:   Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo Block Buster Chuparosa Has no Hanna Queen Red Devil Water of Notre Dame Wolf's Heart   Last Bpal Acquired: Dia de los Muertos, 2005 blend Last Bpal Worn: Dia de los Muertos, 2005 blend Planned Bpal Buys: Salon Decant Circle, full set

Athena's Owl

Athena's Owl

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