Blogs

I hate time. No, I hate not having enough time. I hate that you plan something in a nice way and then everything is changed again. Okay, a look on the past weekend: Saturday: Birthday from Olli's grandma. Before we went to her we had to go shopping - a gift for her and for Olli's mom. Then coffee and dinner in a restaurant. Sunday: Fish Fair with Olli's sister. Later birthday of a friend of mine. Monday: Birthday of Olli's mom. So our plan was: Tue: Bring car to repair shop; gym Wed: Get car; Buy fishes for the aquarium (fish fair was not good) Thu: Holiday - I wanted to paint, Olli wanted to tinker on his model planes Fri: Grocery-Shopping Sat and Sun: Finally free! and what happened? Tue: No gym. Bring car away, buy fishes Wed: Get car, bring Olli's parents to another city to shop with them Thu: clean the apartment and then get Olli's nephew and play with him because we didn't have time to do this yesterday Fri: a Partylite Party I totally forgot Sat: Grocery shopping. Sun: Finally free?? Can't believe it I'm exhausted. Olli too. I just want some time for me - I want to paint, to take some photos and to play some of the new games we have bought. And I know that Olli needs some time, too.

October 30, 2007

random thoughts

Yesterday I was seriously considering making a resolution for 2008......decants only. Like, no bottles whatsoever. When I think about it, it makes sense. I've never used up a whole decant. My first bpal bottle, over a year old, would still pass for new if you just glanced at it. I'm really just a dabber. It's pretty ridiculous for me to buy a whole bottle of, for example, Beaver Moon. That was a total impulse scent buy and I really should have just searched out a decant instead of a whole bottle. There's no way I'll wear all that!! I like how it smells, but I know I won't wear it much. So, decants only for a year would make sense for me. Then I think about it. A whole year. That includes next year's Halloween blends and Yule scents. Decants are plentiful, but really.......could I really do that?? I don't think I could. I mean, what if some incredible forum-only scent came out? Or that one elusive scent that was made "Just for me!!"? Well, even though I won't do it for a whole year, I will definitely be curbing my bottle habits, lol. And also I need to seriously do some de-stashing (like everyone else it seems). I'm gradually working on that......testing imps, writing reviews on my laptop, and wrapping plumber's tape around the ones I know I'll be swapping. I'm keeping them in a small cigar box, and when it's full, I'll be posting them for sale/swap. Speaking of swaps......when I look at my wish list, I think to myself 'do I really need to try all those?'. So little by little I'm whittling that down, too.

October 30, 2007

Abstract Associations

Snowblind

The perfect vanilla mint. Reviewed 10/27/2007 This is so very different from other vanilla mint scents like Tokyo Stomp, Lick It, and Lick It Again. The only way I can describe this is as a WARM mint. It is utterly gorgeous and delicious the way the lab's mints always are, but it doesn't have that chilly cold feel that most of the mint scents do. Something in the combination of vanilla and butter in this blend make it feel like mint wrapped in a blanket in front of the fireplace, and I love it so much.

Rovylern

October 29, 2007

Eoywin's Blog

Disney Trip Report - Friday - 9/28/07

We got up very early on Friday morning, ran a couple of errands (Todd had to go to the bank and we got breakfast at McDonald's), and were on our way. The journey itself was rather uneventful - it's very easy to get to Disney from NC. It's nearly a straight shot. Unfortunely we hit Orlando just at rush hour, so it took us longer than it should have to get to our resort. I amused myself by taking pictures of the disney billboards. Finally we made it through the traffic and we entered Walt Disney World property! We managed to find our resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, and found the place to check in. The line to check in was kinda long but moved quickly. When we got up to the counter, I was very excited, so I told the lady who waited on us that we were on our honeymoon. She gave us pins that said 'Just Married' (which isn't exactly true, but we guessed that it was close enough ). I was a little surprised when Todd put his on right away. I, of course, did too We got our 'Keys to the World' which was our room key, our park tickets and how we paid for the dining plan, and our room number, so we headed to the room. Our section of the resort was Jamaica - which I was pretty geeked about because I had read that it was one of the best 'islands' to be in. We found our room with ease, and we unpacked and vegged out for a bit. Here's some room and resort pictures! After we got unpacked we headed to the building that had the food court, gift shop, and the sit down restaurant, Shutters. It was called 'Old Port Royale'. I didn't make reservations for this night because I wasn't sure how we'd feel after that 9 hour drive. We asked if we could get into Shutters without a reservation, and they said we could, but it would be a 45 minute wait. We decided to wait and it gave us time to browse the gift shop. Once we got seated, our server noticed our pins and said congratulations - we got a ton of people saying this throughout the week. Mostly cast members, but some regular guests too. We got sparkling wine for free, because we were on our honeymoon, which was neat (though it made me a little tipsy). We were on the dining plan, which gave us 1 counter service (like fast food), 1 sit down meal, and one snack each day. With the sit down meal, we got an appetizer, an entrée, a dessert and a drink (non alcoholic). That is a lot of food! Our dinner was very good - we both had prime rib, and we were so stuffed we had to take our cheesecake back to the room (we did have a mini fridge so it didn't go bad). We went back to the room, vegged out, and went to sleep fairly early. Next time - Magic Kingdom and Ohana!

Eoywin

October 27, 2007

Thoughts from Yuggoth

Assortment: New Lab order, life in general

So here I am back at University for my second year. The work isn't too bad, although the lecturers seem bent on giving us assignments that have to all be handed in at once. My house is... interesting. Suffice to say I am never living with some of these people ever again. Leaving milk out on the counter for two weeks doesn't exactly put them in my good books. Anyway, happy stuff: I made my birthday Lab order! I thought "Oh, screw it" and pretty much ordered my entire wishlist. Here goes: What a great box that will be to open! I was going to go for Saggitarius, but the Chamomile was a deal-breaker for me - the scent of that just reminds me of pond water. I'm really excited about Samhain and Gingerbread Poppet especially, and I look forward to trying Iago and De Sade (leather... mmm!). Luckily my birthday isn't until December 14th, and hopefully it will be delivered before then! I know the Lab will be very busy over the next few weeks, what with the wedding and everything, and I just hope they get round to my order in time.

Jenesis

October 27, 2007

Sourball Ho!

Yule and Loon Update!

So it’s been a crazy October with traveling (cruise to Mexico last weekend and planning for friend’s wedding next weekend) and I didn’t order right after the Yule update as I wanted to wait for the Lunacy. But what a great Yule update! Angeronalia -- Strength, passion, and the cleansing fire of joy: olive blossom, white nectarine, vibrant blood orange, honey absolute, lemongrass, elemi, sensual patchouli, and the quiet purity of gardenia. This sounds like a different and interesting floral. Wait for reviews. Archangel Winter -- Crystalline, glassy ice whipped by a snowstorm. Piercing ozone, winter darkness. Aquatics aren’t my thing, most go too soapy. Chanukkiyah -- Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig. Hmm, olive oil as the main ingredient? Interesting. Wait for reviews. Christmas Rose -- Bruise-tinted hellebore blossoms pushing through snowdrifts. I read that hellebore was green and herby, therefore this isn’t a BPAL Rose. I’m not one for the straight-up florals anyway. Diwali -- Lotus root, mango, tamarind, cardamom, clove, almond milk, cashew, rice flower, coconut, supari, raisins, and incense crafted from aloeswood, red sandalwood, cedar, and spikenard. This sounds interesting with the mélange of ingredients. Wait for reviews. Egg Nog 2007 -- Sweet brandy, dark rum, heavy cream, sugar, and a dash of nutmeg. This is one of the all-time forum favorite Yule blends, but I’m afraid the heavy cream will go rancid or plastic. I’ll think about this one. El Dia de Reyes -- Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar. Not so much for cocoa, cinnamon and coffee; I’d rather drink it than smell like it. Fruit of Paradise -- The Fruit of Paradise, the Nectar of Death: bittersweet pomegranate, nurtured and cultivated in the hollow darkness of the Underworld. -- Pomegranate is one of my favorite notes, so dark and foreboding. Gingerbread Poppet 2007 -- Warm, cozy gingerbread spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Another all-time favorite for some, but gingerbread is not one of my favorite scents. I don’t want to flounce around smelling like a giant cookie. Haloa 2007 -- Wine grapes, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes. I have a bottle of last year’s; it was pretty sweet and cakey at first, but the incense has gotten stronger which I love. Jolasveinar 2007 -- Their scent is a mishmash of snow, dirt, Icelandic moss, marsh felwort, and the smushed petals of buttercups and moorland spotted orchids, with the barest hint of the scent of pilfered Christmas pastries. Another blend from last Yule, and the reviews gave me the impression that the “pastries” will end up plasticky on me. Krampus 2007 -- Be good, or Krampus will toss you in a river! Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches. This was a love-it-or-hate-it blend for forumites last year. While I love red musk, black leather and wood comes out pretty harsh on my skin. La Befana -- Candy charcoal, winter lilies, parma violet, a sprig of cypress, a poof of chimney dust, and holiday sweets. Candy charcoal? I have no idea. Wait for reviews. Lick It One More Time -- Every holiday season should be full of lewd suggestions and filthy double entendres, right? This is a new take on Lick It and Lick It Again -- a peppermint candy cane with a flash of vanilla and an extra jolt of sugar. I have a bottle of the original Lick It, a sweet-sparkly mint. Midwinter’s Eve 2007 -- A melancholy, deep scent, poignant and brimming with nostalgia. The perfume of sugared plums over a breeze of winter flowers. I had a bottle of Midwinter’s Eve 2004, and while I loved the sugared plums it ended up a bit waxy from the flowers. I ended up using it all in my oil burner and don’t need more. Mistletoe 2007 -- The plant of peace in Norse tradition. If enemies met in the forest and came upon a sprig, they laid down their arms and observed a truce until the next sunrise. I don’t like the green planty blends much. Noche Buena -- A celebration of the Nativity: the light, uplifting incense of the Misa de Noche Buena, purple sage, and a vibrant bouquet of plumeria, chrysanthemum, tuberose, Angel's Trumpet, Mexican tiger lily, dahlia, and azucenas. This sounds beautiful, Chrysanthemum Moon is one of my favorite Lunacies and the ingredient will pop out at me. Plus purple sage is in Corazon which is one of my all-time favorite bottles. Wait anxiously for reviews. November -- Autumn leaves damp beneath the first snowfall. I’m not sure about damp leaves. Wait for reviews. Peacock Queen 2007 -- In dramatic contrast to the soft innocence of Snow White and the dew-kissed freshness of her sister, Rose Red, this is a blood red, voluptuous rose, velvet-petaled, at the height of bloom. Haughty and imperious, vain, yet incomparably lovely to the eye, but thick with thorns of jealousy, pride and hatred. I love the description for this, it’s so snotty. This will probably demand to be ordered. Rose Red 2007 -- The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut. I have and cherish a bottle from 2005, it really is a perfect rose. Shivering Boy -- Cold, cold forever more. A winter storm roaring through empty stone halls, bearing echoes of despair, desolation, and death on its winds. The scent of frozen, dormant vineyards, bitter sleet, and piercing ozone, hurled through labdanum, benzoin, and olibanum. Woo, sounds really detergenty. Wait for reviews. Snow Storm -- Winter aconite, balsam fir, cedar leaf, and white mint. I don’t know what Winter aconite is, but Botanical.com says it’s a deadly herb. This blend is probably too green for me. Snow White 2007 -- A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers. Finally! I’ve been waiting to reorder Snow White, and while Snow-Flakes appeared last year and is quite lovely, this bottle is definitely being ordered right off. More Gaiman/Pratchett scents, which by the way I finally read Good Omens and enjoyed the dry British apocalyptic wit. Famine -- Sleek black tea, tobacco leaf, frankincense, lilac, and white musk. Tea scents aren’t my favorite. Madame Tracy -- A coquettish blend of tea rose, ume blossom, geranium, lily of the valley, violet, and heliotrope. Tea rose has the risk of going all twee baby-powder on me. Pollution -- A toxic chypre: radioactive green musk, davana, and oozing white amber. I haven’t tried green musk, let alone if it’s glowing. Wait for reviews. Hastur -- Smoky-sour labdanum, black patchouli, wet tobacco, and brimstone. This sounds like Schwarzer Mond and Minotaur, dark and eeeeevil. Wait for reviews. Ligur -- Dry olibanum, black moss, soggy ti, khus, and opoponax. Same as Hastur, except probably more masculine cologne with the black moss. Wait for reviews. Fairy Wine -- An ethereal vintage, steeped with dandelion, honey, and red currants. I love the boozy wine blends, and the other ingredients sound nice. Lady Una -- Honey musk, green tea leaf, blackberry leaf, vanilla bean, and fae spices. The BPAL Honey is greatness, but not sure of the green tea (even though I drink it every morning). Wait for reviews. And finally, the normal Lunacies. I love the cool rippling script for Long Night Moon! Long Night Moon -- A bouquet of night-blooming flowers, petals dusted with frost. Cereus, moonflower accord, night phlox, honeysuckle, silver thyme, white mint, and blue musk. Lots of white flowers, not for me. Sagittarius -- Sage, clove, dandelion, balm of gilead, fig, and chamomile. I’m afraid of the clove, which can overpower. Ivanushka -- Soft, velvety fur and warm musk, brushed by forest woods and dusted by dry leaves. This sounds a lot like Buck Moon, which I liked but didn’t love enough to keep. In conclusion: I’m ordering Fruit of Paradise and Snow White!

dawndie

October 25, 2007

Denise's Cool Blog

meltdown

I think I am having a bit of a meltdown Honestly. I am so sorry to all the people that I normally talk to all the time, because I just haven't had it in me to reply to anything (let alone even read the things waiting for me to reply to). I hope you all can understand. I just don't know what to do. More specifically, i don't know what I should be doING. You know, with my LIFE.

eviltemptressdq

October 22, 2007

Diplomatka

Road Rage

You say matatu, I say FUCK YOU GET OUT OF MY WAY! I never thought I would put this into words: Afghans are not the worst drivers in the world. That honor belongs to Ethiopians. While in Kabul drivers had to contend with crowded streets, one traffic light and men on bicycles and drove like fucking lunatics, Ethiopians have paved roads, traffic lights and traffic police and are still unable to get their heads out of their asses to drive down the road without 1) venturing into my lane or 2) pulling out in front of me without looking. Plus they are slow. Now I have stated before that Ethiopians are officially the slowest people on earth, but, overall, this does not concern me at the bread store, at the restaurant, or at the gym; but it bothers the hell out of me on the road. Added to the ignorant people in regular cars are the minibuses (matatus? Marshrutki?) of which there must be at least 500,000 in Addis alone. These little beat up junk buckets are blue and white, ill-maintained focal points for my scorn. They pick up people every ten feet, not pulling off the road to do so, and pull out into traffic without any forewarning. Plus, most do not have break lights. Just today, one pulled in front of me while I was hauling ass down Djibouti Street (that’s Mazoria 22 for all y’all old school folk), so I laid on the horn for at least 20 seconds, after which, someone in a passing car yelled, “slow down!” to which I replied, “your mother!” Sadly, people are always telling white-girl-in-red-car to slow down. Often, when I am in first gear. Lord, people. But let us not forget the Ethiopian PEDESTRIANS. I think the years of famine have stunted the cerebral growth of these people. They walk in the street, they stand in the street, they run out in front of my car while it’s in the street, they see how close they can get (someone actually told me these pedestrians try to get as close as possible to speeding cars for “luck”!). Sometimes, I am ashamed to admit, I will speed up when I see these people. While attempting to run down pedestrians is simply fun for me and my mom in the parking lot of our local Tennessee Wal-Mart, such actions are cathartic rush for white-girl-in-red-car in Addis Ababa. And don’t even get me started on the donkey herds roaming the public roads. Alas, I think I am becoming notorious. There are only so many times white-girl-in-red-car can ram vehicles who pull out in front of her on purpose on Djibouti street without attracting some vigilante justice. I think I need to switch cars.

Confection

October 19, 2007

kiio's Blog

Wishlists

Okay, so either you're looking to swap with me, you're my switch, you're my parents (hi mom, hi dad!), or you've won the lottery and want to fulfill all my needs and desire, this is the list for you. Please note, some of this stuff is way out of all but the lotto winner's price range and is only here to show you what I think is awesome (or so I don't forget where they are). No going broke. Most important for bpalers: My dream scent would be called Jarnsaxa and be white musk, white sandalwood, a bit of iron, honey, and dandelion. Sadly, I have never found anything that even remotely smells right. But some day I shall TRIUMPH and either spend my Noble prize money having Beth or Fabienne or the Arcana crew make it for me. Also, I love partial 5 mls, even ones with just one imp in them!! I do also lust after actual BPAL and other perfume scents... I REALLY WANT: MECHANICAL PHOENIX BPTP- GULA BATH OIL Green Phoenix Tamamo No Mae Monsterbait: Bigger Critters Dios de los Muertus 07 Fairy Wine Diwali Eggnog an empty or partial 5ml bottle of the Sea of Tranquility BPTP things that are cool: Frenum Bath Oil Ugh Massage Oil Aeris Massage Oil Alchemist Local crew neck t-shirt size XL Black Moon crew neck t-shirt style XL Skelator librarian Magnet The retail only scents I lust after: Wezwanie/Hold pending Haloes pending Judith and Holofernes Mad Kate Parsifal Rozpustnika 5mls/Decants/Imps that I would love and cherish: White Phoenix Schrodinger's Cat Hi'iaka Pumpkin III 07 Archangel Winter El Dia De Reyes The Fruit of Paradise November Scorpio Vampire Tears Lady Una Ivanushka Sagittarius Pollution Coyote (partial 5ml) GC Imps Mania Death of the Grave Digger Azathoth Brown Jenkins Dragon's Bone The Dodo Salon decants: Judith Victorius Lantern Ghost Hard to Find imps F54 Lughnasadh Spooky Possets All of the Girl's Love... from the Midsummer Update Arcana Alhambra Each to Each Shambala Skindazzles: Bath Bombs: Any and All!! Bath Meringue:something foodie Misfit Tarts Fantasy Bath Bombs: Sundust in Wake Up Sleepyhead Any bath bombs, especially- Merry Cherry Cheesecake Blackberry Brew Boom Boom Currantly Unavailable Irish Meadow It's my Birthday Key Lime Pie Lemon Drop Wylde Child Cobalt Blends: Beatitudes Coldwater Fire Keeper Pishtashi-Oh Sugared Moon Gunslinger Villainess: Pyromania smooch Canaan Bombs Lush: Ma Bar Bathos Marathon In the Nude Dreamtime Elixir Propaganda: Any of the new Constellations in lotion Atmospherium Sadako's snow Any of the new stuff Oyin: Poo Bar Honey Wash Honey Hemp Conditioner Greg Juice MythosMixtures: Saturnus Encantados Sugar Lips: Mango Sugar Scrub Arcana: Frozen Heart The Ulda Winter Mirth Fezziwig Fezziwig Sugar Scrub Conjure: Bhai Dooj Ded Moroz Saint Lucia The Light Maiden Shining Flame Heaven Shine Loki Epona Thor Ilse of Eden-type scrubs: Anything foodie. Muppetk's Bath Beads of Doom As for non bath and body type stuff, well I love that sort of thing too. I love handmade things, and local stuff. I'm a foodie (local maple or fruit syrup, maple candy, maple butter, honey, hot cocoa, odd candy, chewy sugared ginger, are all excellent, I also love sushi, indian food and the farmer's market I cannot have corn syrup. I like weird shaped cookie cutters (growing up, Christmas cookies meant Dinosaurs, the Star of David, and trains... my mom having the coolest collection of cookie cutters ever. While I don't do Christmas, I still love cutout cookies, and make them for both Yule and Midsummer). Pagan-y theme cookie cutter would also be awesome. I'm also into making my food look cute, though the complicate science of bento making Cool bento boxes: Porcupine box Orange Pokadots Bento Yum Sets Sauce Containers of cuteness: Sugarcharms Bento OBento has the coolest bento accessories. These are the coolest tarot cards ever: Elemental Hexagons I love Steampunk: Clockwork Wings And I'm also into emergency preparedness and green living. Awesome T-shirts: Obey Gravity , Just Shy and Historical Pre-enactment Society Beads: I love SRA lampwork beads. I haunt justbeads all the time and love the stuff juiceglass makes. I also like swavorskis, czech glass, gemstone/semi precious stones, etc. If you're getting rid of your stash, email me, I LOVE beads! Earth Shift Jewelry:I mostly wear bracelets, but can be talked into necklaces, but not earrings. I love things made by hand that are unique and interesting. I like blues, greens, reds and oranges! I really need to build up my bracelet and necklace/pendant collection, so make a suggestion. I also really want to learn more about metalcrafting and metal formed jewelry. I'm hoping to find a class to take locally. Red Coffin w/ Bat Darwin Molecular Creativity Prince White Waves Random Other Things: Tsunami Kanzashi Koi Magnets Scuba Lion As for Books, I love books, fiction, non-fiction, whatever! (I've read a huge amount of scifi (Elizabeth Bear, Terry Pratchet, etc), but will always read more!). I've also started reading more in depth on sustainable living and paganism, and am very interested where those things intersect. SCA: I'm a flexible viking, and thus anything viking-y will interest me, especially broaches or viking-y beads. Even earspoons, scissors, or other female viking accessories would be great. Feast gear, also a plus. For Mom (and the lotto winners): I'm also in the market for new armor, garb and a period viking style A-frame tent. Historical finish stainless steel 5 splint archer's arms -inside stainless splints -stainless rivets -strapped -midweight option http://spiers-saddlery.stores.yahoo.net/st5spargoar.html Historical finish stainless steel archer's fanless splinted leather legs -inside stainless splints -stainless rivets -strapped -midweight option http://spiers-saddlery.stores.yahoo.net/starfasplele.html Gothic Gauntlets with finger bucklers http://members.aol.com/knightsarmoury/knightsarmoury.htm Lamellar shirt kit in brown http://www.skaldic.com/Pages/torvaldrbodyarmor.htm SGS74 Viking woman's Knife, Medium http://www.jelldragon.com/knives.htm

kiio

October 18, 2007

Do you have a flag?

Worry about my nose.

Sometimes I worry about my nose. My sense of smell, I mean. Particularly about perfume. The problem is that over the past year and a half or so I've tried so much BPAL that I can discern notes. I guess that's a good thing, but it's also kind of a bad thing. Like, grapefruit. I used to dislike it, but I've grown to like it. I remember when I first started trying BPAL oils, when I smelled grapefruit I'd think, "Ugh. Who wants to smell like breakfast. Bleah. Next!" And now I've tried so many grapefruit ones that I appreciate that sparkle it can give to a scent. There's really nothing like it. Manhattan is one of my favorite scents. But, when I wear it, do people who aren't used to grapefruit scents think, "Ugh! Why does she want to smell like breakfast? Bleah." There have been many times that I get an imp and look up my old notes where it says that I thought it smelled like bathroom cleaner or lemon pledge or something else undesirable. And then I smell it again a year later with my trained nose and think something like, "Say, that's quite a nice tea and lemon scent, I wonder why I thought it smelled like lemon pledge before?" And then I start wearing it. Maybe it really still smells like lemon pledge to most people but I just can't tell anymore? I don't want to walk around feeling like I smell like a playful berry with a hint of some herb but in actuality I just smell like bathroom air freshener. I can smell nuances, but can other people? I honestly don't know. When I started collecting BPAL I couldn't tell. It smelled good, bad, strong, cheerful, spicy, odd, musty, citrusy, etc. There was no "gosh, I really love the grapefruit peeking out from under the violet, and the white sandalwood underneath it is a subtle but warm touch." It would have been "This smells funky. Pass." I hope I'm not walking around smelling weird but thinking I smell fantastic.

filigree_shadow

October 18, 2007

little black book.

imp collection

Bewitching Brews: 6 Antique Lace / Lurid / Masquerade / Mata Hari / Tushnamatay / Red Devil Sin and Salvation: 3 The Bow and Crown of Conquest / Black Dahlia / Jailbait Love Potions: 4 Brisingamen / The Lady of Shallot / Nefertiti / Siren Diabolus: 2 Maenad / Kuang Shi Mad Tea Party: 3 Alice / Eat Me / The King of Hearts Illyria: 1 Antony Wanderlust: 9 Manhattan (x2) / Crossroads / Cairo / Paris / Whitechapel / Cairo / Yerevan / Tintagel / Eden Ars Draconis: 1 Dragon's Hide Rappaccini's Garden: 1 Belladonna A Picnic in Arkham: 2 Shoggoth / Y'Ha-Nthlei Excolo: 9 Eos / Nyx / Penthus / Xiuhtecuhtli / Alecto / Vechernyaya / Liber Resh Vel Helios: Ra / Liber Resh Val Helios: Tum / Iambe Limited Edition: 15 Midnight Kiss / Angeronalia / Archangel Winter / Diwali / El Dia de Reyes / Gingerbread Poppet 2007 / Jólasveinar 2007 / La Befana / Lick It One More Time / Midwinter's Eve 2007 / Peacock Queen 2007 / Rose Red 2007 / The Snow Storm / Snow White 2007 / Dia de los Muertos 2007 TOTAL: 56

fragileasair

October 17, 2007

Family problems 8th or - what's going on?

On Sunday I we have been to a new chineses restaurant and Ollis parents, his grandma and the boy from his sister have been there, too. It was really nice but ... something was diefferent. Apart from his mom telling me 300 times that it was so nice that we came too and that she did not expected us to come she told the boy several times to behave. Sometimes she even said stuff that I would never have told him (like not going to often to the buffet table to get some food) and some things I would have said too (like trying to sit at the table and not to run trough the restaurant or to scream). I really had the feeling "What is going on? Is she doing it for me? Or what? After the restaurant we went for a walk and after that we made a quick visit at Ollis parents house. And what was on the floor for the boy and his toy cars?? Yes! A carpet! So what happened to the "don't be concerned about your wooden floor, if children play it is okay if it suffers some damage?" Could it be that they thought about what I told them and came to the conclusion that a carpet is a good place to play on?

October 16, 2007

Between

Well, I am somewhere between great and really bad. Why? Okay, lets start with bad (so that the good stuff is the stuff that I keep in mind in the end): - my imac at work crashed - I had to send it away so that they look up whats wrong with it and it will take approx. 3 weeks till I have it back - or was it till they know what is going on? - I have to work with a mini mac which is sooooo lame, 512MB RAM - it has only 10.3 installed (so I can't connect my ipod nano to it) - I have to do a lot today and I only want to sleep - I want to go home - all my data are gone because I was not able to make any backup-DVDs because of a DVD-problem - my BPAL-list is gone, too - my BPAL-order is not at home yet - my ipod case is not there yet - I am hungry Lets start with some of the nice things: - I love gym - my mom and Olli are telling me that I look already better, healthier, not that white any more - we bought an ipod - and I love it - I copied some Yö CDs on it and realized how much I love them - I ordered the newest Yö-CD and I hope it arrives this week - the sun is shining - we had a wonderful weekend - this weekend is the game trade show and I am allowed to spend quite some money (oh, but I forgot, the newest version of my wishlist was on my imac, too) - I think about buying a Yö-T-Shirt - I will get some French Fries today Okay, I guess that's it. It's really an up and down.

October 15, 2007

Lily!

Over the weekend I tested a number of scents including Kostnice and Sepulcher. Both of them turned horribly soapy on me. I guess lily is the note that they have in common, that caused so much trouble. They both developed a soapiness that got stronger and stronger until it was unbearable, and I had to wash them off. Not only that......both scents seemed to 'ruin' my nose for a good hour or two after I had washed them off. In other words, I tried putting on other scents that I really like, just to 'chase away' the horrid soapiness/memory of it, and nothing smelled right to me. It was kind of like trying to drink orange juice after brushing your teeth......everything smelled off in the aftermath of the soapy lilies! I don't think all lily notes have this effect. I swear I've tried other scents with lily that didn't cause such a violent reaction. But from now on I'll be eyeing that note warily. Already I'm afeared for 2 of the Yule scents (Noche Buena, and the one with candy-charcoal). Now, the candy charcoal one, I was already not real hopeful about because of the violets and lily. But I really want to like Noche Buena. We shall see!! I've already ordered decants of both.

October 15, 2007

Abstract Associations

Beaver Moon 2007

BEAVER MOON Traditionally, Beaver Moon is named thus for a very obvious reason: during this time of year, beavers are hard at work building their dams and preparing for the onset of winter. However, we at BPAL rarely let an opportunity for sleazy campiness pass us by! For your pleasure and amusement, we present this year's incarnation of Beaver Moon: wild cherry with vanilla cream accord, and a hint of strawberry. Reviewed 10/14/2007 Oh yum. This is absolutely delectable. Wet I get a strong cherry note, almost exclusively. As it begins to dry there's a distinct cake-y smell, like vanilla cake batter before it's baked, that pushes the cherry into the background. Just as it's about to get overwhelming, the strawberry comes up and it all blends together amazingly. The throw is very very subtle, and as AEris mentioned is only really detectable for about half an hour unless I go nose-to-wrist and sniff for it. It does last for a long time, but even if I slather it on it stays very light. Usually I like a more distinct throw, so I'll be hunting for a locket or something to make this stand out a bit more. Even with the subtle throw, I am so in love with this oil! I'm glad I bought three bottles of this, it's definitely one I'm going to hoard.

Rovylern

October 14, 2007

Whiskers and Whispers

Update Rave, Postal Delays Rant

I am bowled over by this update! The scents this Yule are amazing. Instead of last year's predominantly icy/snowy theme, this one contains scents of all different kinds. There are icy/snowy ones, but there are also foody, floral, resinous/incensy, woodsy, spicy, old and new, drawing from traditions the world over, including Jewish, Greek, Icelandic, Indian, Mexican, Italian...there are scents based on poetry, history, mythology, or just plain tongue in cheek humour (lick me baby one more time! I can't wait to see what the label for that one looks like!) and that's what I love so much about this update. I am getting loads of decants, and I've bought a few bottles too. I'm glad that the LEs in this update are all long term, so I didn't feel pressured to order. I think the Lunacy order will be a big 'un. My mum will be enabled with Sag (depending on notes), and I can't wait for new Gaiman scents! Now. The rant. I FUCKING HATE POSTAL STRIKES. Ok, they may be over, but so many of my packages have been held back in the backlog chaos that ensued from about five days of strike. And I get the feeling there are still strikes going on. The packages that made it through so far are: BPAL, Nocturne Alchemy, Heaven and Earth, the Atrocious Attic decant from Tramp, and my Mythos Mixtures Halloween decants from Evil Enablers. But there's a whole lot of stuff that hasn't arrived, I'm still waiting for packages from: -Mythos Mixtures -Silk Road Soaps -Magical Omaha -Blooddrop -Cobalt Blends -Heaven and Earth (I made two orders, this second one may not be sent yet, so it's early days) -Love Potion -Possets -Callisto -Aeaea decant received! -October and PPIII from Aevalin -Chilling Cellar and Forbidding Foyer from Nursekins -PPV from LJ -Perilous Parlour -Bonfire Night recieved! -All souls 07 from LJ -Death of Autumn -Massage oil decants -Decanting vials -Queen's Salon decant -Pumpkin Cheesecake and Spiked Punch decants (it's still early days for these) I may be missing some things. I'm also expecting tickets for the Tut exhibition but I have no idea when those will be sent. I'm just listing my pending orders and swaps to keep track of what has gone MIA and fear will be lost in a strike-induced black hole never to be seen again. Some are replaceable, but others (like the Caffeinated Death in the MO package) are not. I am not blaming the companies or swappers/sellers for the losses at all so don't worry. I am blaming all this crap on the shoddy postal service and the postal workers who decided to go all on us these last couple of weeks.

yeahbutnobut

October 13, 2007

RogueFeenix's Blog

whine about me health

I have a lot on my mind. School should be my main focus but it isn't, my health is. Some days I feel fine, others I feel like my body is falling apart. I have always had joint pain, but when I was heavy it got to the point that I was in pain every night. Losing weight helped a lot but it is still there. I also had bad headaches. I thought I had found the trigger. Gluten, more to the point Celiac Disease, I can't eat wheat, and a huge host of other things. I did not get a blood test to confirm it, no cameras down my throat to see how damaged my intestines are. Although sometimes I would like the solid confirmation. I just stopped eatting it and it helped alot. I noticed that I didn't get sick from eating dairy anymore like I would before. I didn't have weird stomach aches in the middle of the night, no massive gas, and the joint pain went WAY down. Lately thought the joint pain has come back like before. Either I have been eating something with gluten in it, ( which I can tell you I haven't) or I have a secondary problem. Either way it sucks. I don't want to feel like an old lady when I'm only 26. I went on Antidepressants awhile ago, I had my meds switched because of a number of reasons the biggest one being I was having some bad bruising. I had up to 13 at one point, about half black and blue. All of them went away when I switched meds. I'm on zoloft now, and had noticed I had about 4 tiny but dark bruises. I didn't really think anything of it. Till today I noticed a huge dark one on my thigh and 3 on my arm. That's 8 in less than a week. It worries me, plus I have noticed that it takes me forever to stop bleeding if I cut myself. I do NOT want to have to switch meds again. I can't, it was bad enough the first time. The 2 or so weeks to took for my body to adjust (coming off the old stuff to the new) I reverted to the sobbing, angry, depressed OCD mess I was before I got help. I looked up the side effects of Zoloft on 4 different sites and none of them list major bruising or thin blood as one. I don't know if this is something else, a rare side effect of the meds (like before) or somehow linked to the celiac. I just want to feel healthy, not like crap. I want to not have pounding headaches, major bruising and pain. I know I'm luckier than a lot of people, mine isn't day in and day out. I just wish I felt better. Most of the time I'm ok with everything, I can deal but today and the past few days I just have had enough.

RogueFeenix

October 9, 2007

10ml madness

I posted an ISO for 10ml bottles, and already I've got 3 coming to me! Well, 2 partials and one empty, but that's okay.....I can decant into the empty one (Morocco), if I get some imps or even a bottle (if I like it a lot, which I can barely remember what it smells like.......but I remember I liked it). The other 2 are Bloodlust which I've never tried, but looks promising, and Urd, which I do like, and have never really had an imp of my own....now I'll have plenty. So, that was more of a response than I was expecting! : )

October 9, 2007

Whiskers and Whispers

Aging beauties.

I'm slowly sorting out my collection of BPALs and seeing what imps/bottles I still like and which ones to sell. And I've discovered that some of these are aging gorgeously. I tend to notice the difference when I haven't worn a certain scent for a while, though I'm sure scents I wear regularly are also maturing gracefully as well. There are some scents which don't change much and still smell the same as before-which, if it's a scent I love, is a very good thing. Here's my list of scents that are even lovelier now: Et Lux Fuit (aged about 1 year and a bit)-the oddly soapy scent it had when fresh is fading, the amber is getting stronger, and the honey! Now this reminds me a little bit of Al Araaf and Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree. Alone (aged about 2 years)-OMG! At first I was worried this would be a bit too sweet but then the patchouli, richly matured, shines and mingles with cardamom, labdanum and sandalwood in the most amazing way. The floral notes in here are also prettier. Berenice (aged about a year and a bit)-it's lost it's 'designer perfume' scent and turned into a feminine Mr Ibis. Svadhinaopatika (since February)-OMG!! The amber in here has become wonderfully rich and golden and magnificent. This now smells like a honeyed version of the Lion. O ain't got nothing on this unspellable stunner! Hope (since February)-the sugar/vanilla musk really becomes richer and more beautiful, softening the rose. Meskhenet (since February)-the frankincense has become stunning, and that odd 'gardenia' note it had when fresh has faded considerably. Now it smells like Nefertiti. This oil is now thicker and there is residue at the bottom-a scent to roll. 13, the original (since June 05)-ohh! The chocolate has become richer, the sharp tea note is mellower, the iris pops out more and there's something almost honeyed to it. Haloa (since December 06)-oh wow! Now this smells like mulled wine and incense with sweet cakes! So festive! It's lost the odd 'sherbet' scent it had when fresh. Lotus Moon (since summer 06)-the amber has become richer and the scent has more oomph now. Black Pearl (about a year old)-the musk and iris have become much richer. Dee (two year old imp)-DAYUM this ages magnificently. I can't wait to see how my bottle gets. Hymn to Proserpine (about a year old imp)-I swear this gains Snake Charmer nuances when this ages. I get plum and cherry as well as the pomegranate/currant and amber now. Have a bottle, hopefully it will age like this. My new bottle of HtP smells spicier/sandalwoodier than my imp. Penny Dreadful (at least two years)-when I last tried it, my imp was a year old. The notes get richer and more floral and it smells stunning, though not as earthy-foody as when fresh. There's a vetiver note which really shows up with age. Anubis (two and a half years)-the sharpness this had when fresh is much calmer and the resins are much richer, more honeyed. Bastet (almost three years)-like a cat, this one's personality changes, each time I wear it. (but it always smells good!) But the myrrh note gets much stronger over time. Zorya (at least two years)-richer, stronger, more beautiful and well mixed floral. One of the few 'plain jasmine' scents that doesn't turn stinky on me. Nefertiti (at least two years, maybe more)-the woodsy incense notes become richer and smoother, loses it's greenness. Aged Nefertiti is amazing. Queen of Sheba (about 1-2 years)-I swear there's Egyptian amber in here. I get a lot of something that smells like it under the spiced honey and almonds now. Black Lily (1 year)-loses that odd metallic coldness and becomes pretty much all lily gorgeousness. Magdalene (2 years)-the rose and orchid just mature so beautifully. Snake Oil and Charmer-what can I say that hasn't already been said? The Lion (about 2 years)-the amber just gets more intense and lovely with time. Great Cry in Egypt (since summer 06)-the red musk is really intensifying in the best way, and so are the resins. Regan (2 years)-I swear there's honey in here. It's been a year or so and it smells really, really honeyed now, like floral O. Not complaining-I love this honeyed orchid scent! Bengal (1.5 or 2 years)-OMG this becomes like a more intense and spicier version of the Lion when aged. I'm sure there's amber lurking in here. Queen Mab (2+ years)-gets more intense and rich and full bloomed with time. Haunted Palace (since late 05)-who says citrus notes degrade over time? The orange in here has become creamier and softer, if anything. Beautiful amber-rose-orange-musk.

yeahbutnobut

October 8, 2007

alicia_stardust's blog

A Career Ghost

I walked into an art store yesterday and was surprised to find that there are still package designs of mine on the shelves: a number of drawing and sketch pad covers, some watercolor tablets, boxes for pastels and oil pastels, and packaging for canvases. I'm sure there was more but I didn't explore the whole store in search of my work. It's hard to quantify my response to seeing my work in a random art store two years later in a different city and state than where I worked on all of it. In some ways it is bittersweet to see it. Even though that company was really bad for me in terms of stress and psychology, I was doing big things. I had an inventory of 50,000 items where it was only a matter of time before I would have had them all at my desk for a package redesign. They were distributing those items to thousands of art stores in the US. They are all nationally recognizable art brands like Canson, Pentalic, Connoisseur, Strathmore, Rembrandt, you name it. Yet when I see my work in art stores I sometimes wonder at my uneasy, dark response to it. I see the "what-if" part of everything. It was good, but it was also bad. That company was part of my downfall when it came to my health problems and stress levels. Tom had very real anger management issues. They had management and deadline problems and supervisors that would lie about what they had told you if it meant saving their ass from Tom's anger. It also bothered me the way they nosed around my health problems when I was too sick to walk on my own let alone work their insane deadlines. I am such a different person than I was back then. I was on this huge career path and it was all I truly wanted. I have different priorities now and a different sort of wisdom about what is truly important in life. Believing you may die really knocks some perspective into a person. Right now all I know is that I want to maintain my health, I love to do art, and I'm still interested in design though not on a level where I'm willing to whore myself out just to get picked to create a logo design for someone who's rude because they don't want to pay for your skills yet can't do it themselves. Right now I find myself at a crossroads where I must figure out what I want to do with my abilities and what opportunities to search for or create. It's not the career I had, and yet I don't know what it is that I do want. I feel like it's just out of my line of sight right now. I guess... I guess seeing that stuff in the art store is sort of like seeing a ghost. I can look back and see an entirely different path and life and it would have led me to such a different place than I am right now. For the most part, I do not want anything to do with where that other path would have led me. But sometimes it's hard to still the voice in my head that wonders if I have lost the one big career opportunity of my lifetime. Is my potential lost? Will I find a new path? Will it be something I love? Do I already have that now?

alicia_stardust

October 8, 2007

testing at the laundromat

More scent blogging because I'm boooored...... The one good thing about doing laundry is, it's a good place to test scents. It's good because it takes a couple hours, my mind kind of wanders, and with the movement of my hands there is plenty of wafting so I get a good idea of 'throw'. So as my mind is wandering, I might forget what scent I put on, until it wafts up at me again. And the whole process has a little bit of zen that I enjoy. Other than that......I hate doing laundry. : )

October 8, 2007

Gym - we did it!

So, we did it. We went there, we made a contract for 2 years and we had our first training. And I loved it! For the first time in quite a long time I felt healthy and great and I was in a wonderful mood - well, I am still It was great, I would like to go right there again. NOW! Well, but now I am stitting in our living room - alone - Olli went to meet with a friend to fly their model planes, I'm not really happy with being alone, but it's not that bad. I just watched the last 2 episodes of Friends - I'm addicted to them and now I'm again trough all the seasons. Since we don't receive any TV-channels we often watch DVDs - will have to search for something to watch again to relax after work and so on. Or I simply start over again. Hmmmm. Will have to think about that.