I did it. I broke down and ordered at least one decant of every Shunga Salon. At least one. I have 2 of Ebisu Making Love as Two Octopuses Look On, Glowing Vulva & Spell of Amorous Love. That's so I have a couple to give to Aunt Sher & Kelly. I'm putting an order in for this weekend (hey, I can do that tonight!) and will be putting Men Ringing Bells With Penises from the Shunga & Lunar Eclipse from the Lunar on this order for me, Her Voice from the Lupercalia & Cheshire Moon from the Lunar for her. The Lunars are gone after the 22nd. I should chuck a Lupercalia for each of us on this one too maybe since I'll be doing the Shungas more next time. I'll think about it. We've already got 12 bottles since Symone wants 3. Next order I might just do Carol and I and ask Elizabeth if she wants anything.
*thinking*
Editted for thought: I've got a ton of decants coming, maybe I should toss a Lupercalia for each of us on this one 'cause when Carol sees all the bits and bobs I've got on order she might have a small coronary & I'll be under orders to freeze my Paypal
I thought I'd get my feet wet and put in for some Ebay BPAL from the Lab. LOL, I was outbid within minutes on Nuclear Winter (I was ready to go up to $20, it's almost $38 now). I've got a bid on Trick: Tp'd Tree. I'll see if I get it but it's close already. It would be nice but I don't HAVE to have it.
I do see Bed of Nails which sounds intriguing. It's under my threshold right now but would it stay that way? And I feel bad, 'sneaking in' and putting a bid in to take it away from someone else. How bad is that? Did I just say that I don't want to outbid someone?? That's half the fun, the chess game that is bidding and getting something. But BPAL is different. I don't feel like I'm taking it from some anonymous individual, I feel like I'm taking it away from my best friend. I don't know, maybe I'd feel different if I really wanted a scent, maybe then I'd be more cut throat. Or maybe not.
I am amazed at how high the prototypes have gotten, althought I shouldn't be. I've seen discontinued LEs go for close to $100 so non-released one of a kind prototypes bringing in $180 and $190 is nothing. But it's interesting, 4 prototypes and 2 are going for $50/$60 and 2 for $180/$190. Why? Is it the notes? The name? Or what? Makes me wonder.
Not a good day. Feel like poo because I didn't do something yesterday and I got a bit of shit for it. I'm tired and down. Of all days not a good day for something like that, I feel worse for it. And I've been feeling nostalgic, missing my step mom. At least E called to say Happy Birthday.
We got an order today, it was mostly for everyone else. There was a bottle of Rose Red for her & an imp of Coyote for me. That was nice. I expected it to smell a bit different but it's still nice.
Going to bed now. end to a day
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.
I'm doing the Relay for Life again this year. It's today and the weather absolutely sucks. It wouldn't be a big deal but the stadium is an outdoors stadium. We have a marquis-style tent thingie to shelter in but the 2 green couches they took from work are going to get soaked so we may not have them after all. Bummer They are soooo nice when you've been walking for 1/2 an hour or more.
I'm taking Satyr in my 1 ml rollerbottle. The scent isn't going to give people headaches in the tight confines and I'll still smell good. The spice might keep me awake a bit more, although I do pretty well with that on my own, I'm a night owl!
We are going to the PO in a bit I'm expecting packages!! My Ebay should be here, maybe some of my decants and a Snacksters package too. I havent' heard from the LJ/forum person about the sale I paid for on 23/1. I've tried emailing and commenting on the original post. I tried to PM but her inbox is full. I really don't want to just leave negative feedback but I'm going to have to. If the imps aren't in the post today I'll try one more email, leave it a week and then leave negative feedback. I think I can amend the feedback if things change later but the fact that she hasn't even replied to any of my comments or my email isn't a good sign. It's frustrating.
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).
I haven't seen anything on the Lab's Ebay listings in awhile that really got me excited but today's Doc Buzzard lifted my droopy wings. I had a suspicion that when I read one review that said she's paid $120 for it on Ebay that I would be in trouble. I took the plunge and put a bid in for about $30. And was outbid. Put another in for about $36. And was outbid. Put one more in for $41. And am outbid again.
Is it worth it? Is a bottle of something unsniffed and I don't know if I like (but sounds good from the reviews) worth it?? I could get another 2 bottles for that, almost 3.
And the scary thing? I'm debating upping that bid to $50 just to see if it will stick. Not because I absolutely must have it/think I'll love it but because it's a vulture. Funny, I"m not drawn to trying the Mesehknet the Human Vulture on the Carnival just yet but Doc Buzzard is a go for me. Maybe the gender thing??
But Puddin has just put Ebay up and they have another 4 days to run. The other scents sound ok, Blood Moon is peaking my interest. I might put a tester bid in just to see if it's likely. It sounds rather nice too.
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.
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.
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!
"white chocolate, dark chocolate, apple blossom, honeysuckle, frankincense, allspice, nutmeg, black tea, tonka, and sandalwood."
Hmmmm, do I? Don't I? I don't do foody usually, don't do chocolate, apple blossom or honeysuckle. But the rest of it (barring the tonka?? not sure about that) I do like. The fact that a Wildlife refuge gets some of the funds too makes it even more interesting so I'm leaning towards a possibly yes.
Besides, it's been forever since I've bought a bottle for either of us unsniffed in some form. Yes, I know that getting decants or sniffies first is best, that way we can spend our (limited) funds on what actually works instead of guessing and hoping that something might work and finding out it doesn't.
I did put an order in. I would have left it but the fact that some of it does go the refuge put me over the line on the "ok why not" line. Besides, it might be the next Glowing Vulva. I never thought we'd like that (or that it would have become so popular).
Work has been particularly bad. A really, really shitty week. Other stuff going on, sickness/flu and it all adds up to still trying to find the strength to get up each morning and put one foot in front of the other. I've got a couple job apps in, really leaning towards the second one that closes on Monday than the one that closed last week. It would technically be a step back but it would be a lot less stress and that's really what I would appreciate right now. I'm tired of playing with other people's money but more so I'm really tired of being responsible for millions of dollarsNZ getting (or not) into the right account at the right time yet making sure the right conditions have been met adequately. All with a rapidly reducing level of staffing.
Snake Oil was my saviour today, what I could smell of it. Western Diamondback yesterday.
My team leader was really really nice. I went up to her to tell her have a good weekend. She thanked me for coming in when I was sick. She told me this morning that my productivity level was 112%. And I'm sick. So that means I either fucked up a hell of a lot of accounts or I busted balls big time. At least she appreciates it and let me know. She wrote a note to Carol when I was talking to her tonight: "Carol can you please look after Alex (one of my favourites) as he has not been feeling well. Really appreciate his committment. He requires lots of TLC. Thanks. R"
I thought it was really nice.
I'm going to go slather some Western Diamondback and lie down.
I'm sick and not happy about that. Worked my ass off last week, went in when I was sick because of work that needed to be done.
Went home early yesterday. Stayed home sick today.
Found out just now that they announced how much of our area they are off shoring to India.
60%
Flippin Hell. It will be a ghost town in there. I'm officially depressed and sadly the Creme Brulee chocolate just won't cut it. I am going to withstand the temptation to hit the fermented stuff. Really really don't need to be compounding my problems right now. I've emailed my team leader to see if I can get more info. I've emailed Carol and asked if we could talk about moving our accounts out of the bank we work at. They dont' have loyalty to us, why bother? Besides the biggest argument they had about keeping our accounts there was that it kept our jobs safe. Yeah, right. Not anymore. Besides, the only way the CEO is going to have an idea that this isn't a good idea is when the money starts walking. If we hemorrhage profits then it will hopefully offset any "gains" from offshoring.
Fliping idiot <---- insert much stronger language
I wore Troll today. We knew we had an announcement at work about how majorly the teams will be impacted. Our team is being moved to another area and will be in line later for these changes. First waves though are my friends, my coworkers and previous team members. 60% of their jobs are going.
Of 239 people in the general center, 99 will have a job in the center still and 140 of those jobs are going to India. Those people affected will have 3 choices: apply for one of the few jobs staying, apply for a lower-paid "customer-facing" role (which means they won't get pay rises going forward until the base salary of the job they are in catches up) or go somewhere else. That's just our center. THere is another center that is equally affected. And then the area my wife works in and the one I will be moved to will be impacted in the future, sometime next year. From this I can guess that when they hit our area we'll be looking at 60% job loss.
Really ridiculous. The at least admitted that they're paying the Indian staff 75% less.
They are being profit-minded, they don't care that most people will be forced into lower-paid roles within the company. Our employer has been one of the higher paying organisations, however some organisations are starting to pay equivelant or slightly more for some similar roles.
I'm really pissed off about it all. I feel that they've been lying to us all along, having been told they would "take care of" us, that there were plenty of comparable roles throughout the organisation for people who wanted them and that there would still be roles in the center.
We got a CnS for our Mead Moon and Hay Moon order. That will be nice, to get that and sniff. And hopefully the Life Shit that has hit the 2 people I ordered CD IV & V decants from will get sorted and we'll be able to sniff the newer of the 2 CDs. I managed to get some Bezoar, Pickled Imp and Clemence from someone else, that was cool. Bezoar & Clemence had been on my bottle order but I don't think they are quite what I'd hoped. Pickled Imp is a possibility and I really really want to sniff Hand of Glory. I won't be able to get much but that's fine. I haven't pushed my sales/swap list and maybe I can swap for someone's unloved bottles.
*sigh* I'm really looking forward to our 2 week vacation from the 23rd, and to seeing my friends that I haven't seen for about 4 years. They're here for only a week from the US but that will be nice.
Today my friends found out if they still have their jobs. Our team has been moved from our old area to a new one so we are separate from them. It's been hard, having news trickle in, wondering how people are doing, if they have a job or not (or even if they wanted it in the beginning). I've got a bit of survivor's guilt knowing our team is out of the chop at the moment (but up for it sometime early next year?). I look at what's going on back in our old area, see it applied to our area and wondering how our team will shake out. Not to mention that chances are I'm going to still have a job (trying to be realistic about my skills and reputation) which may be good but given that I'll be expected to pick up the work when those who don't have a job stop giving a shit.....yea, it's already tough when we're short handed and trying to get through what work there is.
We went out on strike Friday and I know that some people didn't go out, worried it would affect their chances of getting a job.
I'm really peeved at the way They handled union negotiations, the way they undermined the talks and how they've handled the whole offshoring thing.
I think I need some Banded Sea Snake or Western Diamondback tomorrow, Serpent's Kiss was perfect for today.
Wow, a lot has happened in the last few months. Work is still uncertain for us. There's been a second set of restructures and Carol kept her job in those. I find out in March whether I have a job and what that job will look like. I've been avoiding the boards as much as possible. I've got a lot of wonderful scents and with things being uncertain I need to not tempt myself. I've put a couple orders in the last 2 months though after a hiatus so I"m pleased at the possibility of new things to come as well as the new things arrived.
I wore Snake Charmer (res) today. I had problems trying to decide what an appropriate "first day of 2009" scent would be. I decided something new would be good. I think I've worn it once before (got it in my last order that came earlier this month) so that was perfect for today.
I haven't done any swaps and was realising as I was putting my order together today that I haven't talked to Carol about her smellies lately. She's got a ton more than I do and I think she's happy with her myriads of imps and screeds of bottles. I need to peek in her boxes and see if she's getting low on any of her favorites, just so I have something on the list. I try to usually order a bottle for each of us but have ordered far more for her overall so she's got more than I. And since she doesn't look at the site, but relies on me to pick stuff for her, doesn't have the same kind of ongoing wish list that I have.
No real 'resolutions' for me for the new year. I'll try to be a better person, try to not procrastinate bills as much, try to appreciate life each day and try to work on my online shops. Other than that, keep going. One foot in front of the other. We'll see where this path leads me.
