jencallisto

In the imp: Syrupy sweet, like confectioner's sugar icing. Fresh on the skin: Lemon sugar cookie, indeed, but with that underlying plasticky ick that cake tends to turn to on my skin. I should really just learn my lesson about cake scents and give it up. 20 minutes later: Not the worst plasticky lemon cake ever. 2 hours later: But not actually good, either. 3 hours later: Fading... Verdict: Not for me. One phrase: Plasticky iced sugar cookie.

A boozy addition to the devil's bake sale! Rum-soaked butter cookies, crusted with sugar, soaked in almond and garnished with orange rind. In the imp: Hrm. Artificial cake, somewhat alcoholic. Fresh on the skin: Yup, artificial, alcoholic cake, a little spicy. 10 minutes later: The spice from the rum and the freshness of orange seems to be mitigating the Icky Cake effect, though it's still a bit plasticky. 1 hour later: This is actually pretty nice! Spicy-sweet, a little cookie. 2 hours later: Fuzzy soft spice cake, nice. 4 hours later: A little nutty, a very nice light, fuzzy cookie scent. 6.5 hours later: Faint nutty vanilla cookie. 10 hours later: Basically gone, just a tiny bit of vanilla left. Verdict: Not bad! Perhaps I'll try it again sometime, but I doubt I need a bottle. One phrase: nutty vanilla cookie.

(for Rose Red 2007) In the imp: Sharp bitter green, extremely sweet rose. Fresh on the skin: So bitter! Almost earthy. Dark dark dark. 10 minutes later: Pretty rose, bitter center, not sure how I feel about this. 40 minutes later: Bitter bitter bitter rose. 2 hours later: The bitterness has lifted a quite a bit, leaving a fresh, gentle, vegetal-green rose. Pretty nice. 4.5 hours later: Light, sweet, fresh, green rose. 7 hours later: Faded green rose, light and pretty. 9 hours later: Basically gone, just a thin thread of sweet green rose left. Verdict: I like it all right, but there are plenty of rose scents I love more. One phrase: Green rose.

In the bottle: Sweet and fresh -- a little honey, a little mint. Fresh on the skin: Ooh, pretty. Honeyed and lightly floral, in a vaguely oriental way. 20 minutes later: Damn, this is pretty, and extremely consistent. 2 hours later: This is so, so pretty! Delicate, minty-fresh honey-floral, with maybe a little powder at the edges. 5 hours later: Faded, but pretty much exactly the same. Wow. 9 hours later: Whoops, all gone, just the tiny tiny tiniest whiff of honey left. Verdict: So much love! Do I need a second bottle? Decisions, decisions. One word: Pretty!

In the imp: Mmm, spicy in a cinnamon-pepper sort of way. I can definitely smell the sarsaparilla. Fresh on the skin: Huh. This is a little nutty, a little fresh. I'm pretty sure I can detect the tobacco. Overall, sweet and spicy and complex, a little fizzy, a tiny bit smoky. 5 minutes later: Exotic cinnamon red hots, somehow both dark and bright at once. I <i>like</i> this. 45 minutes later: Still spicy in a vaguely candylike way, a little powdery. 6 hours later: Sort of a spicy-sweet musk. I like it. Verdict: I like this, but I don't love it. One word: Spicy!

Compassion, eloquence, introspection: Chinese musk and rain, with salty oceanic notes, frankincense, juniper berry, lily of the valley, lavender, cinquefoil, and sweet pea. In the imp: A classic salty aquatic -- screams soap to me, not perfume. Fresh on the skin: True to form, but it's rather sweet and delicate rather than pungent or aggressive. Surprisingly nice. 5 minutes later: Yeah, I would just never choose to smell like this for long periods of time. It would be an okay soap, but still a little too much on the astringent side of me to personally love. I don't yet feel the need to wash it off, though, so that's nice. Strong throw. 1 hour later: This has powdered down a bit to a delicate, floral aquatic. Nice enough, but monumentally not me. 1.5 hours later: This has faded to the point of being almost gone. On the plus side, I kind of like the delicate linger. 6 hours later: Fades to a reasonably nice, sweet laundry scent. Verdict: I don't dislike this, but it's not really for me. One phrase: Delicate floral aquatic.

In the imp: Sweet in a dark cherry way, a little woodsy. Fresh on the skin: Oh, definitely cherry, a little dark wood, a little incensey. Rather perfumey and a little astringent for some reason, but nice overall. 5 minutes later: Oh, I definitely get both the cherry and the plum, thought there's something about the rest of it that just doesn't quite sit well with me. 20 minutes later: It's gained a little powder, and it's still a little perfumey/cosmetics-y for me, and yet I kind of like it. 1 hour later: It's kind of like this is a particularly nice-smelling baby powder or something, a little spicy, quite a bit sweet. 1.5 hours later: I just put I Fell In Love With A Floating Brain on the other wrist, and compared to its loud sugar this is gorgeous and subtle and really lovely. 3 hours later: Bubblegummy powder, but still a bit complex. Nice! 6 hours later: Faded almost-laundry, reasonably nice still. 14 hours later: Light laundry. Verdict: I like this, but I don't love it. Though I think I may have to try again to know for sure. One phrase: sweet, complex powder.

In the imp: Sugary white cake with strawberry icing. Fresh on the skin: Fake berries and cake, very pink, very sweet, but with the occasional whiff of something less cloying -- maybe the grapefruit. 5 minutes later: I like this more than I like some cake scents, but it's still a bit plasticky on me, though that effect is ameliorated quite a bit by the other notes, which give it a streak of reshness and complexity. 10 minutes later: I keep catching the thread of grapefruit on the sillage, and it's delightful. But the scent as a whole, I'm still up in the air about. It does have that little ickyness that cake seems to produce on my skin, and yet. 20 minutes later: Crap. I think the ick is winning. 30 minutes later: It's not terrible, but not great. 1 hour later: Icky plastic cake. Mrph. 5 hours later: This has faded to a sort of plasticky berry, which isn't that bad, actually. 6 hours later: Fuzzy-thick-light sweetness. 13 hours later: Basically gone, maybe a little tiny bit of sweet left. Verdict: Okay, okay, no more cake. I get it. Geez. One Word: Sugar.

In the imp: Scorched leather, but fresher than that implies. Fresh on the skin: Eeeeeeeeeeevil. Very dark, searing and smoky. Like the smoking rubber they'd leave behind. It reminds me a little of extremely pungent French cheese, the kind I couldn't bring myself to eat at French camp in middle school, because it smelt too much of burnt rubber. It's better as a perfume than as a foodstufff, at least. 5 minutes later: This would be an interesting masculine scent, but overall, I think smells just a little too much like burnt leather and rubber for me. Like it's an accident rather than deliberate. Serious throw, like all of the B-movie scents I've tried so far. 15 minutes later: The weird part is how I could totally see people liking this scent. But I just can't imagine ever actually wearing it. 2 hours later: Has gone quite a bit lighter, with the lime coming out. Unfortunately, a couple hours of this seems to make me cough, and it's turning my stomach just a touch. Cough cough cough! 3.5 hours later: Oddly, this has gone almost entirely fresh, dry lime with a subtle leather base. I actually like this phase a lot, though not necessarily on me. Verdict: Not me to a kind of monumental degree, even though I could absolutely see it being awesome for someone else. I'll probably swap it, though I might try it again first. One phrase: burnt leather-lime.

In the imp: Bright, sweet, a little minty, kind of evil. Fresh on the skin: Uck. Smells a bit like kitchen cleanser, but a sort of sweet, organic kind, but still a bit searing. 5 minutes later: Speaking of searing, it's making the inside of my elbow burn a little. And by burn I mean like an ice burn, all chilly. The skin there is admittedly more sensitive than that of my wrist, but it's still rather disconcerting. And it still smells like a fairly brutal cleanser. Hrm. 15 minutes later: Fresh and clean and searing and weirdly lemony. I have no idea how my nose has taken snow, smoke, and peppermint sweets and gotten lemon kitchen cleanser, but there you go. 30 minutes later: My whole world smells like fresh, bright, citrusy cleanser. It's not a bad smell, but it's really not something I want to personally smell like. It might make a decent room scent. It certainly has enough throw. 1 hour later: This has calmed down into a sort of fizzy clean citrus. It reminds me a little of Independent, actually. 4.5 hours later: Still very fresh and clean and fizzy-ish. 6 hours later: Well, it's pretty consistent, anyway. 12 hours later: Soap. Verdict: Enh. Not really me. One phrase: Fizzy clean citrus cleanser. (This is very confusing, given the notes listed, but that's what I got.)

In the imp: Molasses-y carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Fresh on the skin: Spice cake with cream cheese frosting, with a definite ginger component. The cookies and fruitcake threaten to go icky on me the way a lot of cake scents seem to, but the spice and rum and dryness somehow balance it out, and the musk is helping it all blend beautifully. I'm really liking this! 10 minutes later: There's something a little creepy under the dark ginger-spice scent. I mostly like this, but it's a little... odd. 30 minutes later: Evil gingerbread. 1.5 hours later: Warm-soft-tempting gingerbread, but definitely with serious underlying evil. I'm not sure how often I'd wear it, but I do like it. 2 hours later: It's gaining evil along with a little vanilla. It's the cake starting to come through, which is somewhat unfortunate, given what my skin chemistry seems to do to cake. 4 hours later: Faded vanilla cake. 6 hours later: Warm spicy vanilla, mmmmm. Verdict: I have mixed feelings about this. As long as the cake stays far in the background, I'm pretty happy with it. I'll probably try it again and keep the imp, though I doubt I'll try for a bottle. One phrase: evil gingerbread cake.

In the imp: Oh, this is fresh and sweet and lovely, with a delicate wood base. Fresh on the skin: Hmm. A bit astringent and soapy. 5 minutes later: Mrph. Bitter, and also rather sickly sweet. Damn, I really wanted to like this. 30 minutes later: Gah! Medicinal. Pungently so. Soapy. Kinda... not good. It's almost like... Listerine? Only not minty? So confusing! 1 hour later: Or... maybe more like one of those medicinal ointments. Like Tiger Balm, almost. It's calmed down a bit, but it's still not really pleasant. 2 hours later: *blink* Hey, it's suddenly actually sort of nice! Pretty, a bit candyish. 3 hours later: This would be a nice soap. A very nice soap. 5 hours later: This has become something I rather like. 6 hours later: Musk! Almost all musk, and definitely the same musk as Metal Phoenix. Which I still like more. But this is at least entirely tolerable now. It reminds me a little of The Illustrated Woman, but with a musk that agrees with me more. 8 hours later: I'm not sure I'd ever want to smell like this. Pretty much all musk, all the time. Not terrible, but. 19 hours later: There's still some faint laundryish musk in the inside of my elbow. Verdict: Not for me. Would probably be great for someone more into musks and clean scents than I am. One word: Medicinal.

In the imp: Ooh. This is nice, a little sweet, a little floral, but very very mellow. Fresh on the skin: Perfumey in a light floral way, a little spicy, quite pretty. I'd say it's really not me despite being so pretty, but I can't stop sniffing it. 10 minutes later: Christ, this is gorgeous. Maybe it's not me, but I seriously adore it anyway. It's so... classy. Sweetness from the honeysuckle -- but the fresh, springlike kind, not at all cloying, spice from the carnation, brightness from the verbena and metal, all bound up in a beautifully-blended base of musk. So, so beautiful. 20 minutes later: If I didn't think it would drive the people around me crazy, I would be okay with my entire world smelling like this. It's just, I know that if someone near me has strong perfume on that I hate, it's can be a day-ruining experience, and I'd rather not do that to someone else. And this is interesting enough that I can see some people hating it, even though I adore it. 1 hour later: Fuck, so beautiful. 2 hours later: This is so pretty! So, so pretty! 3 hours later: This is primarily a light, delicate musk, now. Still beautiful. 4 hours later: Hmm. A fast fade, but it's still lovely. 10 hours later: Fast fade, perhaps, but a nice long linger. Mmmmm. Verdict: I really love this, and it has the distinction of being the first Anniversary scent that I need more of. But will I get one, or two? Decisions, decisions. ETA: Did a full application the next day. I still love this scent, but I think it's because I sort of think it's something my mom would wear. So maybe only one bottle. Still, it's truly beautiful. One phrase: Delicate floral musk.

In the imp: Sour Patch Kids mixed with Smarties. Nice! Fresh on the skin: A strong almost-grape scent, maybe a tiny bit boozy. I think that must be the black currant candy. It's not as insanely sweet as I'd feared, nor as simple. Indeed, it's almost too sour/tart for me -- but it's not. I like this. 10 minutes later: This is really nice. It leans toward being a candle scent rather than a personal scent, but I do like how it has warmed on my skin. It's become this beautiful matte purple color, light and heady and thick all at once. 30 minutes later: This smells really good. I'm not sure I'd want to wear it that often, and yet, it's tempting. 1 hour later: This is very stable, and very delicious! It's possible a bit of powdered sugar is coming out a bit more, but overall, it's quite consistent. 2 hours later: Still yummy! 3 hours later: This really is nice, probably one of the best candy-related scents I've tried. 4 hours later: This is already faded quite a bit, but it's still pretty. 5 hours later: Yum yum yum. I like this more and more as it goes on. It kind of smells like really delicious bubble-yum. 6 hours later: Fading. 7 hours later: But still there, soft and sweet and pretty! 12 hours later: Faint, faint sweetness on my wrist. Verdict: I like it! I'm not sure I love it, but I definitely like it. A lot. One phrase: purple candy.

In the bottle: extremely sweet maple syrup, with a tiny bit of soaked pancake on the linger. Fresh on the skin: Hmm. Very, very sweet and a little plasticky. Kind of like an extremely fragrant scratch-n-sniff sticker. Kind of... icky close to the skin. I wish I could come up with an accurate word for this. The best I have right now is mildewy. And in this case I have a little tickly syrup down the back of my throat, too. 5 minutes later: Ew ew ew ew ew. This is turning my stomach and making me gag. Uck. I need to go wash this off now. It's quite strong. 9 hours later: Wow. I washed this off with 2 different scented soaps. Hours and hours and hours ago. And there's still a sort of slightly off maple walnut ish scent on my wrist. Gah. 12 hours later: Well, if there'a any good news, it's that at least it's a pretty nice maple-walnut smell now. Verdict: It is possible I should just give up on the cake-y scents, and possibly on some of the caramels, too. There's just something in some subset of them that disagrees with my skin chemistry. Off to swaps! I'm sure someone will appreciate this. The sillage from just opening the bottle was delicious! One word: syrup.

[Note: this is the Resurrected scent.] In the bottle: Sweet and complex, dark and fascinating. Fresh on the skin: God, this smells amazing. I have no hope of describing it, but it's beautiful. Heady, exotic, even a little fresh, creamy, fruity. Intense, but not overbearing. Wow. 30 minutes later: This is so stable. And so fucking gorgeous. 1 hour later: The powdery freshness ought to put me off, but for some reason it doesn't. Spicy, fruity, with a yummy amber base. 6 hours later: Hmm. It's gone all laundryish. Not a bad laundryish, mind. Verdict: I think I might need another bottle of this. One word: Exotic.

In the imp: Cheesecake cupcake, indeed. Very sweet. Fresh on the skin: Artificial, like concentrated whatever it was in Miskatonic U that made me want to gag. Mildewy, moldy, rancid, plasticky, just, ick. 5 minutes later: Strong sillage, not much better. 10 minutes later: If the cat weren't sitting on my lap, I would be washing this off. 2 hours later: Finally, I am released! This has calmed down into a sort of generic fake cake smell, still with a core that smells weirdly icky to me. I spent a lot of time in the last two hours holding my wrist as far away from my nose as possible. I think I'm going to attempt to wash this off now. Verdict: I wanted to like this, I really really did. But it's just not for me. I wish I had the right chemistry for this. One phrase: moldy, plasticky cake.

In the bottle: Sweet, bright, a little astringent, a little metallic. Fresh on the skin: Sweet, a bit sharp in a soapy sort of way. Mostly a bright herbal floral with some salty aquatic. I definitely get the melancholy. 5 minutes later: Ah, it's sweetening up a bit, bringing out a little lychee, though it's still on the bright and astringent side. Still primarily an herbal floral -- a lavender-y herbal rather than a green one. It's still a little soapy for my taste -- I'm not a huge fan of aquatics or snow scents -- but it stays on the nicer end of the ones I've tried. 10 minutes later: It's making my eyes threaten to water just a little, yet I still kind of like it anyway. It's got this white resin center, surrounded by sharp lavender, young green lychee, and sad salt tears. And you know, it's actually rather gorgeous. 20 minutes later: This would be a very nice soap. A bit intense, but clean and complex. I wish I liked clean scents more. 30 minutes later: Oh! This has softened and sweetened a bit, and the resins are coming through more. It doesn't strike me as very me -- it's very white, even if it's a rather beautiful lonely, intimidating, melancholy white -- but it's definitely starting to grow on me a bit. 1 hour later: This is really reminding me of something. I'm not sure what, though. It's also taken on a slightly icky note in the center, something that reminds me a bit of the part of the Arkham scents that I've tried that disagreed with me. But the sillage is quite pretty, in a soft sweet insidious way. 2 hours later: It's stabilized into a softly astringent, fruity white herbal-resin-floral, still with a soapy center that puts me off a little, despite liking the sillage, which is really rather lovely, particularly the lychee-ness. Overall, I like this stage quite a bit, as the soapy center seems to be fading and only apparent right near the wrist. There definitely seems to be some musk in here as well. 3 hours later: Occasionally I catch a whiff of this when I move my hand around, and I think "Pretty!" every time. I think that's a good sign. It's warmed up quite a bit and is mostly lychee and musk and a little floral, dark despite the inherent whiteness. I also think there might be osmanthus in this as one of the florals, which may explain why I can't stop sniffing it despite my officially mixed feelings. 5 hours later: This has gone thoroughly beautiful -- light, sweet, delicate, a little honeyed. 7 hours later: Mmm. Sweet, faded, deliciousness. 8 hours later: I don't understand why the later stages of this smell so good. 9 hours later: Still there, faint and lovely. 10 hours later: Just a slight hint of it left. How in the world did it turn out so beautiful? Verdict: I'm going to have to try this again, but in the end I liked it way more than I thought I would. Even the soap phase isn't that bad, and once past it, it becomes really quite gorgeous. I'm not sure I need both the bottles I have, but I bet I'm keeping at least one. One phrase: viciously beautiful.

In the bottle: Very green, light floral. Fresh on the skin: Sweet and green, almost honeyed, but with a slightly bitter, dark edge that I quite like, actually. If scorching grass made it sweeter, I think it would smell like this. There's also a perfumey quality that I think must be the wildflowers, though I'm not sure why they're so powdery. Still, I like this a surprising amount, so far. 5 minutes later: Sweet and powdery and green, a bit creamy. A little heady and powdery for me, but still nice. 10 minutes later: The sweetness of the powder keeps growing -- there's even a hint of fruit in the sillage, indicating the tropicalness (tropicality? tropicity?) of summer, though overall the scent is more dry than juicy. Pretty! 20 minutes later: I do get that bit of underlying coconut (or something sort of like coconut, anyway) that others have mentioned, giving the green grass and light, fresh floral a luscious round base. It's still more powdery than I'd prefer, but overall, I rather like it. 4 hours later: This is basically just beautiful. Light, fresh, dry, sweet, soft, green. Grass and delicate wild florals and a bit of creamy honey. I think it's reminding me a little of the sweet, pretty, golden hay in The Miller's Daughter, which I also really liked. 6 hours later: Faded, but still really pretty. I think it'll be gone very soon, though. Verdict: This was the first thing I tried from my very first BTPT order, because I'm coveting a second MVJBA tee and I was trying to decide if a second bottle of this would be a happy thing or not. I'm still not sure I need a second bottle, exactly, but I definitely wouldn't rule it out. And I like it enough that if I felt like being evangelical, I could decant it and attempt to convince other people of its beauty. One phrase: sweet, dry grass.

Sorry about the delay! It's been kind of crazy. Unfiltered wishlists help witches get a taste of what you like regardless of price-point. I always put disclaimers on my questionnaire to that effect, basically saying that I included EVERYTHING on there, from $3 to $30,000, but only was expecting things in the $3 league. I feel I should perhaps note here that I'm answering questions pretty much just as I wouldn't without the switch witch framework, so plenty of the stuff listed is stuff I would never in a million years expect as a gift, from anyone, much less from a gift exchange like this. It's just a glimpse into my crazy mind, really. So for all witches of the shimmying types - would you like tassel belts/jingle belts/ ect and if so, how big are your hips? I would indeed; I wear size 16/18 currently. How do you like your chocolate? White, milk, bittersweet, as dark as possible? Plain, with flavoring, with chunks of stuff in? Fairly traditional, or weird and experimental? To a great extent, I like pretty much all decent-to-high quality chocolate. But my preference tends to be for as dark as possible, though I do like to have white, milk, and bittersweet sometimes, too, for variety. If it's plain, it probably wants to be very high quality (though I still have a bit of soft spot for Hershey's Special Dark from my childhood), and hopefully interesting in some way (single origin, etc). I like flavoring, and I like chunks of things. I <i>love</i> nuts (especially almonds, but also hazelnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, peanuts, cashews, etc). I like fruits. I like other stuff (sea salt, toffee, etc). Traditional can be good (my favorite milk chocolate is Cadbury's fruit and nut bar, hard to get more traditional than that), but I am definitely attracted to the weird and experimental. And yes, I've had the Vosges bar with bacon in it. I've had the enchanted mushroom one, too. They were both pretty good, but I still prefer the Barcelona. What is the weirdest and/or most practical thing you are not buying for yourself right now? [Addendum] Actually! I just realized the true answer to this question: small hand weights. I used to have a set of nice comfy rubber-coated ones, but I left them behind a couple of moves ago. Question for the Class: Favorite Musical? On stage or on film? Comedy or drama? Hmmmm. Probably Into the Woods for stage, with Chicago as the runner-up. And Guys and Dolls for film (young Marlon Brando, yum), probably 1776 as the runner up. But I like a ton of musicals, really. I will try not to give in to the temptation to list them all. On the same note...do you like Shakespeare? Which plays? Hells yes. I tend to be a comedy girl -- Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, A Midsummer's Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, oh, most of them, really. For the dramas, I do like Hamlet and Macbeth a lot; Romeo and Juliet strictly as the play tends to annoy me, though I did like the Baz Luhrman version and I just always have a soft spot for Mercutio. Though, at least as much as Shakespeare itself, I like Shakespeare redone. The Kurosawas (Ran = King Lear, Throne of Blood = Macbeth), 10 Things I Hate About You, updated versions, etc. Anyone into physical activities? For instance- I'm training to become a Combat Archer in the SCA, and something I would use would be an Archers glove...is there anything you do as a sport/hobby in which you might need equipment? I've been meaning to get back into yoga and pilates, though I don't think I'm wanting for yoga equipment. Maybe pilates. I also dance some, so dance shoes of various types are always fun; right now I'm especially in the market for ones that feel almost like dancing barefoot, but protect the ball of the foot. And I do some taichi -- a taichi sword or fan or other prop would be awesome, or shoes or silks or anything along those lines, really. Who's your favorite playwright? Play? I'm not sure I have a favorite playwright. Maybe Tom Stoppard. Or Aristophanes. Favorite play: Samuel Beckett's <i>En attendant Godot</i>. Have you (or maybe the younguns in your family) been exposed to the Webkinz craze? Nope Are you particularly lusting after any specific BPAL, hard to find treat, book, or music at the moment? Ahahaha, always. Champagne and Roses and Egg Nog Latte were both calling to me, and Ho Ho Ho and Champagne, Chocolate, and Cheap Sex both sound yummy, too. And I'm still kicking myself for not putting in Inquisitions for Bah and Humbug. Hard to find treat: chrysanthemum tea with rock sugar, the way restaurants serve it in China. Book: The Absolute Sandman volumes. Music: Heart and Soul, the Joy Division box set. Alright witches, who is ordering the Moon of the Terrible oil? Me! Any favorite cartoon characters? Disney, Sanrio, etc? Er. I like the flat panda, I have no idea what it's called. I'm pretty fond of Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. I think Maleficent is pretty cool, Disney-wise. I like Pixar stuff, in general. I like Winnie the Pooh (Eeyore is my favorite) and Care Bears (Grumpy especially!). Oh, and some nostalgia for Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, What's your favorite texture? Wood polished to a silky sheen. If you are a fan, who were your favorite Buffy and Angel characters? Not the hugest fan (I haven't seen tons of the eps), but I enjoyed them. Tara, Oz, Giles, and Spike on Buffy; Lindsey, Wesley... and Angel and Cordelia, oddly enough. What's one luxury item you want to pamper yourself with but haven't yet? A good digital SLR camera. Or a spa weekend sort of thing. Do you prefer arm warmers to the wrist, to the base of the fingers, or half fingered? Base of fingers is safest, half-fingered if it's thin enough. Though I just got some for Christmas! They're thick ones, though -- thinner ones would still be quite useful. Does your forum name have a special significance? Refer to something or someone you admire? Reflect your interests? Come on, spill! Jen = the first part of my given name. Callisto is from Greek mythology. Quoting from my lj profile: "an arcadian girl changed into a bear and placed in the heavens as ursa major." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callisto_(mythology) are there any rare (or even uber-rare) scents that you'd really like to try? I want to know everyone's BPAL holy grail! I haven't been around long enough to develop a true holy grail, I don't think. Off the top of my head, I'd say maybe Black Lace or Storyville? What would your reaction be to receiving something like this? A Batsirani doll. Seems pretty neat. www.jewelryarte.com If you want to see pieces I especially covet, see my LJ or facebook. So, in the spirit of such things, what is one REALLY expensive, completely outrageous thing you would LOVE to get but totally don't expect to ever get from anyone? [Ooh, the summer tears and summer sails earrings on that site are especially gorgeous.] A custom corset, the kind so well-made and well-fitted that one can sing opera while wearing one -- http://www.other-woman.com/ Or, well. A year of really amazing globetrotting vacation. Do you like coffee mugs? Travel or stay at home? How big? Do you like ones from Starbucks? Sure? Stay at home, mostly, though either is fine. Big! I guess? Actually, really big stay at home ones would be kind of awesome. If you drink coffee, do you like whole bean coffee or prefer ground? What grind? What roast (mild, medium, bold, extra bold)? Do you like flavored coffee? I don't make much at home myself, though I might aim to change that soon. I tend to like dark french roasts, but also medium roasts sometimes, depending on my mood. I... sometimes like flavored coffee. But I tend to prefer espresso drinks flavored with shots of syrup to pre-flavored coffee. Do you like tea? What kinds of tea (green, red, white, black, decaf, herbal infusions)? Feel free to get specific on brands and tea types. Loose or bagged? Do you need any kind of tea accessories? Pots/cozys/presses/strainers? Yes! All kinds! And I could use any and all of those tea accessories, actually. I prefer loose, though bagged can be convenient. Stuff I particularly like: chrysanthemum tea with rock sugar (I know, I know, I'm repeating myself... but I really love this stuff and I've never found it properly made in the States), earl grey and variations on it, chai of all different types (I like to experiment), thai iced tea, mint tea, genmai cha, pu-er with condensed milk, eight treasures. There's a chocolate mint rooibus tea I get from Infusions of Tea that's delicious. I'm fond of Tealuxe's chais and earl grey variations and their echinacea and throat tender teas. I also just generally like jasmine, oolong, white tea, green tea, rose, lavender, milk tea, bubble tea (of various kinds -- lavender is especially yummy -- and especially with lychee jellies instead of bubbles). Stuff I don't like in tea: stuff that's too strongly anise? I guess I'm not a huge fan of the citrus variations in general (not including bergamot, obviously), though there are exceptions. Do you need any decanting supplies? Pipettes? Vials? How about any wand caps? Roller bottles? Some spray bottles (for oils mixed with alcohol?) I would be psyched for any of those (though the spray bottles a little less), especially the wand caps and roller bottles, but I'm interested in starting decanting, too, so a starter kit for that would be completely awesome. What is your favorite hot chocolate or drinking chocolate? Do you need Vegan or no? [omg http://www.kakawachocolates.com looks _amazing_, I want to try them all!] I don't need vegan. My standard favorite hot chocolate is Chuao Chocolatier Spicy Maya hot chocolate, though I like their Winter spice one, too. I am also super-fond of L.A. Burdick's dark hot chocolate. For stuff that's not so ungodly expensive, I'm actually pretty fond of Ibarra. Oh, and I have a soft spot for the Swiss Miss with those little mini-marshmallows, ideally mixed with mediocre coffee. How do you feel about home made lip balm, salt or sugar scrubs, soap, bath salts, etc? What kind of flavors and notes do you like? Good! All of those sound pretty good, though I don't get to talk baths as much as I'd like so maybe hold off on the bath salts. Fruit flavors, mint, or cinnamon, probably for the lip balm, though I'm happy to try anything. For the rest... I like most fruity and foody scents. Florals are a little iffy, though roses are most likely to agree with me. Sooooo.....if you were to receive a hand-knitted item, what color(s) would you prefer AND are there any types of yarn that you just cannot handle (e.g. wool, llama, etc.) Colors: blue! black, red, deep violet, dark grey, dark green, maybe olive... Whatever's fine for the yarn, I think. How do you feel about Lush? Anything you want to try? I have access to many things. I am fond of Lush. I miss the Arabian Bright hair treatment desperately. I've been eying their henna for years (I'd want to add a little red highlighting to dark hair). I'm not so keen on their hair products and moisturizers, but I like the bath bombs a lot. I seriously adore their deodorant bars, but I currently have huge amounts of both of the ones I use and they last forever, so I'm probably set on that front for a couple of years. Do you want to try the Will Call only Champagne scents? Yes! Especially champagne and roses, but also champagne, chocolate, and cheap sex. Egg Nog Latte is high on my list too, and Ho Ho Ho sounds worth trying, definitely. It would be cool to try champagne and cigars once, but it's less likely to work for me than the others, I believe. Would you please share your favorite e-card site? I... don't have one. I am not an eCard sort of person, really. In fact, I think the first one I've ever sent was just a couple of weeks ago, to my witchee. Do you play on-line games? Which one and which serever? Do you need any funds/equipment/help adventuring? Nope, sadly, too busy to play computer games even though I enjoy them. And Monkey Island's more my speed, anyway. Do you have traditional holiday movies you like to watch? Not that I can think of offhand. I guess I do like The Muppets Christmas Carol. And I have vaguely fond memories of the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer TV special. What are your "guilty pleasures" type movies? That you really secretly like but don't like to admit to it? Ahahaha, I don't have much sense of guilt. 10 Things I Hate About You is probably the movie that I love most that I could see causing other people to facepalm. And is probably indicative of the genre that likely counts most as guilty pleasure - romantic comedies. I have a soft spot, okay? But I prefer them clever and/or British and always a little alternative in some way. Or, well, really really kooky or maybe even ridiculous. Or both! I also love a good action flick (current favorites: Iron Man, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Live Free or Die Hard, Banlieue 13, and always, always Aliens). Hmm, guilty pleasure movies... I guess I would have to say I am more of Guilty Pleasure TV series person. I mostly feel even less guilty about my TV watching (on DVD). It was a little weird (but cool) that year that I watched Project Runway and The Amazing Race with my housemates. Reality TV, who woulda thunk. But mostly I watch stuff like Supernatural, Friday Night Lights, Heroes (season 1 only), Veronica Mars, Bones, House, Psych, Burn Notice, Chuck, Entourage, Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Sports Night, West Wing, Studio 60... I guess Dark Angel could count as a guilty pleasure? What are your favorite websites (i.e., the ones you visit every day, or almost every day)? yahoo mail gmail livejournal 1 livejournal 2 bpal google Anyone else a Luis Royo fan? I wouldn't say fan, though I do like the art. Anyone a fan of Goddess art? I love images of women, in beautiful poses, strong women, powerful women (No- Not Hilary ROFL) I like dark, vampire types too, not *too* dark- okay for general consumption type art too. Girl In Denial made a gorgeous artwork for me for the Paying it Forward- it is simply stunning- I adore it. Its the most exquisite painting I've seen for a long long time...and it is *so* me!It is up there as one of my prized posessions! Again, I wouldn't say fan, though I definitely like some art with such themes. Do you collect anything...BESIDES BPALs. Ahahahaha, yes. Books, mostly. Also cds, and favorite foods and restaurants. For a while I was collecting hedgehog things. And Death-related things (er, the personage(s)/deities of Death rather than just anything related to death). Oh, and pretty postcards/art/magnets/souvenirs/etc. What bath products can you not live without? What are your favorite etailers? Are there any etailers you haven't tried but would like to? Clearasil. Everything else I tend to switch up. Current favorite hair products (besides the late, great Lush: Arabian Bright): Redken Clear Moisture shampoo and conditioner, Asience shampoo and conditioner, Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo and conditioner, Aveda madder root conditioner. I like nifty-smelling bar soaps, in general. And I'm in the market for a really good oil-free moisturizer for combination skin. Hey! I know a bunch of people on here have mentioned being gamers -- has anybody played the Wasabi! game? My gaming group tried it out last night, and it was a hoot! I haven't, though I'd love to try it. Also, who likes Munchkin? What flavor? Yup yup. I don't own any of the sets but many of my friends do, and I've enjoyed it quite a bit when I've played it in the past. I think Munckin Fu might be my favorite, though Bites, Impossible, and Cthulhu also appeal. And Munchkin Blender, definitely. This is kind of a getting-to-know-you-type-thingie, but I always find it illuminating--what's on your computer desktop? Images? Color scheme? Earth (with a big swirly cloud on the surface) from space, but close enough in that the Earth is taking up maybe 60% of the screen, the horizon cutting diagonally across. It's one of the included desktops. Also a half-dozen folders, one in the upper left corner, the rest against the right side. Taskbar at the bottom, very small, with the magnifying glass set fairly high. My color schemes tend to be blues and greys. Would you be interested in some knitted wire jewelry, like this? Definitely! If you were to attend Hogwarts, into which House would you be sorted? Ravenclaw. By my own choice, and by the results of every single quiz on the subject I have ever taken (and that's a lot!). Oh, and I actually did think of a couple of answers to the 'things you would like but never buy for yourself' question from earlier. I think the thing currently topping this list is silk sheets. But in general the answer is stuff that I don't realize I should want yet (in other words, rec me stuff!). Do you have a personal 'Good Luck' charm? Maybe you have a goddess figure to remind you of your Inner Goddess, or maybe you have a beautiful Cross to represent your faith...Or maybe you wear a Hand of Fatimah for protection....That kind of thing. Not really. I tend to be most confident when my hair is in a good mood. Oh, and my brass rat (MIT class ring) might sort of count. Question for the class: How do you feel about winter-themed but not really holiday type decorations? Things like snowflakes and fake icicles and the like? I love (love love love) snowflakes, and I like winter in general a lot. would you please do your Witches a favor and write down some specific measurements and yarn likes/dislikes in a post. I have some orders in for "schtuffs" but your witches can't exactly ask you point blank since it would ruin the surprise. I'd like to know wrist size, circumference just below the elbow, and most importantly; what kind of fiber can you tolerate/not tolerate. Please be more specific than non-itchy wool. Alpaca, merino sheep's wool, silk, acrylic, stainless steel, you name it. I can wear almost anything without it itching, but others can't. wrist ~7" (on the 6.5" side, but I probably would want something that doesn't fit quite that closely), circumference just below the elbow ~10.5-11 inches. I'm not super-sensitive to fabric, but definitely some are too scratchy for me -- unfortunately, I don't know enough about fabrics to be able to name them in detail! I suspect staying away from regular/coarse wool and acrylics would be preferable, though softer wools (cashmere, alpaca, merino) and synthetics could well be fine. Silks are adored. burnables? candles, tarts, incense? Yes or no? Sure. Not something I use regularly, but I do like them. what's on your keyring? More importantly, is it something that might be accented by some cool beads and/or charms, and would you, could you, just maybe like a Keyring Of Excessive Jingle, (a/k/a KOEJ) with said beads and charms and jewelry-liike goodness? Cool beads and/or charms could be good, though mostly I tend towards streamlined and functional. Right now it's very workaday, just some red lego blocks, a house key, a mailbox key, and two office keys for school. Do you speak any languages besides English? How fluent are you? Would you be interested in literature in a foreign laguage - phrase books, fiction, childrens stories? Yup, Chinese and French. My Chinese is maybe semi-fluent -- not even close to native speaker level fluent, but fairly advanced if not to the highest level. My French was 4 years of high school and has been mostly neglected since then; I'll be brushing up on it in the next few months. Children's books and fiction (and plays and poems) in both, phrase books perhaps in French, and not so much in Chinese unless the focus is specifically the more advanced types of things like idiomatic expressions. I am especially fond of editions that have the one language on one side and the other on the facing page. Do you like mythical/fantastical creatures? Which ones? I do. Many of them, really. Dragons, phoenixes, gryphons, gargoyles, satyrs, phouka, most fae... I do like the Pegasus (preferably a Greek mythology version, more intimidating than cute and fluffy), and I seems to have progressed far enough from my childhood that suddenly rainbows and unicorns have a certain ironic appeal. Though, my heart belongs to deadly beautiful more than cute, overall. I am interested in most unique or named mythical creatures to one extent or another. Some of the darker ones are also rather fascinating (banshees, death's pale horse, sirens, etc). And I'm very fond of the Chinese Classic of Mountains and Seas, which has a selection of them. Who would enjoy receiving travel guides (like Fodors and Zagat)? For which destinations? I adore travel guides, I'm totally addicted to them. I have way too many for Beijing, and I'm probably all set on Shanghai and Tokyo, but I wouldn't mind other cities in China and Japan, and I would _love_ stuff about Taiwan. I'd also be interested in Paris, London, Vancouver... actually, pretty much anywhere. I especially like Rough Guide and Lonely Planet, though others are also read and loved, and I do use Zagat for food sometimes. Who's a Disney fan? Cartoons, theme parks, or just general stuff? I like Disney, though I wouldn't say fan, exactly. I like plenty of the classics (Maleficent ftw! And I liked some of the wacky live-action films like The Parent Trap and That Darn Cat), but I have the biggest soft spot for the Menken-Ashman trifecta, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, plus Newsies and Mulan. Epcot is by far my favorite theme park section. Do you like caramels like coconut lime? Salted? I've never had coconut lime caramels, but I'd probably like them. I _love_ salted caramel and salted chocolate. New question: So we've talked about cartoons, but what other kid shows did you watch? Mine: Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, 3-2-1 Contact, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego (with Rockapella!), Bill Nye the Science Guy. I like the Muppets and Fraggle Rock, too, though I mostly watched those a bit later.

I used to be an earth scientist -- mostly geophysics (my undergrad thesis was on mantle convection), but also some geochem and general geology and environmental science. I love cool rocks and geological features (glaciers, volcanos, chasms, deep sea trenchs, mountains, fjords, rivers and lakes, etc), and anything about geological processes and planetary geology. I also really like hydrology and fluid dynamics. Random academic things I'm interested in (besides history and earth science, the obvious): linguistics (especially language change and etymology), archaeology, technology transfer and development, gender as a conceptual category, women's history, philosophy, mythology, social dynamics, psychology, sociology, political science, foreign policy, ideas of space and body, culture, identity, economics, temporality, contingency, war peace, survival strategies, marginality and those at the margins and borderlands, interstices, problems of categorization, problems with liberalism, ideology, emotions, intuition, context, multiplicity, complexity, paradox, subjectivity, polymers and material science, higher mathematics, systems, patterns, cycles... Oh so many things. But please, please feel free to ignore all this academic stuff! It's just here in case you want it.

Is there any time during the holidays (or the rest of the round) when you'll be away from home for a significant period and it'd be best not to send anything by mail? Dec 22nd to Jan 3rd. Speaking of which, how many Browncoat witches do we have?? And if you are, would you be interested in getting a Kaylee parasol? If not, would you be interested in getting a paper parasol hand painted with your favorite colors? I love Firefly, and I'd adore a Kaylee parasol or a painted paper parasol in other colors. Hand beaded jewellery, yay or nay? Yay. Would you personally rather get handmade jewelry or the beads to make something yourself? The finished jewelry. Everyone who wants a beaded potholder, please to be raising the hands! Sure. To make up for the fact that I probably won't be able to send my witchee homebaked goodies, will Tim Tams in any number of varieties be an acceptable replacement? Definitely. Which witches would like hair accessories: clips, scrunchies, hairsticks, headscarves, etc? Yes to all. Especially hairsticks and clips -- either the tiny butterfly clips (they can go around a bun) or fairly large ones (my hair is really quite long at this point, approx thigh length). I like the clips that snap into place and function sort of like barrettes, too. And decorative hair pins. But hair sticks are probably safest. If your witch were to send you cookies, what kind of cookies would you like? All cookies are treasured. When left to my own devices, I choose peanut butter, chocolate chip, butterscotch chip, spice, almond, shortbread, russian tea cookies... But there are lots outside of these that I love, so. Anyone else a total nerd like me and would like DnD/Roleplay stuff (Dice, minis, books, corny tees, etc.)? Yup! Dice and books, definitely, but I'll pass on the minis. Corny tees only if they're babydoll or women's tees, and in dark colors. And I've played most of the major roleplaying systems, but more D&D, White Wolf (Exalted, WoD and nWoD, Adventure, Trinity), and Shadowrun than anything else. Cat hair? No worries. Who (of course excluding Schackjj ) would like a pair of handknit socks? Size? Color preference? Cabled, ribbed (for your pleasure), stranded colorwork, etc.? I would adore tall tall stripey socks. I wear 8/8.5 in shoes and have quite thick calves. Dark rainbow; blues, purples, aquas, dark greens or olive, dark orange, browns, red (on the darker side), wine, extremely dark pink, black. What witch would like a cloak? Cloaks are awesome. Since we're talking about warm winter wearables, who likes hats? Mittens? Arm warmers? Sadly, I live in San Diego and there is no winter here. Hats and warm mittens are pretty much a no-go. Though, I do occasionally like to wear very light gloves, and arm warmers aren't actually a bad idea. I enjoy leg warmers, too. So, question all- how do people feel about unusual ornaments? As in, for holidays other than Christmas? Amused and curious. On a similar note, who likes yarn? What kinds/colors/weights/fibers? Handspun? Glitter? Funky art yarn made from shredded jeans, fake flowers, lace, sequins, and the tattered souls of your enemies? Other craft supplies you desperately want more of and can't live without? No yarn for me, please -- I don't really craft. Stationary, origami paper, and visual art supplies are probably my limit. Question for future witchee: Would you like to receive ATCs or would you prefer something more usable, like bookmarks or something? It's all good. Who likes tshirts? What about homemade tshirts? Like with transfers I made myself.... As long as they're a style I'd wear (babydoll preferably), having unique stuff on them sounds awesome. Another question! How does everyone feel about steampunk? (It's my new obsession, so I thought I'd ask.) I adore it. I love burning mix CDs, since I have tonnnns lying around and they're cheap and relatively fast to make. Problem is, 90% of my music is not English; I have a lot of Japanese, Korean and even some songs in French! Would my potential Witchee be up for some stuff they'd never heard before if they couldn't understand the words? (I have some veeeery catchy songs I've caught even my mother humming along!) Hell yes! Especially the French, and especially stuff that's not toooooo pop. And thanks for asking this question -- I've got a bunch of underground Chinese rock, punk, sort-of-folk, and post-rock I acquired over the summer that I might make mixes of to send, come to think of it. What kind of candy/sweet treat would you like to receive? High-quality dark chocolate, especially with nuts or unusual flavors. Though I also like Cadbury's milk fruit and nut bars, so it's not like milk is the anathema or anything. I like wacky asian candies, especially those lychee gummies and jellies, and weird flavors of Pocky. I also like most things featuring almonds or peanut butter, and I like spicy things, and mint, and ginger, and flower-flavored candies. I also like some fruit-flavored things -- Starburst, Skittles, etc... even Smarties. Chocolate-covered cinnamon Altoids are pretty amazing, too. The only thing I can think of that I really dislike is licorice. I guess I'm not that fond of nougat, though I do like Snickers because of all the other yummy stuff in them. Mostly I'm pretty easy to please on the sweets front. It's cold outside - what are your favorite drinks to keep yourself warm and cozy? Earl grey tea, mint tea, other kinds of tea (chocolate mint rooibus, yum), spicy hot chocolate, mulled apple cider, yummy flavored lattes and mochas... favorite coffee beverage: currently either caramel lattes with real caramel or a double lava chill -- basically a frappe-type frozen coffee drink with two shots of espresso and mexican chocolate. I love Christmas music even though I'm pagany -- how about you? Some Christmas music is awesome, some of it not so much. Obscure gorgeous classical/early music/celtic/choral sorts of things preferred. Anyone else have a sudden and unexpected favorite BPAL lately? Love-in-idleness. It was a frimp, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. So ... what other knitters/crocheters/crafters like to reclaim yarn from other finished projects. Nope. Just not really a crafty sort of person. I suppose I could always give it to my housemate, though. Especially if it's really nice yarn. What Winter Holiday do celebrate? Solstice, I guess? And Chinese New Year. But I like Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, pretty much everything. Do any of you like puzzle books? Yup! Of most kinds -- crosswords are great, sudoku is fun (though I like the really complex/difficult ones, by now), logic puzzles are terrific, etc. It's all good. Do you like to cook? if so, what? Would you like things like spices, cookbooks, recipes, tips? I do like to cook, though I don't get much of a chance to these days. Pretty much everything! Yes, yes, yes to all. Would anyone care for some Jolikia peppers? Sure! What is the biggest problem or sad thing in your life? Of course, I mean the saddest or worst thing you can confess here. Well, I've been having pretty serious burnout issues with grad school, bad enough that I'm probably going to be taking some time off. I believe that in the end I'll be better off for it, but in the meantime, it's been fairly hellish. And.... what fashion item or style do you like, but never wear? Hats. I adore the idea of hats, and I've been told I look good in them, but they tend to drive me crazy when I actually try to wear them. Are there any other forums that you frequent? None really besides this and livejournal. Does anyone get help from significant others, children, or others not involved in the forums on their Switch Witch? I've never done this before, but I probably will! Do you like honey? Will you like to try creamy honey with black sesame or with cinnamon powder? Oh my goodness. I love honey, and I both love cinnamon and seriously adore black sesame (any candy-like thing that involves black sesame has my automatic approval). Who are your forum friends, person or people your witch can contact for ideas? /o\ I think I'm too new to have any? At least purely from a bpal perspective. cortneyofeden and I are friends in real life, at least. Houseplants and/or things to put them in: thoughts? I am an extremely bad houseplant mommy, I'm afraid. Even cacti are not safe. Do you like baskets, jars and other interesting containers? Filled or Empty? I have tons of little boxes that I was thinking of decoupaging and sending along... Yes, please, I love containers! Especially relatively small containers that might be good for holding imps. I repurposed almost all of my jewelry boxes, but I ran out of room long ago. I love love love boxes, especially. So flat and stackable and full of promise! New question: Shoe size? Style of shoe preferred? Any interest in slippers? mine: 8 or 8.5, wide is often preferred but regular is fine in some brands and styles. I like boots, mary jane style shoes, and sandals (everything from classy strappy sandals to flipflops), mostly, though I've been wearing Mia jelly flats a lot recently. I wear flats more than heels, though sometimes a nice sturdy square or flared heel with good balance will work. I prefer rounded toes, though square can also be good, but I'm not so fond of pointy toes unless they are really extremely pointy in a costumey sort of way. And I like the idea of slippers, of any number of different styles. To my witch: I'm so sorry I don't have a wishlist up yet! The quarter ends early next week and I'll put together a list asap after that and drop a note here. Also, I'm compiling all my answers to questions on my forum blog. What jewelry are you wearing now? Where now = earlier today: dangly earrings (stud post) with small faceted black crystals and teardrop-shaped cubic zirconia at the end and a small round cubic zirconia at the top and black findings, 1 silver and black square ring, 1 diamond-shaped silver and marcasite ring. What jewelry do you wear everyday-or do you change jewelry all the time? My usual pair of earrings is a dangly set with a teardrop-shaped black faceted bead at the end and black findings (leverback, my favorite), but sometimes I wear a small delicate gold wire set that's hoop style with a tiny dangling pearl bead instead. I also often wear my MIT class ring, a fairly hefty burnished gold rectangular ring. And if my top allows it, I wear choker-length necklace made of tiny black faceted crystals and a reasonably large rectangular reddish agate. I always think I'll switch up my jewelry more, but I do tend to default to a few pieces day-to-day. But sometimes I cycle. Which witches would want Bpal boxes? Or imp cases? Yes! So much yes! There are few things I want more in the world than bpal bottle and imp boxes and cases. Would you like a handmade piece of calligraphy as a gift? Sure! How about a short - or longer - piece of fanfic? Quite possibly. If you want to go with this option, I'd recommend figuring out some way of asking me for further info. And there was a question about literary erotica? I am generally in favor. What is the weirdest and/or most practical thing you are not buying for yourself right now? The thing that you probably should be buying, but have been putting off in lieu of something else? Weirdest: Those steampunk blocks (http://www.xylocopa.com/product/mad-science-alphabet-blocks)? Or... a corset? Most practical: Skirts. Financial software. Parallels for Mac. Thing I should be buying but have been putting off in lieu of something else: New glasses. Mostly because I just don't have time, less because I've been buying other stuff instead. Oh, and conditioner. Do you read graphic novels/comics? Which ones? Yes! Current: Runaways, Umbrella Academy, Fables, Echo. Older: Sandman, Strangers in Paradise, Promethea, Blue Monday, Athena, Charm School, JTHM, Castle Waiting, Preacher, League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Small Favors, Here is Greenwood, Hopeless Savages, Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind, Persepolis. Read some, will be reading more: Saiyuki, Inu Yasha, From Eroica with Love, Girl Genius, Batman, Teen Titans. Read one volume, want to read more: Y the Last Man, Lucifer. Want to read: Transmetropolitan. What cartoons did you grow up watching? Any animated shows you still watch? Muppet Babies, Care Bears, Gummi Bears, Jem, Smurfs, Talespin, Ducktales, Animaniacs, My Little Ponies, Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, She-ra, Flintstones, Jetsons... I watch the occasional Batman Beyond and Batman: The Animated Series, and I'll probably watch Teen Titans eventually. I also watch the occasional anime (Saiyuki, Here is Greenwood, Escaflowne, Kino's Journey, Kimagure Orange Road, everything Studio Ghibli (Whispers of the Heart, Laputa, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, etc)). Are you planning on buying anything off your BPAL wishlist during the round? I.. might? Once I have a wishlist? But I'll be sure to update the wishlist right away, and drop a note here and in my blog. Do you like baskets, jars and other interesting containers? Filled or Empty? [An addendum to my previous statement of yes, please, especially boxes.] Just a note to say that filled with stuff is also great! Chia Pet, do you need one? Probably not? What are 3 places that you'd like to visit, or re-visit? Visit: Egypt, Greece, Persia. (Or Morocco! I can't decide!) Re-visit: Japan (especially Kyoto and Hokkaido), Italy (especially Rome and Venice), Budapest. *facepalm* It's possible I'm a historian, can you tell? The only reason China's not on the list is because I already know I'm going back there. New question: Favorite animals? Least favorite? Big cats (especially tigers, panthers), bears (my last name means bear in Chinese), dragons, hedgehogs. On the domestic animal front I'm pretty fond of black and grey domestic shorthair cats, maltese cats, black labs, scottish terriers, westland terriers. Somewhat unusual animals I like: jellyfish, octopi, spiders, and bats. I also like horses. I'm not sure if I actually have a least favorite animal... I like most animals, really. Maybe mosquitos. New question: How do you feel about Heifer International? Or do you have other favorite charities not mentioned in your application? I really like Heifer International. I'm also fond of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Woman's Lunch Place in Boston, Lambda Legal, CARE, IMPACT Bay Area (women's self defense), and Doctors Without Borders.

In the imp: Light rose and something vegetable-y Fresh on the skin: Yes, definitely vegetable... Wait. Sweet potato? Okay, weird, this totally reminds me of unripe sweet potato, not too sweet -- or rather, something else balancing out the sweet, bitter and fresh. This must be the straw? 5 minutes later: The rose is just a hint, strange because my skin usually amps rose. This is extremely well-blended and quite unusual. I'm liking it a lot, actually. 20 minutes later: A lot of vegetable and a little rose. 30 minutes later: Oh my goodness. The amber's starting to come out, all creamy and gold, and now this is turning _beautiful_. Still oddly fresh -- I could see the argument for sweet, wet hay, and still with just a hint of rose. Gorgeous. 1 hour later: This has stayed true -- golden fresh hay with creamy amber, all with the aura of rose. I get almost no aquatic, as far as I can tell, and if there's metal it's blended with with the straw and amber perfectly. Which is fine by me, because I adore this the way it is. 2 hours later: This is almost pure amber now, mellow and gold and oddly fresh. And truly lovely. 3.5 hours later: Ah, the rose and sweet hay are back, light and radiating a delicate yellow-gold. 5 hours later: Fading fading fading, but still there, golden sweet hay on my skin. 14 hours later: A faint amber-hay scent still lingers. Verdict: This is unusual and really beautiful. I love this. I don't know that I'll wear it a lot, but you know, I just might. One phrase: sweet amber hay.

In the imp: Sweet fruits and a strong sense of bright green. Gorgeous, actually. Fresh on the skin: Green and citrusy, quite glittery, but with a soft padded depth at the back that I can't explain. A little dishsoapy, but not in a bad way. 15 minutes later: I'm definitely get a little of the red current, almost candyish in its sweetness. It still smells rather like dishsoap, but everything else about it is quite lovely. Very complex! All that green lemon-lime, with current around the edges and though I have no idea what green musk and snakeskin ought to smell like, I suspect that they're part of what's giving this it's depth. I think it's getting better as it goes, too. 30 minutes later: The red current is growing, giving the scent a fruity chapstick part to it within the green citrus. I think I'm also starting to smell the fuzzy-musty smell that plagued Shoggoth for me -- I wonder if that's the lime. It's too bad, because normally I love lime, but perhaps there's something about the note the Lab uses that disagrees with my skin. 1 hour later: The sillage is really quite nice at this point, mostly a slightly plasticky red current with a little green citrus. As long as I don't get so close that the mustiness hits, anyway. 1.5 hours later: Musty smell is getting stronger, boo hiss. 2 hours later: And now it's lessened again? Yay. 3 hours later: Herbal red current, light and warm and not too sweet. Nice! 4 hours later: Ah, we seem to be fading out to a very indistinct sweet laundryishness, but a rather pretty one. 6 hours later: Make that extremely pretty. 14 hours later: There's still a hint of it on my wrist. Verdict: I don't love all the stages of this, but I do mostly like it. I think I'll try it again and see if it grows on me or does the opposite; if it stays basically like this I'll most likely just keep the imp but pass on a bottle. One phrase: green citrus and red currant.

In the imp: Sweet, fruity in a mellow, creamy way, blended with lovely dry, delicate, slightly spicy woods. Fresh on the skin: Spicy woods pop out right away, with everything else taking a backseat except to add a nice dose of light sweetness. I actually really like this, more than I like most wood-dominated blends. 5 minutes later: Oh, oh, this is sweetening and deepening as it warms on my skin, and the peach-vanilla-osmanthus in the sillage is divine. Holy crap, I'm so in love with this. It actually strikes me as quite Asian, with the spicy dark exotic wood base and the fruity osmanthus top note. The scent of osmanthus always makes me think of ambrosia, and with peaches as one of the main Chinese symbols of immortality, I really don't think it's a stretch to call this heavenly. 15 minutes later: It's taken on a little powdery with its sweet and spicy. This is so gorgeous, beautiful and rich without being even a little bit headache-inducing. 45 minutes later: This is still gorgeous, mostly in a light, unusual, sweet-spicy-powdery floral way -- the woods have toned way down into a lovely subtle spicy dry base -- and then when I get close enough to my wrist, there's creamy vanilla at the center of the scent. 1.5 hours later: The vanilla's becoming more prominent, but the essential flavor remains true. I'm starting to think I need a bottle of this. 3 hours later: Still lovely, but quite faded. 4 hours later: I thought it had disappeared for a little while there, but there's actually still a hint hanging around, but it's almost gone. Verdict: God, this is gorgeous, I just wish it stuck around longer. One word: heavenly