dawndie

A day early, but fine with me! Milk Moon 2007 – the previous Milk Moon was not my cuppa tea at all, it ended up like sour breast milk, so I wasn’t expecting to want this one. The other ingredients sound great, but that yucky milk was so off-putting I won’t order. Minotaur – this sounds nice, like Schwarzer Mond. I really like the swarthy smutty musk blends, but lately I haven’t been reaching for them much. It’s springtime and I’m wearing a lot of honeyed and incensey florals. I have Schwarzer Mond already and that will keep me happy. Taurus 2007 – normally a rose LE is a must-order, but the other florals sound a bit overwhelming. I should tell my mom to order, as it’s her birth sign AND her wedding bouquet was daisies, so perfect! I gave her bottles of Harvest Moon 2004 and Numb and she seems to like them, so maybe she’d like this. Poisson d’Avril – another rose one, but iris is sure to overpower it. Nah. More Monster Baits! I was hoping for another April Fool’s surprise like MB: Underpants, and we have three! Tokyo Stomp – this sounds great, vanilla and mint. Ventriloquist Dummy – I of course love the base of caramel, brown sugar, hazelnut and butterscotch. Yum! I like patchouli well enough if it’s in a nice blend. The only iffy element is apricot – I thought I’d love Grand Guignol but the apricot brandy smelled just a bit plasticky. Bloody Mary – all these ingredients sound wonderful, I love cherry and red fruits and powdered sugar, and hopefully enough cream to smooth everything out without curdling it. I had no idea about the Salon Dogs until I read about them in euterpe’s blog! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, I would have missed all the puppies. A Bachlelor’s Dog – musk and leather sound good, but I’m afraid the tobacco will become too masculine on me A Bold Bluff – cherry tobacco, on the other hand, I am interested in, plus I do like tonka in most blends. His Station and Four Aces – nope, fougere = cologne on me Kelly Pool – worsted wool, really? All I picture is an old coat. This may be interesting New Year's Eve in Dogville – this sounds like Stardust with the perfume and champagne One to Tie, Two to Win – this doesn’t seem to fit in with the smokey masculine ones, I guess these dogs are outside chomping on grass and dandelions Pinched With Four Aces – more tobacco along with the dreaded and feared cinnamon Riding the Goat – pipe smoke and incense sounds nice, very exclusive-clubby Sitting Up With a Sick Friend – more tobacco and leather, plus “classic perfume” and rose sounds like it would clash. Stranger In Camp – another outdoors one, but definitely too much wood In conclusion: I ordered the 3 Monster Baits!

I'm glad things are going OK. And yes, anger is destructive if you hold onto it too long, but it's also damaging by keeping it all bottled in for the sake of being a good girl and not raising a stink. (I'm trying to convince myself of this right now, BTW.) Oh, and you take the train! I've heard good things about DART, and amusing stories too of course.

First off, this is the darkest thickest oil I've ever seen! In bottle: cocoa On skin: cocoa with pretty mellow Snake Oil, which I imagine as amber, glittering resins, sitting on a little pile of brown raw sugar. Fresh Snake Oil smells kinda chemical and harsh, and this is more aged and smooth Half-hour later: very nice sweetened Snake Oil In conclusion: of the Snake Pit blends tried so far, this is what I was hoping for. I was looking forward to Snake Oil with delicious variations of added vanilla or cocoa or berries. This is amazing straight from the Lab, and I'm sure will become orgasmic as it ages.

In bottle: fruit explosion! On skin: fizzy grapefruit blast, lots and lots of citrus Half-hour later: this calmed down a lot with some additional florals. Dragon's Blood will overpower a blend on me but it's behaving in this one In conclusion: a nice peppy blend that comes on very strong with the fruits, but mellows out later with the florals. I'm really enjoying this one and will wear often in the summer.

In bottle: watery leather On skin: mmm, warm Dead Man's Hand leather, one of my favorites, with a bit of sweet brown sugar Half-hour later: the resins of Snake Oil are middling about, but it's still all about the leather In conclusion: I'm completely biased towards loving this one, as I the warm dusty leather of Dead Man's Hand and Quincy Morris. I ordered hoping it would be the same, and it was! Yay! Just like Australian Copperhead, the Snake Oil isn't as strong as I'd like, but I bet it's only because the blend is brand-new from the Lab and needs to age. I'll look forward to loving it more and more

*sputters* WTF?!? They want to be considerate to her ex but you somehow don't qualify? You're being the big person there (or as valentina would say, you put on your "big girl panties") so I'll be mad for you. They're the ones being incredibly selfish.

Hee! It's a wee drunken Irish sprite!

It's feast or famine sometimes -- the past couple weeks we've gone to several houses and they've been pretty blah. A couple of weeks ago we got a Lane side table (early '60s maybe) and a tall lamp with a great canvas/linen shade for $50, but that's been it. Yesterday was good though, we went to 4 houses and bought things at 3 of them: --one house had a bunch of collector plates (Norman Rockwell, Wedgwood, etc.). No souvenir plates unfortunately, but I bought a Presidents of the United States plate, through LBJ, for $4. I guess I'm SOL if I can't remember the presidents after LBJ --another house had a wrought iron Lone Star we can hang outside ($15) and a green California pottery bowl/large cup, very faux-Fiestaware ($2.50) --another house had a set of clay coasters from Disney World's Grand Californian hotel ($1.50) The first house had a giant glass barrel-shaped container, maybe 2' tall, full of matchbooks, but we were peeking through the glass and there weren't any cool ones catching our attention. They wanted $65! That's a crazy high price, considering we got 2 bags of great matchbooks from all over the world for $4 a few weeks ago. Maybe the big glass container was valuable?

Old cameras look like a lot of fun to collect! We see lots of them. If I had the money and storage space I would probably collect anything utilitarian -- old cameras, typewriters, kitchen appliances, record players. These things look cool but are functional too.

In bottle: really perfumey red wine On skin: musty incense, then more floral Half-hour later: Lots of clove and incense with the florals (rose and carnation). The carnation is behaving, probably beaten into submission by all the other ingredients In conclusion: this is a busy blend; there are a lot of ingredients and they all seem to be jostling with each other. Clove, carnation and dusty incense are the big players here. Nice when I'm in the mood for something dark, snooty and sophisticated.

In bottle: butter and cream On skin: blast of butter, then lots of slightly sweet cream Half-hour later: yum, stronger sugar mixing nicely with the cream, like a fancy holiday nog In conclusion: while I love foody scents, some of the creamier foody BPAL blends (Midway, Misk U, Obatala) go a bit plastic on me. Milk Moon was even worse, that "turned" and went sour on me. This, however, stays true: creamy and sweet and luscious. Very nice!

Another big one: Aries -- this actually sounds like a nice combination, but I’m concerned about the black pepper and dragon’s blood overpowering everything else. I’ll read the reviews instead. Ides of March 2007 -- I don’t really want cologney scents, and the reviews for the previous version made it sound too masculine for me. But this was a favorite for many and I’m glad old favorites pop back up. Ostara -- another blend of a bunch of cool-sounding ingredients, but there’s a lot of florals and I think I’ll order Fire Pig instead for my “spring fling” with fruit instead of flowers. Pink Moon -- this was a huge debate for me before the update, as I have a sniffie of the last Pink Moon and was really waffling on ordering a bottle if the formula was the same. The previous version reminded me of Love’s Baby Soft with extra flowers. However this version is different and carnation, while sugared, goes way too spicy-strong on me most of the time. Too bad. Roux-Ga-Roux -- pretty cool concept (a Mardi Gras curse!) but too many plants. And more cool General Catalog blends: Calico Jack -- while I would love to order this for the name/image alone, I’m sure all I’ll get is detergent. I’ll read reviews to see if it’s more complex. Poisoned Apple -- this reminds me of the Snow White ride at Disneyland, it was considered a scarier “dark ride” that everyone rides through in those pod-type cars on a track. At one point you turned a corner and there was a mannequin of the Wicked Queen dressed as the Old Woman and she’s holding out the poisoned apple. Soon we realized if you reached out far enough you could quickly grab the apple! Yoink! So many of my high-school friends had little souvenir plastic apples. Sorry, Disneyland workers, who had to replace the apples! ANYWAY. The red apple with the hemlock sounds good, as I really liked Hemlock by itself. Bien Loin d’Ici -- red musk, honey, Moroccan spices, everything sounds good, can’t wait to read reviews. Croquet -- nice fizzy citrus, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pink lime The Dodo -- This one might be nice too, we’ll see *eyes cassia suspiciously* Knave of Hearts -- Roses? ‘Nuff said Queen Alice -- err, what’s sandy cider and wooly wine? I won’t get this because of the carnation anyway. 51 -- cool, an alien scent! I definitely want to read reviews of this one ( X-Files theme) Squirting Cucumber -- wonder if this is similar to the previous Blue Moon? That was very fresh cucumber-like on me. Voodoo Lily -- cool name, but I don’t like straight-up floral much except for rose. Brown Jenkins -- this sounds pretty nice, another lighter incense-type. The Deep Ones -- another detergent one, probably. But what does crushed coral smell like? In conclusion: I ordered bottles of Fire Pig, Boomslang and Western Diamondback

What else could possibly be more lickable at Yuletide? This is a candy cane perfume, minty, sweet and sugared. In bottle: sweet strong peppermint On skin: brrr! Lots of peppermint with a cooling sensation. There's a definite boozy undertone with this one, like peppermint schnapps or Rumple Minze Half-hour later: this sweetens up nicely with the peppermint and booze In conclusion: I swapped for this bottle on a whim, and liked it a whole lot more than I thought I would. Although I haven't tried Lick It Again, the "extra jolt" of sugar might be superfluous. This is a nicely sweet, refreshing blend that's wearable year-round.

I know I probably spend too much on what others might consider incidental or frivolous: perfumes, incense, candles and soap especially. This money could very well go towards more responsible things, like paying off the mortgage or saving for the eventual new car. I realize this, and still shop for little things anyway. Am I in denial? Side story: there were some eBay auctions ending on Saturday that another forumite was holding -- I've actually met her in real life at a couple of Meet-n-Sniffs and she was very generous with her substantial collection, so I wanted to pay her back for her generosity. I gave myself a certain amount max to bid, and first thing Saturday morning I was sniped on a GC bottle I was bidding on. It really irked me, especially for a catalog blend, but I know in order not to be sniped I have to bid the very very maximum I am willing to spend. If someone snipes that, I have to be comfortable with the fact that they wanted it more than I did. So I bid extremely high on a rare bottle and won! I was telling DH about it at dinner that night, and when I got to the end he rolled his eyes and asked, "how much was this tiny bottle of perfume?" I started to explain that this bottle was rare and that was the only one I purchased from her, but of course felt ridiculous doing so. But I've justified to myself that it's more than a tiny bottle of perfume: this is a hobby. I have a nice-smelling hobby. I like smelling nice things and smelling like a nice thing.

Yes, he accepts that I have an addiction, and at least it's not to crack. I should remind him of that

This is a 2005 bottle. In bottle: sharp perfumey alcohol On skin: lots of sticky thick resins Half-hour later: not much change, other than a smoky incense appearing that melds with the resins In conclusion: this is a favorite incense blend of mine, without being too hippie head-shoppy. Others mention Cathedral which ended up pencil-shaving woody on me, while this stays true to the description. Serene and beautiful!

In bottle: candied floral On skin: orangey citrus (neroli) which reminds me of Shub. This doesn't last long; quickly the rose and carnation take over Half-hour later: creamy roses like Alice, but slightly spicier from the carnation. Carnation will amp on me, but it's behaving with the rose. Not much incense, which would be nice In conclusion: this is a sophisticated Carny Lady: a sweet, creamy, spicy floral.

In bottle: sparkly melon On skin: blast of fruit salad, woo! Lots of sharp citrus and apple especially Half-hour later: more dark fruit emerges, like plum, and the clean "lunar oils" keep the fruit anchored In conclusion: I had issues with other Lunacies in that the lunar oils made every blend end up a bit soapy. However, these strong fruits balance the lunar oils and keeps the blend from going into detergent territory. Long-lasting and fun!

In bottle: watery fruit On skin: roses! Roses with a watery tinge, which the "dirt" notes sometimes translate into for me Half-hour later: the dark fruit makes an appearance, lots of juicy pomegranate that balances the rose In conclusion: this is a wonderful fruity rose scent -- I love the "clear water" note, I love the way the rose melds with the dark fruit and that one doesn't overpower the other. Beautiful!

As a scent, this is lots of green melon with an extra green herbal something underneath. Long-lasting and great for summer. The last time I used it with a purpose was job-hunting in November and December. I had 4 different interviews and wore Yemaya every time. I was confident in my qualifications, but I needed to project that confidence. I ended up returning to a previous job, plus they offered me a raise over what I was making when I left!

In bottle: sharp perfume, like Stardust On skin: lots of light, dusty resins and a bit of wood Half-hour later: the honey blooms and mingles with the resins very sweetly and demurely In conclusion: in contrast to the "dark incensey" blends that are favorites of mine, this is lighter and more sophisticated. Instead of club-hopping with Perversion, I'm going to an art gallery with this one. Nice!

In bottle: dusty flowers On skin: nice champaca-like floral, then dusty wood amps up. Amber comes out dusty on me, and while I like amber it tends to disappear if it's not anchored to something strong (like with musk in Haunted) Half-hour later: mm, the honey is coming out now, mixing nicely with the woody flowers In conclusion: this is a nice sexy floral with the honey shimmying throughout. My only beef is that I wish it were stronger or lasted longer, as the amber disappeared and should have hung around for the pending menage

I just got new glasses in September (after 7 years ). My prescription barely changed, so that was the good news. I said, "I want glasses like the ladies with the big bouffants in the Far Side cartoons have," and I got pretty close cat-eyes, except they're dark blue. I really like them. Mine slide down my nose too -- my work friend and I have contests on who can peer over their glasses the scowliest.

I have the worst attitude towards others sometimes, and it’s difficult to blame on Aunt Flo when it happens at any time during the month. I guess I’m not a very social person. I could do without interactions most of the time; the whole farcical song-and-dance is a big energy-suck. --you come into work on Monday, and are asked about your weekend --every morning you’re asked about the previous evening --on Friday you’re asked about your weekend plans I understand that people are just trying to be polite, and the big picture is that we’re all here just killing time until we die. I don’t initialize these exchanges, I just say “fine, how was yours?” I’m a hypocrite. Maybe if I was “brutally honest” like others so proudly call themselves, people wouldn’t ask me anymore. Spoiler “My weekend was great! I sat around on my fat butt, drank too much and blew my husband. How was yours?” There are a few people who as they’re walking by need to say “Hi Dawndie!” every time they walk by, even if they walked by before and it’s later the same day. Can’t you just smile or nod? I don’t like interrupting people when they’re trying to work, but I don’t get the same courtesy. The secretary desks are basically in the walkways in front of the attorney offices, and sometimes people will knock on my desk as they’re walking by -- I guess if I don’t pay enough attention to them. :curses under breath: Then there’s one person here who will go out of her way to butt into the conversation if she’s nearby. Does she do this with everyone, or am I just lucky? My desk was near Noseyperson previously (not recently, like 4 years ago) and if you were having a phone conversation and then hung up, she would usually have some comment about your phone call. Seriously, what was I supposed to say? It’s impossible not to hear when our desks were so close together, but can’t you try to ignore it? Isn’t it rude to insert yourself into someone else’s work or personal life without invitation? I do have a friend here at work, and I don’t mind eating lunch with him most of the time because he’s funny and very dry. I guess we’re anti-social together. We were in the lunch area recently talking about suck-in movies -- the ones you flip by and you end up sucked-in watching, even if you’ve seen it 20 times before. I said DH was watching one of his suck-ins last night, Ocean’s 11 (yes, with the ARGH BLARGH!! at the end, although he had flipped it by then). Noseyperson at the next table (not even sitting with us!) pipes up, “Which one?” I mumbled “the newer one” and Noseyperson comments for a few moments on how none of those “hunks” “do anything” for her. (Noseyperson, if any of those “hunks” saw your Jabba the Hutt’s Grandma ass, they’d run in the other direction.) She then blew her nose really loudly and I had to put my head down to keep from busting out laughing. GROSS. But I won’t say anything to her, unless Brutally Honest Dawndie blurted out, “Noseyperson, we weren’t talking to you. We don’t care what you think. Please go far away, especially when it’s time to empty your sinuses.” OK, I actually feel better after my crab-in. I know a big part of this is I went from semi-working-from-home back to a big office, and I just need to build up my tolerance, or Zen Out like Valentina, or be like Snarky’s meditating turtle. Ommm…

Hee! "Crab-In" was from Peanuts (probably when sit-ins were gaining popularity). Lucy had a crab-in at her house and yelled at whoever came to the door She's my inspiration.