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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!
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vultureguy's Blog
 

Scents Are Good For You!

I love incense and especially frankencence. I can't burn them here much, it sets off Caro's allergies or something (her chest gets tight and she gets coughy from the smoke). I think that is why I fell for Troll. I love the resins, the incense, the frankencense.   Lately with everything going on I've been finding a lot of joy and peace in my BPAL. It's really weird and I feel like a bit of a dolt for it. But it's true so there.   Now I know why.   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/...80520110415.htm   Hooray! Frankencense has anti-depression value. I guess that means I do need a full bottle of Troll after all!
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
vultureguy's Blog
 

Snake Oil goodness

I've got my first SO bottle on the Lab order that we got the CnS for on the way. I've put a bid on a forumite's SO on Ebay. And I've managed to snag a bottle of 9 mth aged SO from someone in the UK who it doesn't work on. So even if I loose out on Ebay I've got one ot age and one already aging.   It isn't much but it's one of the few good things that's happened in a long time.
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
heartbreakangel's Blog
 

Switch Witch Help Questions

Questions   Are You An Indoor Person Or Outdoor Person? Indoor, mostly. I'm trying to get back to being a bit more outdoor.   Are You Up To Being Gifted With Anime? Sure.   Cami Or Corset? Both.   Candles Or Incense? Both.   Coffee/Tea/Hot Beverages? I love tea, hot chocolate, and coffee if it's in some frozen form mixed with other stuff.   Do You Have A Particular Decorating Style? Not really.   Do You Have Pets And What Kind Of Gifts Would Be Good For Them? Two cats. They love toys that can be thrown, stuff they can chase, and they both have serious catnip habits to the point where dad and I have begun saying they're like Cheech and Chong without the smoke.   Do You Like Homemade Gifts? Like Foodstuffs Or Crafts? Love them.   Do You Still Read Any Children's Books? I still have my two books of fairy tales from when I was a wee little thing.   Favorite Books As A Kid? See above about the fairy tale books.   Feelings On Used Books (& Cds And DVDS For That Matter)? Don't mind them at all.   For Those Of You Who Play Video Games, What Consoles Do You Own? PS2, GameCube, my computer, GBA, 8-bit Nintendo, Sega Genesis. I don't know if it still works, but at least one of the 8-bit Nintendos does.   Haircolor Experimentation? My hair has been so many colors, I've lost count. Right now, my bangs are blood red, while the rest of my hair is black, which is my natural color.   How About Burned Cds? Is Everyone Okay With Those? Do Y'all Even Listen To Cds Anymore, Or Is It Straight To The Ipod? I listen to cds in the car, so burned ones are fine.   How Much Do You Still Enjoy Playing With Toys? I still do on occasion. Not much, though. I keep eyeballing buying myself Lego sets, but haven't yet.   How Would You Describe Your Sense Of Humor? Sarcastic. It drifts between stuff like how House is, and wanders off toward Monty Python breed absurdity every so often.   How Would You Describe Yourself? Quiet. I've been known to get up during conversations without people even noticing I've left.   I Want To Know What Little Treats My Witchee Likes To Be Spoiled (Or Spoil Herself) With? I love chocolate. That's one thing I will very rarely pass up. Beyond that, tea, bath stuff, socks...   If Handmade Stuff Is Okay, And It All Goes Horribly Wrong, Would You Want It Anyway? Yep. Fine even if it looks not quite like it should.   Lip Balm? I'm not too particular about it, except for one thing. Lush lip stuff doesn't work well on me. Burns a bit. I'm figuring that's the borax in it, but I could be wrong.   Livejournal? Handle over there is heartbreakangel. It's friends locked, though.   Mailbox Situation, I.E. Can I Send You Chocolate And Melty Treats From Lush, Or Are They Going To Wind Up Being Really Decadent Goo? If it ends up really decadent goo, it'll become a really decadent solid again in the fridge. No worries.   Makeup? Don't wear it often, but I do like it.   Online Games? Guild Wars. I spend way too much time with it.   Phobias? Spiders.   Religious Preferences And Patron Saints/Goddesses/Spiritual Mentors? Thor, Odin, Anubis. Weird combo, I know. Don't ask how it happened, because I'm still not sure myself.   Rice Krispy Treats, Yes Or No? Homemade Or Prepackaged? Yes. Homemade. The prepackaged ones taste odd.   Secret Crush? Gah. I have one I'll likely never see again. Sad panda, I am.   Socks? Love 'em. Knee highs, mostly.   Sports? Hockey and wrestling.   Switch Witch Remain A Secret Or Reveal Herself? I'm good with either, leaning toward reveal.   Tattoos/Piercings? Ears are pierced twice, navel's pierced, and I have two tattoos with plans to get more.   Things I Find Offensive? Bigotry.   What Goodies Do You Love That You Can't Usually Get? TimTams.   What Is The Hottest And Coldest It Gets Where You Live? Hottest is usually up around 100. Coldest depends on the winter, sadly. Sometimes it won't go below 20, sometimes it goes down to -30.   What Practical Goals To You Have For The Upcoming Summer? Get back in shape.   What Sort Of Crafites Do You Do And What Sort Of Crafty Supplies Do You Like? I paint, I knit with looms, I'm attempting to learn to crochet, occasionally there's some drawing going on, and I'd like to eventually start mucking around with making jewelery. I see beads all the time that I get grabby handed over, but I don't know what to do with them.   What's Hanging On Your Walls? What Do You Want Hanging On Your Walls? Two wrestling posters, glow in the dark starts, and some random fabric I was given years ago. I've also got shelves hung up that are covered in all sorts of stuff, from books to action figures.   What's Your Favorite Color? For Wearing? And For Decorating? For wearing? Black. For decorating? Uhm. Don't really have one.   What's Your Favorite Flower? Tree? I'm big on roses, and I like willow trees.   What's Your Most Obscure Interest? Oh, this is easy. I don't know many people that are interested in OSHA regulations.   Which Kinds Of Soaps Do YOU Like? Arcana? BPTP? Lush? Super Bad? I don't use soap often. It dries my skin out something fierce.   Who Are Your Favorite Disney Characters? Eeyore.   Gemstones I like and why: Amethyst, hematite, onyx, there's more but they're not coming to me off the top of my head. It's been one of those weeks.   If I had no dress code: I don't really have one. Work is at home. Unless I have to go out to a meeting, or a job site, I'm in whatever's comfortable, even if it means I'm just stomping around in a sarong and a sports bra.   Wants from the update: Too much stuff to mention. Yeesh. Let's see...Stormclouds Over The Midway, The Chapel, The Torture Queen, pretty well everything from The Wunderkammer.   What kind of pens do you like? Bic Round Stic Grips in fine point with black ink.   BPAL signature scent: Dragon's Heart   Chips: Absolutely love Lay's Dill Pickle ones.
heartbreakangel

heartbreakangel

0
Thoughts from Yuggoth
 

Schrodinger's Cat: A Pretty Kitty!

One can even set up quite ridiculous cases. A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following diabolical device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small that perhaps in the course of one hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges and through a relay releases a hammer which shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The first atomic decay would have poisoned it. The Psi function for the entire system would express this by having in it the living and the dead cat (pardon the expression) mixed or smeared out in equal parts. It is typical of these cases that an indeterminacy originally restricted to the atomic domain becomes transformed into macroscopic indeterminacy, which can then be resolved by direct observation. That prevents us from so naively accepting as valid a "blurred model" for representing reality. In itself it would not embody anything unclear or contradictory. There is a difference between a shaky or out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks.

A paradoxical scent experiment! - tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint.

No cats were mistreated during the formulation of this paradox, or in the process of creating this perfume.

First off, let me say I am a cat person. Very much a cat person. I've already named the three cats I'll have in my home when I move out.

I got this from the Lab when it was new, and I didn't like it much then (too sharp and lemony). However, I broke it out again today for my Quantum Mechanics exam, and I was delighted to find that it has aged wonderfully in the few months I've had it!

The main thing I can smell is sherbert lemons. I can only assume this is the sugared fruits coming in to play. For the first half-hour of wear, the Kitty is very nice and light and bright (never fear, citrus-haters, it's very sweet). After that, the bright, citrus top notes disappear leaving a sweet, but not tooth-achingly so, musky undertone. I can't get any lavender out of it at any stage. I guess the musky drydown is the oakmoss and chocolate.
Jenesis

Jenesis

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vultureguy's Blog
 

Another hit

The year really can't get any worse. It got so bad tonight that I've slathered not only Western Diamondback but also Banded Sea Snake. Work. Relationship. Stress. Gender. I won't go into it. I won't do an emotional vomit here.   And while I didn't know him, we've lost another guy to suicide. He's the second NZ transguy this year. I didn't really know him well, had read his posts on the board. It brings all my own transangst/issues/Darkness close.   Debating between Western Diamondback tomorrow or Alone. Both are comforting. I've got a roller bottle of WDB at work so if I go with Alone I can still slather in the afternoon.   I pinged a friend on Gmail. She's in Colorado so was getting ready to go to bed but took a few minutes to chat and I really appreciate it. I re-read my pm from Beth here saying she knew things were tough & to keep my head up. Both those things helped.   It's late. I'm exhausted after the day & night I've had. And I woke up suddenly at 3:30, was up for about 15 minutes trying to get back to sleep.   I'll look back on all this one day and see how far I've come.
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
Nightingale's Blog
 

My Sad Birthday

Well, yesterday was my 38th birthday and it was the saddest birthday I've ever had. Let me explain....   My beloved best friend, my golden retriever Max, my boy, passed away 4 weeks ago on 19th April, aged 3 years old. Although we don't know for certain what happened, the vet suspects that it was either a massive heart attack, an aneurism or a huge epileptic fit (although he had never suffered any heart problems or epilepsy prior to his passing). It all happened so suddenly. One minute we were playing outside, the next he went inside, I followed and within 20 - 30 seconds he was gone. Just like that. Although I gave him heart massage and mouth to mouth, the poor soul passed away very quickly and it has haunted me since.   You see, my boy wasn't just a dog to me. I have no desire to have children, so he was my child, my best friend, my confidante. I didn't just love him, I was in love with him (although not in any seedy kind of way, I just loved him to bits). His passing has left me confused, crushed and completely and utterly heartbroken. The world seems totally different and everything appears to be flat and two dimensional. In an instant, the world changed for me.   So you'll understand why my birthday was the saddest I've ever had. Usually my boyfriend and mum humour me by writing a card from Max and from my bunnies, but yesterday the card was only from my bunnies.   I am currently waiting for the patter of tiny paws from a mating of Max's dad and aunt, but no puppy will ever replace my boy. He was the most special, loving, loyal, gentle, kind and handsome boy anyone could ever ask for and his mummy was, and still is, so proud of him.   I hope my baby is at peace now and knows that I love and miss him more than any number of words could ever express. Although I have cried for him every day since his passing, should I cry every day until I die no amount of tears could ever be enough for such a wonderful boy.   Sorry for this depressing and sad blog, but it's how I'm feeling.   Max 30-11-2004 to 19-04-2008
Nightingale

Nightingale

2
meeow712's Blog
 

Antonino, The Carny Talker

Antonino, The Carny Talker: White musk, wild plum, vetiver, black coconut, verbena, fig, and lavender.   In the imp: I was expecting this to be dark, and was scared of the vetiver (usually my nemesis). Instead, I got this beautiful feminine scent of plum, verbena, and fig. Couldn't find the coconut, and thankfully not the vetiver.   On me: A beautiful blend of precious. The vetiver hid, and I'm ever sooooo thankful!! The musk helped the plum and fig bloom without being fruity. The verbena gave it a teeny bit of citrus so change things up, and the lavender really rounded this scent out beautifully. The coconut helped make this scent sweet, but I can't detect any coconut on me. I think Antonino was really "Antonina" because this is a very feminine scent. I'm in love, and must get a bottle of this before CD comes down.
meeow712

meeow712

0
meeow712's Blog
 

The Organ Grinder

The Organ Grinder: Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark.   In the imp: A delicous almondy scent, though not as strong of an almond as those with almond oil. I also get some sarsaparilla and pine bark, but this is so well blended I can't pick out the other notes.   On me: Better than in the imp! A beautiful almond/woodsy scent. For about half an hour/45 minutes that is. It then decided to turn into disgusting SOURED MILK! About as bad as Milk Moon 07 - ick. Thankfully the throw still smells pretty good, and I only get strong soured milk upon sniffing my wrists, but it's awful. And I can't seem to wash it off, so I'm stuck with it. And I can't smell too closely because it makes me nauseous. So far it seems determined to last on my skin all freaking day. This is not nice.
meeow712

meeow712

0
Diplomatka
 

Gorillas, Genocide Part II

On our last day in Rwanda, here I was, sitting by the pool at the Milles des Collines, or Hotel Rwanda. SMP had to have a Coke before she passed out and we sat at the bar and talked about the movie where people taking refuge from the genocide were taking water out of this same pool because the supply had been cut off. It seemed impossible that this could have happened a mere 14 years ago.   Two days before, we had been taken to the genocide museum by our guide, Patrick. I am not sure why I have a penchant for sites of mass murder—Dachau, SI-21, gulags—but these in these places I am always overwhelmed with guilt and a sense of responsibility.   By way of a little background—I am not sure if anyone really remembers how it all happened but I will try to provide a recap so that this whole entry is contextualized (forgive me for historical inaccuracies):   Apparently Hutus and Tutsis have been ethnic groups in the area now known as Rwanda for a long time. In the 1930s, Belgian colonists issued identification cards marking the ethnicity of the two groups which had not been an issue before. (I am a little fuzzy on this point; the museum exhibit reported the demarcation of Hutu or Tutsi to be based on assets [Tutsis had more than 10 cattle and Hutus fewer]. The internets say that these ethnic divisions have been around for centuries, while others have said it was based on facial characteristics and skin tone.) For a long time prior to the issuance of these cards, Tutsis had been the ruling minority; with the Belgian control of the country, Tutsis again were given privilege over their Hutu country(wo)men. For the next few decades, Tutsis were given government jobs and allowed educational opportunities denied Hutus. As the colonists moved out, the problems started.   In the 1960s and 1970s there were isolated “trial runs” for the genocide with Hutus murdering Tutsi villages and Tutsis seeking revenge. As time went on, animosity between the groups grew. In early 1994, a UN informant told the organization that weapons were being stockpiled for genocide and that groups were being trained “to kill 1,000 people every 20 minutes”. In fact, there was a militia of over 30,000 trained when the killing started. The French government had supplied the Hutus with $12 million worth of weapons “on loan”.   No action was taken on the news provided by the informant.   Long story short, the Rwandan President’s plane was shot down on April 6, also killing the Hutu president of Burundi. The Prime Minister was set to give a speech to the country the next day, but she and ten Belgian soldiers protecting her were murdered before she could speak (this is one of the reasons the UN failed to act—for fear that they would also be targeted). The genocide started almost immediately, fueled by radio broadcasts.   One million people were killed in 100 days. At the museum I looked at a chain used to chain two people together and bury them alive. I saw the skulls and the clothes of the victims. I watched videos of churches where people had sought refuge and their pastors had betrayed them—literally hundreds of bodies in the church and the surrounding compound. I read about women raped by HIV positive men. I saw video of five-year-old children with gashes in their heads from machetes. I read about how people would have their Achilles tendons cut so they could not run while they were forced to watch their families bludgeoned to death while they waited their turn to die. I learned that live people were thrown down latrines—dozens of them—and buried alive. I watched the testimony of a woman who, venturing out after her family was killed, witnessed a baby breastfeeding on its dead mother.   The two parts that were the most difficult for me were the sections on the children and the part about Hutus who risked their lives to save their Tutsi neighbors and friends. In the section on children, there were large photos of the victims—babies and small children—with information posted below like:   Name: Jean Phillipe Age: 5 years Favorite food: rice with sauce Best Friend: Daddy How killed: Shot in the head Last words: Mommy, where do I run?   In the part on the heroes of the genocide, the Hutus who helped the Tutsis, I read about an old woman who was suspected of being a sorceress who scared the militia away by threatening to curse them. I read about a man who hid several dozen Tutsis in a trench in his yard which he disguised by planting pumpkins on top of the thatched cover. I read about a woman whose house was filled to capacity with all of the Tutsis she could hide, but refused to turn away her neighbor. I think this section moved me the most because these were ordinary people risking their lives to save others. So many people either took part or failed to act but these people took a stand. It was heartening.   After the museum we went outside to look at the mass graves. These victims had no families to claim their bodies and no one knows who these people are since whole families and neighborhoods were wiped out. This was not just one small patch of land; at least seven large concrete slabs (probably 20 feet long by 15 feet wide) containing hundreds of bodies. Each village has its own mass grave.   On the way out of town we saw trucks with men in pink uniforms on the back. These were the men who committed the genocide being transported to another jail.   Everyone wonders how shit like this can go down without anyone taking action. Guess what? THIS SHIT IS HAPPENING NOW. Genocide is happening right now in Darfur and no one is doing anything. When are we going to become the regular people who take a stand? When are we going to become informed about what is happening in the world and stop the rape and murder?
Confection

Confection

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vultureguy's Blog
 

Buy a book, help Oxfam

I just ordered a cookbook from this company: Good Books. Yes, the site & company is based in NZ but they ship globally (I emailed and checked). Delivery is included in the price you see, which is a bonus. And you help Oxfam out because 100% of the profits go to Oxfam. How cool is that? Buy a book, help a non-profit! "....delivery worldwide is completely free, and with over two million titles in stock our range is one of the largest you will find."   My love of reading + my desire to Make A Difference = PRICELESS   They've got some music too, but the search function doesn't seem to work with music and they don't have a lot right now.   Check them out. Setting up an account & ordering is easy. They use secure encryption. And like I said, delivery is included in the price you see. So unlike Amazon.com you don't have to tack on a hefty (for us) fee to get your package delivered by Slow Boat. Lovely.   They are still growing, they may not have everything but check their selection first.   Go on, ya know you want to. Grab a book for the beach (for those of you going into Summer) or grab one to curl up in front of the heater with (for those of us going into Winter).
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
Thoughts from Yuggoth
 

Venom: Halp, sweaty feet!

Darkly seductive and lethally compelling: sinuous opponax, galbanum, dark wild berries, a drop of lush jasmine and a sliver of lime.
As we all know, Venom is one of the oldest and most sought-after BPALs. It was discontinued in 2005. With that in mind...

I was frimped a sniffie of this, and I must admit that I'm glad I don't like it. All I get out of it is "feet covered in hair dye". Don't ask me where I get that from, but to me I can smell sweaty-feet-stink with the pervading chemical tang of ammonia-based hair dye. Oh well!
Jenesis

Jenesis

0
meeow712's Blog
 

Speed sniff-testing, mostly Excolo

Lust! Oh yes. And I usually don’t like patchouli. Do I smell coconut in here? I believe I do.   Jailbait - I like it, but it smells like Materva (soda) with a little bubblegum! This might be a Cuban/South Florida thing.   Lilith - I can’t pick out anything but I LIKE!   Blood Countess - Fruity and Floral? But I likes!   Obatala - a coconut that works!!! Oh this is delicious!! It's everything I wanted the Tikis to be.   Dirty Viking (HAEE)- Mint or eucalyptus? This will be good for hangovers.   Voodoo Punani (HAEE) - holy crap! More, now, please.   Skuld - OMFG my nose had an orgasm! This is up there in all time favorites. I must have buckets of this, and I’m so happy this is GC!!!!!   Golden Priapus - Amber, juniper and vanilla all in one? And pine that doesn’t smell like cleaning fluid? yay! The pine reminds me of Christmas, this will be a great holidays scent.   13 - I want to eat myself!!
meeow712

meeow712

0
meeow712's Blog
 

Tikis

I got decants of the Tikis that didn't appeal to me too much, and bottles of those that did. The verdict? Most of them didn't work at all on me.   Tiki Queen: Smelled like Bubbleicious Bubblegum on me. I guess that's not bad, but it wasn't what I wanted to smell like.   Tiki King: OMG coconut heaven in the bottle!!! And on me, it turned into a very weird lemony coconut, but the sweet turned to bitter and wasn't all that great. Damn.   Te Po: Smelled like the cherry syrup they put into Cherry Coke. And then upon drydown it was a combination of artificial cherry syrup and red hots. This might be great if I was 12, but it wasn't for me.   Marae: I had high hopes!!! But alas, it smelled like very faint baby cologne on me. Bah.   Boo Bam: Meh   Blue Fire: artificial blueberry explosion??? I'm keeping it to give it a second shot because I really wanted to like it!!!   Moai: Nasty ashes, ick.   Rangoon Riptide: Meh   Tupapau: Meh   The few that worked:   Screeching Parrot: Delicious apricots and pineapple, and some pomegranite too. Yay!   Upa Upa: Oh yes! Coconut and vanilla, and they don't go all weird. Heaven!!   Moana: It's very ocean-y clean.   Opuhi: Delicious!
meeow712

meeow712

0
meeow712's Blog
 

King Cobra

King Cobra: Snake Oil with orris, frankincense, and copal.   In the imp: A very resiney Snake Oil   On me: Snake Oil with incese!!! A dryer incense, not like Temple Viper at all but still very good. After several hours it smells mostly just like snake oil, but that's what reapplying is for. Verdict: Yum! I wouldn't mind swapping for a bottle of this too.
meeow712

meeow712

0
ramblings of an art chick...
 

Wishlist!

updated: April 15....   My wishlist is by no means comprehensive or complete. I am not a fan of foody, floral, or aquatic scents for the most part, nor do I like overly “perfumey” scents. I’m not a fan of dirt, but one of my best friends is, so I’m interested in some.. I adore smoke, incense, blood, dust, wood, amber, apple, tobacco, citrus, blueberry, leather... I am always willing to try new things, so if it’s not on here and you think I’d like it – ASK.   I’m also really interested in LEs that came out before I found BPAL.. so pre-2008. Even just small amounts would make me happy.   I would sell my soul for the Blue Phoenix and Orange Phoenix prototypes – if you have them, and want to share the love (just an imp is all I need!), I will bribe you with any BPAL I own, or some kind of pretty jewelry thing (I’m a Jewelry/Metals major at school)… my fat dog? … anything. srsly. WANT:   5ml: Blood Kiss Al-Azif Famine Chaos Theory V: Dorian The Host of the Air     imps/decants: Blue Phoenix - ANY Orange Phoenix - ANY Chaos Theory V: Dorian Devil’s Night Antique Lace Hastur The Phoenix Numb Treat #1 Ecstasy – Infatuation Freakshow (Carnival Noir) Fire Eater (Carnival Noir) Carnivale Medicine Show (Carnival Noir) The Ghost Order of the Dragon: - Count Dracula - The Carpathian Mountains - The Bloody Sword - Lucy Westerna - Quincy Morris - Wilhelmina Murray[/b] Shoggoth – imp Fruit Moon 2005 Harvest Moon 2004 Harvest Moon 2005 Harvest Moon 2006 Desire Les Bijoux Delirium Poisoned Apple Coral Snake Bilquis Samhain Miskatonic University Arkham (discontinued) The Apple of Sodom Bohun Upas The Lotus Tree The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Ya-Te-Vo The Zieba Tree The Ides of March   Great Duets: - Erik - Mr. Edward Hyde - Maud Ruthyn - Silas Ruthyn   B-Movies: - Mutant Hot-Rodders from Hell High - Spawn of the She-Demon - That! The Terror from Over There! - Crimson Christmas   Salon decants: - Death of the Gravedigger - The Fox-woman Kuzonoha Leaving her Child - Lucretia - Satan and Sin with Death Intervening - Silence - The Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil - The Cup of Death - The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed With the Sun - Les Anges Dechus - Melancholia - Three Gorgons - Bat - Death and Life Completed - Fox Fires on New Year's Eve at the Garment Nettle Tree at Oji - Kiyohime Changes from a serpent - Love and Pain - Schlafende Baigneuse - Sunrise with Sea Monsters   Bling: - The Goldfish Pool and Other Stories - A Study in Emerald
lacyjae

lacyjae

1
vultureguy's Blog
 

Music

I really like 5 am. And on Youtube here. (Edited to add: check out the "LOVE" section at the top of their webpage, the first link)   I got turned onto them when I worked at an outdoor store in Sonoma County, one of the women I worked with did the backing vocals and was dating one of the members. She married him eventually and I think had a baby. I don't know if he's still in the band (I'm shocking with names and that was 10 years ago). I'm a bit behind in getting their albums, I need to get their latest, Raise the Sun, as well as their previous, This Morphine Life. Maybe for Christmas.   "Lost and Found is a song off the last cd I bought of theirs. The song really hits home for me.   Lost and Found   Here among the lost and found, I lie and wait For someone to return relieved to find me here Like a twisted pair of sunglasses, like a torn faded cap I lie among the forgotten battered but still intact   If only I could see you again, move around in your heart, feel the touch of your skin If only I could see you again   Here among the lost and found you’ll be surprised who you’ll find Everyone’s got their story and I guess that I’ve got mine I never meant to lose my way, I just wandered a little at a time No one seemed to notice that I was left behind   If only I could see you again, move around in your heart, feel the touch of your skin If only I could see you again My friend, my friend I don’t belong here   Here among the lost and found, I’ve got nothing left but my name I’ve got the scars from where I’ve been I’ve just forgotten where they came Sometimes you take so many hits you drift further away You find yourself in the darkness and there you’ll stay   The last lines are the ones that have been hitting home the most lately.
vultureguy

vultureguy

0
What ever happened to Generation X?
 

Hallmark card holidays

Does Mother's Day qualify for "Hallmark Card Holiday" status with you? I'm beginning to think it does, for me.   A "Hallmark Card" holiday, in my book, is a holiday that's not good for much else other than raising people's expectations of receiving a card and/or gift. Valentine's Day and Sweetest Day are examples of other such holidays.   Ever since my mother died, I really, really hate Mother's Day. I know I no longer have a mother...I don't need a special day on the calendar to underscore it. *sigh*
parrot_suspect

parrot_suspect

0
Archaeopteryx's Blog
 

First blog here!

I've blogged for years on LiveJournal, but I thought it would be nice to have a BPAL blog, too. I have a feeling my friends list gets tired of me going on and on about BPAL all the time.   It's rainy and dreary here today. A good day to stay home and try on BPAL and listen to music.   I'm pretty excited, because I'm seeing Opeth live on Thursday with my husband and a friend.   I've now been into BPAL since March officially. It's been really wonderful so far. It's been really exciting to find new and different scents. I never thought I could get this excited over perfume. I also bought a scent locket last week. I'm hoping that will give some staying power to some of the scents that fade quickly, like Morocco. I'll have to take a picture and post it here. This is the locket I bought.
archaeopteryx

archaeopteryx

0
SultryWolf's Blog
 

Archetypes and Animal Totems

I have quite a bit of experience with divination, and have found it to be particularly accurate for me. I use cards, stones, or huacas (sacred objects).   Archetypes determined by the method described in Caroline Myss’s Sacred Contracts; assigned to houses through divination; animals determined through divination.   House 1: Ego & Personality Archetype: Shapeshifter Animal: Swan   House 2: Life Values Archetype: Messiah Animal: Wolf   House 3: Self-expression Archetype: Monk Animal: Dog   House 4: Home Archetype: Victim Animal: Hummingbird   House 5: Creativity & Good Fortune Archetype: Hermit Animal: Salmon   House 6: Occupation & Health Archetype: Prostitute Animal : Owl   House 7: Marriage & Relationships Archetype: Saboteur Animal: Turkey   House 8: Other People’s Resources Archetype: Student Animal: Raven   House 9: Spirituality Archetype: Nature Child Animal: Turtle   House 10: Highest Potential Archetype: Knight Animal: Elk   House 11: Relationship to the World Archetype: Judge Animal: Prairie Dog   House 12: The Unconscious Archetype: Scientist Animal: Jaguar   Animal Totems (David Carson method) Determined through divination, borne out in meditation and life experience.   East: guide to one’s greates spiritualchallenge and guardian to one’s path to illumiatnation. Otter (Woman Medicine)   South: protector of the child within; reminder of when to be humble and when to trust; balancer of innocence in one’s personality. Turtle (Mother Earth)   West: leader to one’s personal truth and inner answers and guide to one’s path to one’s goals. Butterfly (Transformation)   North: giver of wise counsel; reminder of when to speak and when to listen; reminder to be grateful for everyday blessings. Raven (Magic)   Above: teacher in how to honor the Great Star Nation; reminder that one came from the stars and to the stars will return; guardian of the dreamtime. Horse (Power)   Below: teacher about the Inner Earth and how to stay grounded and on the Path. Skunk (Reputation)   Within: teacher of finding one’s heart’s joy and being faithful to one’s personal truths; protetor of one’s sacred space. Wolf (Teacher)   Right Side: protector of one’s male side; center of one’s courage and warrior spirit. Crow (Law)   Left Side: protector of one’s female side Dog (Loyalty)   There are, of course, other Power Animals and Omen Animals in my life! Spider, Hawk, and Phoebe come to mind.
SultryWolf

SultryWolf

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Thoughts from Yuggoth
 

Tristran: Ehh.

Tristran put down his wooden cup of tea, and stood up, offended.

"What," he asked, in what he was certain were lofty and scornful tones, "would possibly make you imagine that my lady-love would have sent me on some foolish errand?"

The little man stared up at him with eyes like beads of jet. "Because that's the only reason a lad like you would be stupid enough to cross the border into Faerie. The only ones who ever come here from your lands are the minstrels, and the lovers, and the mad. And you don't look like much of a minstrel, and you're - pardon me saying so, lad, but it's true - ordinary as cheese-crumbs. So it's love, if you ask me."

"Because," announces Tristran, "every lover is in his heart a madman, and in his head a minstrel."

Dust on your trousers, mud on your boots, and stars in your eyes: redwood, tonka bean, white sandalwood, lemon peel, patchouli, rosewood, coriander, and crushed mint.

Although nice, this scent is "meh" for me. I love woody scents and I was hoping this could be a new Geek, but it doesn't have the complexity.

Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely scent, but on me it's just straight "wood", with no mint, lemon or anything else to spice it up. It fades quickly. I really can't pick apart the various woods.

If this was a regular price GC I'd go for it, but at $25 a bottle it's a little pricey when there are nicer woody blends for the same price tag (The Smiling Spider).
Jenesis

Jenesis

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meeow712's Blog
 

Temple Viper

Temple Viper: Snake Oil with sugar cane, frankincense, champaca, opoponax, labdanum, and hyssop.   In the imp: Definitely getting a lot of Snake Oil from it, but it's sweeter and darker. I can't identify individual notes, but I can smell the sugar cake, frankincense, and champaca adding to the blend.   On me: This has to be the sexiest perfume I have ever worn!!! Sex in a bottle. It's Snake Oil, but different. Deeper, darker, definitely getting the sugarcane. The frankincense gives it a touch of incense without making it incensey. The champaca adds more spice to it. The opoponax makes this more vanilla-ey. So this is snake oil, only better and waaaaay sexier! I think I need 2 bottles of this one!!!!
meeow712

meeow712

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Forspecial Plate's Blog
 

non-bpal review/Czech and Speake No. 88

Czech and Speake No. 88   "No. 88 is the signature fragrance from Czech & Speake. From its Aromatics Collection, No.88 is a blend of woods, bergamot, geranium, rose otto, cassie flower, frangipani, vetiver, and sandalwood. This gorgeous fragrance is worn by both men and women." (description from The Perfumed Court)   I was attracted to this because I read Morrissey wears it (and Elton John, too). I was so glad to find a source for a sample.   This is fabulous! It's a rose scent, but unmistakably gender-neutral, although some may find it masculine. The closest bpal I can think of is Thanatos, but No. 88 is definitely lighter, fresher, and not as powdery (not that I dislike Thanatos). It's definitely woody, but also floral and slightly fruity. It strikes me as a versatile scent.....I could wear this at work (and I did), or out on the town, or for a formal occasion. I would call it almost a studious rose scent, but dark, hinting at naughtiness.   Now I need to try their Cuba scent, because I definitely want a bottle of one or the other. This stuff is pricey and only available from the UK, so it's going to be a treat to splurge and indulge myself. If Cuba is as good as this, it's going to be tough to decide. I could absolutely wear No. 88 on a regular basis.
forspecial_plate

forspecial_plate

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