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Notes to myself and anyone else

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The continuing saga

I talked to my landlady and she might let me out of my lease even though I'm technically already into my next year. Not only that but I might have to be out by the end of October.....which is faster than I was planning on. I need to get all this resolved soon, because it's making my anxiety worse than ever. I need to know where I'm going to live! She's going to look over the lease and call me back (I guess tomorrow....I thought she would call me back tonight but she never did).
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Divine L'homme Sage

Notes: saffron, mandarin, cardamom, lychee, aromatic woods, immortelle (or everlasting flower), patchouli, oak moss, amber, incense   This smells good, but it's kind of a hyper-dude-fume to me. I admit that it softens somewhat after it's been on the skin for a little while. I love this kind of scent, but this particular one is just not for me. It smells good but it's way too butch for my liking. It's warm and woodsy, a little spicy, just a little powdery amber, and something almost like leather which might be saffron playing tricks on my nose.   Frank Los Angeles 2 is my go-to scent for woods and spices, and luckily I have a full bottle of that, so I don't need more of this.   Edit: This does sweeten up considerably after a few hours, and I think what I'm smelling now is mostly the immortelle and incense. It's much nicer now but takes a long time to get there.
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this is where I bitch

I've been meaning to complain about this for a while but was never sure where to do it. Let me just get it out of my system so I can move on.   I get so irritated when I see someone post: "Oh, just buy the bottle! Even if you don't like it, you can always swap it later!" Um, I disagree that it's totally easy to just swap stuff away.   I have had lots of good swaps, and even successful sales, so don't get me wrong. Also....I do not bump my swaps/sales posts a whole lot, not even once a week. Usually I'll give it a bump just to keep it from being sent to the post cemetery. So it could possibly be said that I don't try hard enough.   BUT.......   I couldn't even swap away rares like Vanilla Bean SN, Corazon, Ice Queen, Snow Angel......things I wanted to swap for stuff on my wish-list, which IMO is a pretty long one and not too narrow. And I don't think I was being too picky about what I would swap for. A single note for a single note......well, that's what most everyone else does, isn't it? A whole bottle of Samhain sat on my swaps/sales pages for weeks, until I finally decided I would rather just keep it. In fact, I took pretty much everything off my posts and even retired my swaps post.   Actually I'm not completely bitter. Part of it is indecision on my part. I hate to get rid of something unless I'm absolutely sure it's not going to work for me (Pruno, Selkie, ahem....). I'm glad I didn't get rid of Samhainophobia because it turns out I really do like it. Also....I don't regret my purchases. I have found a new hobby and I feel more enriched because of it. : )
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Stressing about money

I hate this, but I don't see any way around it. I'm absolutely stressed out about money. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the next month or two, and there is lots of stuff going on that I want to take part in. My friends are going to a big drag show in Dayton, which is about a 45 minute drive. They want to get hotel rooms so we can all drink. I don't even know if I can afford to drink at a bar, much less do that and get a hotel room.   Then our gay pride weekend is the following weekend, and I'll be going out again, and spending money again. I guess I just need to sit down and write it all down, and figure out a budget because my funds are definitely limited. : (
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more breaking down

Phantom Time Hypothesis....."A traditional Medieval perfume that never existed: balm, benzoin, damask rose, gumdragon, lignum aloes, orange water, ambergris, and vegetal musk". Hmm, sounds interesting, except for the rose! I can probably pass on this one, honestly. I'm kind of intrigued by vegetal musk, though.   Reptoid Dominion....."Malevolent superintelligent para-dimensional shapeshifting reptoid musk". I don't like all musks, but I'd love to try this one! It could be really great.   Skytyping With Chemtrails....."Incapacitating poofiness: spun sugar, white amber, white musk, citron, and lemongrass masking a sinister, almost chemical undernote of elemi, zdravetz, and ravintsara". Well, not so interested in this one....reminds me of a few other scents that I've already tried. I could end up liking it but I'm still trying to track down that bottle of Metal Phoenix. I may try this some day, though.   Staged Moon Landing....."Prop moon rocks: muguet, orris, white sandalwood, galbanum, cistus, and dusty vanilla". I am generally not fond of papery, dusty scents, with a few notable exceptions, so this one isn't really tripping my radar. White sandalwood can be papery on me, it's probably my least favorite kind of sandalwood.   Teatime In Roswell....."Aliens at high tea: Earl Grey, biscuits, Battenberg cake, and strangely-glowing cucumber sandwiches". I'm curious....or is that just the hype getting to me? : ) I would like to try this, though. I'm not totally against the occasional cakey scent.   Traipsing Through The Crop Circles....."Miles and miles of flattened wheat, barley, and maize". Not sure about this one. Just from the description, I can't really imagine what it would smell like. I didn't really fall for Bezoar or Hay Moon, and corn doesn't sound all that appealing, but again, this could be another one that surprises me and ends up smelling great. I just can't tell sometimes.
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Duh....

I just realized I have 2 entries about custom scents that start out almost exactly the same! I totally forgot I had already written about that. *smacks forehead*
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video games

So here I am, blogging about video games on a perfume discussion forum. Ten years ago I would have had no idea what that even meant. But I already have the last post in the video game discussion thread, and I don't want to double post.   I'm still playing Dragon Quest VIII, but I got Final Fantasy IX this past weekend, and I may be switching over to that for a while.   In DQVIII, I got all the way up to the big God Bird, but haven't been able to beat it. So I'm back-tracking, trying to alchemize better weapons, level up, and also buy better equipment. I will beat that damn bird!   Switching over to FFIX was a little jarring. The graphics are so different, and the battle system is a little different since it's Active. I like being able to sit and think about my next move, and you can't really do that here. But I'm determined to find another RPG that I love, so on I go.   The great news is, after my class tomorrow, I'll have no real obligations for the rest of the day, and all the next day. So I can play to my heart's content. : )
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Pending....

Well I'll be damned......how did I end up with all this stuff pending??   Decants.....   Carlin, Feeding The Dead, Hell-Gate Of Ireland, Lambs-Wool, Trick Or Treat, and Devil's Night   Countess Dolingen Of Gratz, Sarah, and Julia Stone   A Fit Of Artistic Enthusiasm, and Hideous Heart   Trevor Bruttenhelm, and Abe Sapien   (a total of lucky 13!)   Lab order.......   Falling Leaf Moon, Kroenen, and 2 bottles for Moonarcana.   Woo Hoo! This always happens at the beginning of fall.
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Bite Me

I was really curious about this scent! So glad that Sally let me try hers. As it turns out, it's just not for me. At all.   I see where people are getting rose from this, I smell it too. Actually this has more rose than some rose scents that I've tried. I think I wanted more sweetness or caramel/cake out of it. It's kind of strong and cloying, and almost plasticky for the first half hour to an hour. However after that, it does reach a middle stage where it smells kind of good to me. It takes on almost a hint of chocolate, and has a nice, complex cake-y smell.   Much later on.....stale dusty roses. : ( Or maybe : ) because that means I one less scent for me to hunt down.
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Just to keep track...

Here's what I've ordered from the Yule update, so far.   Decants: Großvater Tanz, The Nutcracker, A World Of Fools, The School, Mr. Fezziwig's Ball, The Second Of The Three Spirits, Bob Cratchit's Hearth, Ignorance And Want, The Last Of The Spirits, Whoop   Autumn & Winter, Haloa, Woods In Winter, Herr Drosselmeyer, Rat King, Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas Eve In The Counting House, Marley's Ghost, Incessant Torture Of Remorse, Chained Phantoms, Christmas Eve On The Moor, Altar To Cold Rigid Dreadful Death   Bottles: The Waltz Of The Snowflakes (along with The Infernal Lover)
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Rice Field

I wore Lovers In A Rice Field again today, and I like it more and more. The plum blossom was much more apparent, and overall it smells like some kind of fabulous plum/cream dessert, but still not totally foody. It's rather on the femme side for a bearded guy like me but that doesn't hasn't stopped me from wearing it, and in some situations it would be just great. Possible bottle? Or maybe just another decant would suffice. Still have to test my other decants which are still pending, and there may be another favorite among those.
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Labores Solis

This is the scent that I can never spell. : /   It has given me different impressions the three times that I wore it. Mostly it is herbal, resins, and somehow slightly woody. I can pick out chamomile, frankincense, and amber. I have never learned to identify saffron (I'm not sure what it tastes like either), but I think it adds a slight medicinial, bitter feel from what I've heard. Not unpleasant at all. At first I didn't think this scent was powdery, but I put some on tonight and applied very lightly (not sure if that made the difference), and it definitely is powdery this time, kind of the same way that Minotaur is powdery.   Anyway, this reminds me of several other bpal scents, like Sol, Sagittarius, and Carceri D'Invenzione as portalkat mentioned. I swear there's a little bit of wood in here. So, do I like it? Yes! I didn't care for Sol all that much, but this seems to be more like what I wanted from that scent. It's unique. I can wear this to work, because it's not all dark and sexy, even with the element of darkness.
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Current Events

Well, here's what I think....   I first came to bpal.org to read reviews and shipping updates. What I have found has been much, much more. I've made friends here from my own city as well as around the world, as well as finding a 'hobby' if that's what you want to call our collections. The people here and the oils we collect have enriched my life and opened my mind, and I've been through several big life-changes since coming around here. I can always find advice or just a shoulder to cry on when I'm here, and I know it goes even deeper for others in this community....some have mentioned that their sanity and their lives have been saved by their friends here, and I believe that is not an exaggeration.   I do not blame anyone who is still friends with fairnymph, or who decides to sell to her when (if) all this is resolved. Let's face it....she's going to get the perfumes that she wants. She will find a way. Her posts that I've read strike me as coming from someone who is.....maybe the ultimate control freak? Self will run riot? I don't know, this probably isn't the place for it. My point is that she will find ways to get the oils that she wants and nobody here should lose sleep if she finds ways around the things we do to block her. She kind of reminds me of a little kid who wants all the toys for herself and then finds herself all alone with her toys because nobody wants to play with her any more. In a way that's sad because she's brought her own punishment on herself, worse than anything we can do by blocking her from buying stuff. She's cut herself off from a lot of potential friends and rich opportunities, and she did it to herself. I bet there are people around here who still would forgive her, and give her a chance, and be friends with her, and I don't find anything wrong with that at all.   *sigh*......I don't even know where I was going with this or what my point is.....I think I'll just leave it at that.
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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.
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Oh, and also.....

Continuing my previous posts.....how could I overlook the Snake Pit? I bought the whole thing when it first came out, swapped out a couple of those bottles (Asp Viper, Banded Sea Snake, Green Tree Viper, Australian Copperhead....okay, more than a couple), and I still want to get rid of Saw-Scaled Viper, eventually. But with the ones that I've kept, I doubt that I will need any kind of Snake Oil-related scent again, ever.......especially since I have 2 bottles of Snake Oil itself 'cellared' (and it's hard to believe one of them will be 2 years old in November!). Oh and I swapped that imp of Anaconda for Doc Buzzard, a worthy trade in my opinion.   So unless Snake Charmer is re-released, I am good on Snakey scents for a long, long time. At the rate I wear oils, I may never use them up completely.
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sigh of relief

I got A's in both of my classes. Medical Terminology was a breeze but Excel had was much more of a challenge for me. And it stayed challenging, not just for a week or two, but for most of the quarter. But I did well, and got A's on both of my final exams. So, I'm off school for a week and just feeling like relaxing and celebrating. Not sure what I'll do specifically, but I might go to Columbus to visit my friend Kevin. I'm meeting my dad for lunch Tuesday and after that I'm free until Thursday night. Woo Hoo!   Next quarter will be strange......both of my classes are online, except one of them does meet in person for a total of three times. Other than that, it's all online. I have Medical Terminology II which, obviously, will be harder than Med Term I was. The other class is an Intro class for Health Information Management, which shouldn't be too hard, I don't think.
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Possets Halloween

Mini-breakdown.....   $10,00....."A dry masculine and memorable scent featuring a smooth yellow amber, bay, bay wood, a drop of tobacco flower, a very tiny amount of lavender". Sounds good but just doesn't grab me. I dunno, Possets are so inexpensive it might be worth a try. I do like dude-fumes, and I like bay. We'll see.   301...."a multiplicity of my favorite musks and cashmeran". Not much to go on there. Could be good, I looked up cashmeran and all I could find is that it's a synthetic musk. Moving on for now....   Black Hole...."Vetiver and black pepper, lavender and earth, a "black" patchouli, a slight slight slight bit of tarragon". Again, sounds okay but not shouting out "buy me, buy me!". I'll watch reviews and keep it on my list for consideration. The more I think about it, this could be a good one, but I do have a few scents like that already. I never even wear Void Moon or Winter Solstice, which I should because they're both really great scents.   Dank...."sweetbriar makes an appearance lending it's zest to the whole, while root oils hold the bottom half down, particularly vetiver and ginger. There is a splash of booze and a few autumn plums in the mix to give it an air of being a luxurious rest rather than drippy". This sounds good too, unless it has that galbanum-like note that Fabienne has been using lately. I don't like it and it could be one of the 'root oils' mentioned. I'll have to sniff this before risking a whole bottle.   Dark...."A thick and perfumy blend with a heavy dose of Frankincense to start off, black musk and fig. No greenery with it but a good layer of an almost burnt sugar and an animalic undercurrent which somehow becomes very light and sweet when breathed out". This sounds appealing....yet again.....could have that green rooty note that I don't like. Maybe I should just ask her what it is?   Phantome...."A very light and transparent scent with a subtle amber as a base, Sicilian lemon zest, a drop of cognac, and the tiniest amount of menthol (you really would not notice it if you were not looking)". Okay....getting more and more promising....this sounds pretty good. Sounds kind of sophisticated and ethereal. We'll see.   Specter...."Amber and fennel, put together in a thoroughly unexpected way". Now we're cooking with gas....this sounds really interesting, and it's high up on my list of what to seek out and at least sniff first.   Spirit....."A strong dark chypre with a lot of incense and resin to it. Frankincense, myrrh, copal, fir resin, and labdenum. Yet this is a certified Western European chypre. It is lovely, dry and captivating. Neither warm nor cold, like a spirit with a 10,000 mile stare". Oooooh, this sounds really great. This has the most potential for an unsniffed purchase. I could always use another good fir scent. The only thing holding me back is if this were major dude-fume, which can be a turn-off. I like butch but there's such a thing as too butch. Possible bottle?   That's all I got for now. I skipped the kitties because they will be at the Possets/OAR party at Fabienne's studio, and I'll be able to test first. I'll report back on those.
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Chaos Theory V!

I squeed my pants when I saw this:   "For this series, we decided to try a different type of chaotic experimentation. Each CT:5 scent has a base of one of the following scents, in wildly varying proportions:   Dorian O Penitence Snake Oil"   ....I totally was not expecting a new round of Chaos Theory!! All my bottle purchasing plans just went out the window in favor of CT. I love it so much, because each one is on-of-a-kind. My tentative plans for purchasing this round:   Snake Oil.....will 2 be enough? I dunno, I already bought the whole Snake Pit, how many Snake Oil variants can one person hoard?? I did trade away a few of my Snake Pit scents, though. I'll say 2 of these, for now.   Dorian......at least 2, maybe 3......not because I'm crazy about the scent, really, but I think this one has the most exciting potential to be something great with other notes added (did that make sense? I know I'm rambling now).   Penitence.....at least one, maybe 2.....Penitence itself goes just a bit powdery on me, but I like it enough that I want to try one or two variations, just for the hell of it!   O.....no thank you! I am glad there is one that I can safely skip. I never have tried it, and honey usually is not my thing.   So, screw it, I should just get 1 of each (of the first 3) now, then another one of each (maybe 2 more of Snake Oil) before they go away. Sounds like a plan! I'm already impatient!
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Wow

I am all moved in now at my new apartment. I like it a lot more than the old one! I'm still unpacking and arranging, which will probably take me a while, but I have 5 closets, which is wonderful. I'm looking forward to a couple of relaxing days just getting settled in.
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Oops

I bought the HP Lovecraft Retrospective book of art. :love!:   Very expensive, but very stunning book. It's huge.
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Shill

I don't wear food scents a whole lot, mostly just around the house as 'comfort' scents. I was curious about this one. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work out for me. It comes off kind of flat, like stale popcorn. I didn't get much of a butter note, it's more salty and a little stale. And it fades really fast....within an hour or less, it's pretty much gone unless I sniff up close to where I applied it. So there ya go, curiosity satisfied.
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Suck It

I tried this at Sally's house, but it was kind of drowned out by the 50 other scents I was wearing. I smelled the cherry and a little booze, and it might actually be a nice, subtle scent, but I would have to re-test to give a real impression. Just posting this here for my own future reference (sorry that it's a useless review). : )
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Jan 2010 Lupercalia breakdown

For my own selfish reasons, because I have to sort out which ones I want, for now I'm only including wants or might-wants.   First the Shungas......   Konseishin The Penis God......"Apple blossom, champaca, fir needle, cistus, myrrh, Peru balsam, and Tan Xiang".....I think Tan Xiang is sandalwood, and I don't see much about this scent that I don't like!   Okayaki....."Olive blossom, cardamom pod, amber, morning star lily, bergamot, and a well-aimed snowball".....will be watching reviews.   Penis Admiration....."Lilac, ho wood, smoky vanilla, galbanum, and tonka".....not sure about a couple notes here, lilac and galbanum, but I'll be watching reviews with interest.   Prosperity Of A Country....."Frankincense, orris root, asuhi, leather, and ginger-infused cream accord"......I think asuhi is hiba wood. I'm really interested in this scent. Could be my "take-a-chance" scent.   Ronin......"White sandalwood, rice flower, honey, black pepper, and oakmoss".....sometimes don't like white sandalwood, or black pepper, and usually don't like honey, but I like the art of this one and will watch reviews.   Now Ode To Ares......   Andreiphontes......"Tonka, benzoin, black sandalwood, and nutmeg".....has potential.   Enkhespalos......."Elder wood, leather, blonde tobacco, and cognac"......has potential.   Enyalios......"Patchouli, frankincense, olibanum, thyme, cocoa absolute, Peru balsam, oakmoss, and juniper".......this could be too much dood-fume, or it could be really fantastic.   Khalkokorustes......"Champaca, pear, cedar, black pepper, jasmine, and red sandalwood".....this sounds like some fabulous love-child between Quincey Morris and Dr. John Seward. I need to try this one.   That is about it for now. I'll be reading others' breakdowns and thinking some more but really, those are the most interesting right now.
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blecch

I feel yucky and anxious, nervous even. No damn good reason at all. And also feeling burnt out on my routine, both at work and at school. I keep telling myself it's my usual anxiety and it will pass. Soon. I know exercise would help.   On the plus side, I feel a little better about my apartment, and tentatively decided to stay for another year. Yeah, the neighbors and the neighborhood suck, but it's so close to school. And it's a lot of space for a little money. Now I just have to do more fun stuff with it. Furniture, rugs, curtains, etc.....which I have put off for what, eight months now?? :love!: Anyway, the thought of moving again in 2 or 3 months is rather exhausting. : /
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Possets wish list

This is for my future swap post. I'll have some Possets bottles up for grabs, and here are some that I would swap for:   Adamus The Awakening Conscience Cootie Dark Lady Margot Queen Of The Night Risk Sex With The Spirits Tulipomania Warmth
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