Fireworks!

Actually, I'm irritated in an old geezer you-kids-get-off-my-lawn way about blown-up-in-my-backyard fireworks right now.†

Huh. I've already digressed and I haven't even started talking yet.‡

There are three great things I saw this weekend that I wish to share, plus a bonus of two happy things that happened:

1. I landed home Saturday afternoon and flipped on the TiVi.§ There was a baseball game right in front of me, which I was just about to turn off, when I noticed the player up to bat was Angel Pagan.¶ I wish I could have kids so I could name one of them Angel Pagan.
2. Driving to Jerusalem Restaurant for a very patriotic Third of July dinner, I passed the giant convent/Catholic convalescence home in the 'hood. There was a Barbie-pink scooter waiting at the giant gate to make a left onto 29th. "Wish I had a camera," I thought. "This would be a great blog bit." Then the scooter pulled in behind me and it was a bearded guy in aviator sunglasses and that made it all the better.
3. On the same drive, I was at a red light and across from me were two of the whitest, yuppiest, Chanel sunglass-wearing, designer polo shirt-clad 30-something dinks# ever seen, playing a vuvuzela and waving a South African flag out of the sunroof on their BMW. I'm not saying they *couldn't* be South African, but if they are, they're on the wrong side of the popular political tracks and maybe shouldn't be displaying the equivalent of one of us wearing a loin cloth and a feathered headdress and doing the Tomahawk Chop out of the windows of our BMWs.

Then I got to Jerusalem and the ever-so-adorable chicklet who took my order asked what my shirt meant.

"Rock-paper-scissors... lizard-spock," I replied to a peal of delighted laughter.

Then she cooed and exclaimed over my emergency wallet.††

It was a good day.

And that was a totally elegant segue into a package% from my not-so-secret-pal Jo.‡‡ Because my emergency wallet looks like this:




And Jo, not knowing a thing about my emergency wallet,§§ sent me this soap:




Which was an adjunct to that month's subject prize, the washcloth¶¶:




And came with a bonus soap dish:




And totally bath-related pirate cupcake set##:




So thank you, Jo, both for your patience and for the lovely gifts.

Give me another two months and I should be caught up.


†FOOTNOTE (crossed): But real fireworks, performed by professionals, are one of my favourite things.

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): That may be a record. Lyda's going to be so proud when she sees.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): As one does.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I took Spanish, so I know it's pronounced "ON-hell pa-GONE," but he'll always be Angel Pagan to me. Plus? If you Google "Angel Pagan" (even without the quotation marks), you don't get a single religious reference for pages.

#FOOTNOTE (pounded): And I mean both in terms of "Jebus Cats, what a couple of dinks" and "Double Income No Kids."

††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): The wallet that goes in my pocket in which I keep my driver's license, debit card and a small chunk of cash to hold me over when I leave my purse somewhere three times out of ten. Usually home, mind you, but one should have the necessities with one. If that one has juvenile onset Alzheimer's like this one does.

%FOOTNOTE (percented): I'm smooth like peanut butter. Note how I not only tied it all together with the Cute as Hell theme, I managed to not let on that this package arrived two months ago and I'm just getting to it now.

‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Who just revealed herself to me per the terms of our year-long swap agreement, in which I was totally wishy-washy and said, "Oh, let's be secret for six months, then not-secret for six months." I am fair, if indecisive.

§§FOOTNOTE (sssupposedly): I think.

¶¶FOOTNOTE (two heads better than one): Which was hard to photograph adequately, but does, indeed, have a black skull motif rampant on a black background.

##FOOTNOTE (that's the symbol for shock): Why? Where do you eat your cupcakes?

Any Idiot Can Have a Blog

I'm living proof.

Remember how I told you Secret Pal's name was Stacey? Or perhaps Stacy?

I got the oddest little note† from her saying, "Well, I'm truly mystified! My name is not Stacey. Why do you think it is? I gotta know."

So I promised her I would look at the note again and figure out where I got it.

*ahem*

Now, I squinted and turned my head 90 degrees to the left and I could see where I came up with "Stacy,"‡ but when I re-read it, it clearly says, "Stay Rickety."§

I told Hans yesterday I remembered her name as Stacey Rickets or something like that.¶

O

M

G

Shoot me now. I'm a danger to myself and others.

I'm once again reminded of how very lucky my clients are to have my sharp, insightful brain dedicated to their company's well-being and future growth.

Now I must go divest.


†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Possibly far less odd than me randomly assigning her a new name.

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): But clearly not "Stacey," though I was so sure of that last week.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): She also used footnotes in a really cute and funny way, which made me laugh and took my mind off my impending downward spiral into madness.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I am sure someday we'll look back on this and laugh. Not today.

Revelation!

Poor Secret Pal. Her package wasn't even late or missing and she got caught up in the package madness. So here it is, at least a week later and she's finally getting the credit due her.

It doesn't mean I'm any less grateful, just that camera thing. And the chronology thing.

[SUMMARY: Sophie's Choice for Dummies.]

Secret Pal's name is Stacey.^ She didn't tell me which blog is hers,† but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I do.

So let's dig in and see what I've got, shall we?

Yarn, of course. Sock yarn, purple yarn, sometimes at the same time:






There's enough of the Endless Summer for at least a tank or a shell -- eight balls.‡

[SUMMARY: A good excuse for a trip to Ravelry.]

This, I don't know. I'm thinking this is pet yarn.§






It's handspun by Stacey herself and I could look at it for hours, just watching the colours and the soft halo.

And petting it.

[SUMMARY: Things are apparently a little quiet at Chez Barfly.]

This, I kinda wanted to eat. Almost did. Had to check the label several times to be sure I couldn't.




See? It totally looks like chocolate. Trust me, it smells like chocolate too -- not the slightest soapy smell to the stuff.¶

[SUMMARY: In which I taste soap. *ahem*]

Allow me to make girl noises for a moment.#

*SQUEEEEE!*




It†† goes perfectly with my calaveras project bags Sylvia made me for my birthday last year.

[SUMMARY: Skulls!]

And, well, there was a little tub of lavender hand cream that I thought I got a picture of‡‡ but I don't see here, and a half-dozen perfumes from the Velvet Moon Bathery§§ that I know I didn't get a picture of because I took them straight to the office so I could play with them.

Suffice to say they have skulls and black ribbons on them and come in scents like "Raven Moon" and "Belladonna."

My gothy little soul is replete with shiny¶¶ blackness.

Thank you so much, Stacey! When you come up for air, let me know where your blog is.

Now I must to werk. These properties won't divest themselves.

[SUMMARY: Promise to miss me.]

XOXO
M

*************

Fracas (original EDT) and Fracas (current incarnation EDT) - Robert Piguet

Marin says%: This is an exercise in compare and contrast. I purposely ordered## both the original and the current Fracas to see what the difference is. And, frankly, if I could even tell a difference.@

Starting with Fracas in general, it's certainly primarily tuberose. With both the original and the current versions, the first blast is TUBEROSE. It only takes a moment, however, for the original and the current version to go their separate ways.

In my limited ability, it seems all the notes are as promised in each, just in different concentrations or perhaps different chemical versions.+

The original softened quickly into a less tuberose-dominant††† melange of white flowers, with a stronger beat of visceral, meaty smell of jasmine. The musk floated up and was noticable.

The current Fracas kept the tuberose front and centre and in the spotlight, but left the musk somewhere backstage straightening the curtains.‡‡‡

After an hour or so, the original had settled very close to my skin, only the musk escaping to flavour the air in my office. Snuffling my wrist, I found a pleasant, rounded§§§ tuberosey thing side-by-side with a soft, sandalwood-orange thing.

By then, the vetiver and the tuberose were having a loud argument on my left wrist, with the jasmine lending something dirty to the fray. And maybe, maybe just an occasional glimpse of an orange.

Maybe that's what the others were fighting over -- the last section of orange.

All whimsy and poetry aside, I'm delighted I could tell a difference between them. I mistakenly told Hans I thought the original Fracas was an early eighties scent -- I think I associate the big, brash part of tuberose with the eighties. Turns out it was introduced in 1948. Knowing all I know, I would say the 1948 version speaks to a softer era. The 2008 version is more rock 'n' roll, with the salty metal of vetiver~ being so prominent and the whole thing staying so loud.

But the flash and tang of tuberose says that the women who wore it in 1948 may have been a good suburban housewife or a well-behaved denizen of the typing pool, but she might have taken a dose of or Malcolm McLaren if it'd been offered to her.

Hans says: The left one is definitely more floral and the right is more... Body Shop. So I'm going to go with the right is more new age.

More floral [flapping one hand], Body Shop [flapping the other].¶¶¶

Robert Piguet says: Tuberose, seductive and lush, combines with Jasmine, Jonquil, Gardenia, Lily of the Valley and White Iris in a lavish profusion of fragile white flowers. A whisper of orange with a base of Sandalwood, Vetiver, and Musk.


^FOOTNOTE (careted): Or possibly Stacy. I forgot to bring the card with me and now I'm even more of a dork than usual.

†FOOTNOTE (crossed): *hint hint*

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Join me in a moment of twelve, won't you?

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Though I really want to see how it knits up. How dopey would it be to knit a big swatch, frog it, then continue to pet the yarn?

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): It really should have a warning label like they put on the silica gel in electronics packaging that says, "This is NOT candy. Do NOT eat this." For, y'know... um... children.

#FOOTNOTE (pounded): If you make girl noises over skulls, it's totally punk. Not at all My Little Pony.

††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): It comes from the Artsy Athina Etsy shop.

‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): It looks like a little, purple hat box, if that helps.

§§FOOTNOTE (a tangled web): Which I like to think of as Bathory.

¶¶FOOTNOTE (goth clubs... hehehe): "Shiny" is so un-goth.

%FOOTNOTE (percented): It looks like Marin likes to hear herself talk. A lot.

##FOOTNOTE (pounding of his hideous heart! wait... that was Tuesday): Because what kind of scatterbrain would *accidentally* order two of the same thing? Which I didn't. This time.

@FOOTNOTE (atted): I was terrified I wouldn't. Then what kind of review would this be? A much less wordy review, that's what.

+FOOTNOTE (plussed): As per our little perfume education session a couple of weeks ago when I nearly reviewed one of the Fracases (Fracasi?) on its own.

†††FOOTNOTE (whip whip whip): Can't you just see the little tuberose in a PVC corset and stiletto heels wielding a tiny, tuberose-sized whip?

‡‡‡FOOTNOTE (to keep me on track): A very important supporting role, as I can attest from my first year of high school theatre. At least that's what they kept telling me.

§§§FOOTNOTE (ribbony... like this): Because tuberose is not round. No, no, no. Tuberose is like lightning, with spikes and flashes and ribbons -- not sharp, mind you, but definitely not round.

~FOOTNOTE (tilded. I don't think I've ever used a tilde before): And we're back to whimsy.

¶¶¶FOOTNOTE (past present and future): He was disappointed he didn't get them right, but to his credit, he didn't get to smell the rock 'n' roll dry-down.

Strike of the Secret Pal

Long overdue, but... um... the camera, the stairs, the sun was in my eyes...

[SUMMARY: Excuses, excuses.]




My first package from the auspiciously-numbered† Secret Pal 13.%

I did a piss-poor job of photographing, so allow me to narrate:

A skein of Fibra Natura Yummy in colour 41361,‡ some utterly luscious Ghirardelli Twilight§ Delight 72% chocolate squares and a book all y'all knitters recognise.




As is so often the case, the purple on my camera is broken. The in-person purple is much redder and much darker than it looks on my screen.¶

[SUMMARY: The purple of my prose is as washed out as the purple of my camera.]

This tickles me:




I accidentally forgot to turn my flash off for this picture. Doesn't it look like film noir? Alfred Hitchcock's sock yarn?

Remember The Heathers scarf? How much fun we# had posting Heathers quotes every time we# mentioned it?

[SUMMARY: Good times, good times.]

Just wait 'til I start my Hitchcock Socks.

*************

Jade - Olivier Durbano (Bijoux de Pierres Poèmes)

Marin says: There was a LOT going on with this scent.

The first wave was an unpleasant blast of rubbing alcohol,†† which settled into... well, here's the chat version:*

me: I'm trying Durbano Jade.

Weird -- I can't quite pin down what I'm getting, but I keep thinking "ham."

Perhaps one should not test perfumes on an empty stomach.

Partner-in-Crime: ham? sexaaaay maybe something salty and camelized?

ahem

caRmelized

me: I liked camelized.

P-i-C: you would

me: Oh! I got it! It's pine.

With some mildly sweet woody stuff.

P-i-C: yeah, i totally make THAT leap

ham=pine

me: Once the word "ham" popped up, I couldn't get around it.

Yeah, I crack me up.^

Partner-in-Crime was right... something kinda salty, which I generally get with vetivers and something maple-ish, which could be any number of sweet or gourmand notes. I just couldn't stop thinking "ham" once I got it in my head.‡‡

Anyway...

I got something like lime& and... balsam? cedar? next, then licorice flowing into a sweet watercolour of patchouli,§§ with it finishing at a slightly cinamonny cedar.

As awkward as that all sounds, I enjoyed the entire ride.

Olivier Durbano produces the rock poems¶¶ line, including Amethyst, Black Tourmaline+ and Rock Crystal. This is the fourth. At bare minimum, they intrigue me and make me think twice about turning my nose up at fragrances listed as incense.##


The Perfumed Court says: Olivier Durbano Jade has notes of green tea, star anise,$ mint, cardamom, iris, jasmine, Chinese cinnamon,$ amber, patchouli,$ vetiver,$ moss, musk, immortale, mathé.@


†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Of course, any number can be auspicious when you can't count to four.

%FOOTNOTE (percented): For reasons both pretentious and divine, thirteen is my favourite number. You wouldn't have guessed otherwise.

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): I feel sad for the yarn people who number their colourways instead of naming them. I would be thrilled to come up with a name like "Ice Wine" or "Malbec Splash" rather than 41361.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): I checked -- It's not related to the stupid, sparkly vampires.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I'm just a little smug to note the manufacturer's website has a photo that, while better than mine, still misses the mark by a bunch of red.

#FOOTNOTE (pounded): And by "we," I mean, "I."

††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): And now that I've read the purported notes, I believe I caught a little twist of mint in that alcohol phase.

*FOOTNOTE (asterisked -- how conventional): Edited slightly for clarity... not for content.

^FOOTNOTE (careted): And I like to think I entertained P-i-C too.

‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Oh, yeah? You try not thinking about a pink elephant.

&FOOTNOTE (ampresanded): Whoa! Late-breaking epiphany! I think that lime/not-quite-lime is how green tea reads to me. Filing away for future use...

§§FOOTNOTE (patchouli backpedal): Which is to say, "Not big ol' black, camphor-blasted patchouli." This is is a sort of charcoal grey, mildly itchy sweet woody patchouli.

¶¶FOOTNOTE (the ugly Americans rear their heads): My French is a little off.

+FOOTNOTE (plussed, which is the opposite of nonplussed): I coulda SWORN I already reviewed the Black Tourmaline. Loved it. Gotta post it one of these days.

##FOOTNOTE (pounding like a sitar beat): It's that headshopophobia thing I have going.

$FOOTNOTE (on the money!): See? There WAS a lot going on in this fragrance. I'm intrigued by the notes I missed -- gotta give it another go soon.

@FOOTNOTE (atted): Try as I might, I couldn't find anything to link to "mathé." Do you suppose it's like maté tea?

Things I Learned in 2008

Journalistically speaking, it's "lede," not "lead."

Page views still go up every time Tommy makes an appearance.

Intarsia in the round is way harder (or lumpier) than it looked in my head.

The 2008 Broncos aren't worth the knitting they're printed on.

I am a medical rock star.

There are more heels on heaven and earth, Marin, than were dreamt of in your philosophy.

You can put a skull on almost anything.

There is still room in this world for new poker games.

There are no Ns in "dilemma." Yet, there is no particular shame in believing there is.

Perfume is educational.

I want to go to Slovenia. They have pig stamps.

I have a trees vs. forest problem. It's really easy to ignore the big picture when one little, nagging, tiny ping keeps echoing through my head.

If you build it, they may not come anyway.

I'm not as smart as I think I am.

It may take more than one year to make saint.

I really, truly love my job. And my career.

Going dancing is a young person's game.

Open access to up-to-the-minute news is not necessarily a good thing.

Politics can be fun.

Cat for Scale is deaf -- or maybe victim of extreme ear wax. This probably doesn't affect his life much.

Life is too short.

Hans is a really good sport.

Secret Pal 13 Questionnaire

In which I spell "questionnaire" without looking and am inordinately pleased disgusted when I get it right wrong.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Merino, BFL, Cormo, silk, bamboo, cashmere and various combinations thereof. I love alpaca in theory, but it's too warm for anything but maybe accessories. I'm pretty much over big, fuzzy, synthetic novelty yarns and only buy them for very specific projects. Generally, plant fibres hurt my hands when they're not mixed with lovely wool.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

On the floor, in a box, on a table, under the chair, in the packages they came in, inside a project bag, in the UFOs they support...

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

Mom taught me almost exactly 31 years ago. I'd say I'm intermediate/advanced -- I *can* knit anything (I'm convinced), but I'm not so much a process knitter that I want to knit difficult things just to prove I can.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Nope. If that really bothers you, I can cobble something together.

5. What's your favorite scent?

Cedar. Lime. Clove. Cardamom. Numerous others. In candles, pumpkin spice and wintery, piney things. It can be a mood thing, too.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Sort of. I'm getting pickier all the time -- dark chocolate, real caramels and salt mixed with sweet or chocolate tempered with nuts are my druthers. ETA: And, thanks to the Dracula swap package discussed in tomorrow's post, I remember how much I like those old-fashioned striped stick candies in all the cool flavours -- raspberry, peppermint, root beer, grape, cinnamon, orange, cherry...

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I putter through various hobbies as the mood strikes me - origami, stained glass, things with beads, warm glass, sewing. I do not, however, spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

Not country. Not jazz. Rush, Neil Diamond, Blue Oyster Cult and The Sisters of Mercy are probably in my top twenty favourite all-time acts, if that gives you an idea. I can play almost music format.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Purple, chocolate brown, rich red, almost any green. On the other hand, yellow. There are very few yellows I like -- and I like orange, but only dark orange tending toward the red.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live with a cat. Just me and the cat. You had to make me say that out loud, didn't you?

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

In order of frequency: Scarves, mittens, hats (every day it's cold, when it's really cold, when I'm going to be outside a long time and I don't care that my hair will turn into a dandelion clock, respectively). Never, ever ponchos. I have bad poncho memories from childhood.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Socks, scarves, lace.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Sockse, scarves, lace.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes, please!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circulars -- I rarely even use DPNs, as I'm very fond of the two circular needles thing. Generally I prefer aluminum and I kinda hate plastic.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Very, very old. At least a couple of years. Maybe more.

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?

Halloween. I observe Christmas, but only in the crassest consumer way. Well, not entirely true -- it's the best time of year for family togetherness, but I'm not religous by any stretch.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Skulls, orchids, dragonflies, bath stuff, pigs, perfume samples, dust.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I subscribe to Interweave Knits and Piecework. I have a ton of books and buy many of the big ones as they come out (perhaps I should have included "knitting books" on the last question). There is one pattern I'm itching for, but because it isn't available for download (and I can't see paying $5 to ship a $5 pattern), I haven't got it for myself yet: the Playing in the Leaves pattern set from Heartstrings.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Not that I can think of. Lace knitting is pretty satisfying as process knitting for me. OH! I may have lied. Knitting with beads is intriguing (have you seen Jung at Heart's work?) but I'm somewhere between intimidated and unmotivated to actually do anything about it.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Yes I am. I don't know -- I'm a Women's 8 1/2 long.

23. When is your birthday?

June 27. You're off the hook.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

Yep! TheAntiM, oddly enough.

Just Like Christmas

I got my Secret Pal package! Saturday!@

Because I'm really nice,† I'm going to share.‡

My spoiler was Helen from Alabama. And I was right. She *does* sing.%

First, an overview -- there's some Addi lace needles and... huh... you can't see the bath salts, but they're there, they probably ended up behind something, there's a copy of the Knitter's Almanac and a nice bookmark.§




Oh, but that's not all. Some things require a close-up:





Brown Sheep Wildfoote sock yarn in Rhapsody and Mountain Colors Mountain Goat in Wild Raspberry.




Skull tattoos... dozens and dozens of 'em.




A knit bag¶ with a lovely lining.




I tried hard not to tear the Alice in Wonderland paper, but there was *tape*.




Lookie! I got a scarf! It's, like, nine or ten feet long, which puts it in Dr. Who territory.^




And a toilet brush!

It's really a toss-up as to which of the scarf and the toilet brush is my favourite. Nobody but my mom ever knit me anything, and the hat and scarf she knit for me are long gone. It's just really cool to have something hand-knit of my own.

On the other hand, how cool is a skull-encrusted toilet brush set? And it comes with a funny story: The handle of the brush screws into the brush part. When I opened the box and started pulling stuff out,# I pulled out a tissue-wrapped bundle that contained... a toilet brush.

And I looked at it.

And I wondered.

And I decided Secret Pal Helen certainly deserved the benefit of the doubt, but still secretly wondered if she had accidentally wrapped a replacement toilet brush up and was even now wondering how she was going to get her toilet clean with a needle gauge or a box of tea or some such.

I pulled out a skull-laden candle holder,†† but it wasn't until I came across the skull-topped magic wand†† that the lightbulb went off.

Almost as good as Nintendo, I tell you, putting the pieces of that puzzle together.

Thanks, Helen! And thank you for all your comments too -- it's been great getting to know you.
*************

I'm doing Week 3 of the pushups over again. I had some lame moments, both literally and figuratively, in the last round. I'll let you know how that goes when I actually START Week 3, part 2.

*************

Sublime Balkiss - The Different Company

Marin says: A shriek of grapefruit over a solid base of a warm-but-not-sweet wood. The wood smells like teak looks. And the shriek fades away quickly to a kind of bitter, herbal, green smell.
In the spirit of a hell of a roll-out, a warm, powdery ambery scent - very light - wraps around it.

Then the oddest WTF blurt of plastic and sour citrus. It's one of those I keep sniffing every few minutes because it develops so intriguingly. I'm not sure if, ultimately, it's all that wearable for me.

I'll definitely give it a fresh shot on another day.

TPC says: Sublime Balkiss is named for the Queen of Sheba. The Different Company describes it as a modern chypre fragrance without oakmoss (real or synthetic) or animal-derived raw materials.

Created by Celine Ellena, it has notes of the traditional patchouli, a modified modern patchouli which emphasizes the cocoa powder notes, bergamot,$ violet,$ black and purple berries,? blueberry, blackberry, blackcurrant, lily of the valley, rose and lilac.

Hans says: That smells like swimming pool. [Second sniff] Earthy. Like vegetable-y... like roots, not dirt. [Much later] Elephant.

‡‡§§¶¶##
@FOOTNOTE (atted): 'Cause, you know, didn't check the mail 'til Monday, had to take pictures, small delay, all is well. *ahem*

†FOOTNOTE (crossed): I feel you snickering, Brother. I know where you live.

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Well, I mean I'm going to show-and-tell share. I'd guess I won't be distributing any goodies anytime soon. I'm not *that* nice.

%FOOTNOTE (percented): More than just for my birthday, that is.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): With a mermaid.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I really love the gold yarn on the bag, Helen. What is it?

^FOOTNOTE (careted): The old Dr. Who. I haven't so much noticed David Tennat wearing a long, stripey scarf.

#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Not at all like a kid at Christmas.

††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Or so it seemed.

$FOOTNOTE (on the money): Ha! Sort of got one! OK, bergamot is a bitter orange, so it could read grapefruit and violet always has a sort of plastic/petroleum product air to it. So I'm giving myself some credit. Shut up.

?FOOTNOTE (WTF?): I so did not get any kind of berries.

Secret Pal 12 Question 13...

...and, um, 14 through 17, apparently.

If you were told you could never again buy yarn, would would your last yarn purchase be?

Sheesh, I dunno. The anxiety I feel over that question† is somewhat mitigated by the comfort of knowing just how much yarn I have at home.‡

I'm not sure what the spirit of the question is -- do the PTB want to know what one single yarn I would buy? Or just how excessive and/or logical I would become?

If someone said, "Marin, all the yarn shops are closing tomorrow and they wouldn't take your money anyway," I'd buy a bunch of laceweight§ -- probably some nice alpaca and cashmere¶; a bunch of sweaters' worth# of nice wool and Therapi††; Shibui, Noro and Red Rocks Fiber Works sock yarn.

If you were told you could never knit again, what would be the last thing you’d knit??

I'd probably tackle a big, gorgeous lace shawl with an edging and all kinds of stuff I've been reading about but never got around to.

In a given year, how many times do you buy yarn?

There is no way to answer that question. My yarn-buying habits have no rhyme, reason, season or schedule. Which makes them not habits, I guess.

Who thought up this question? Do you know anyone who can answer that effectively?‡‡

And what is your favorite place to buy yarn from? A festival? A shop? Online? Dish your favorite places!§§

Knit Picks and Elann for when I need basic yarns.¶¶ Posh## for almost everything else, with the occasional forays into Knit/Purl or etsy shops for exotic yarn that makes me feel good 'cause it shows up in the mail and makes going to the mailbox worthwhile.

Lastly, with Fall in full swing in many areas, what is the one thing you look forward to most?

Pumpkins.

Pumpkin bread, pumpkin beer, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spices, pumpkin seeds, jack o' lanterns...
*************

We slacked off ever so slightly last week, but we did our push up assessment and I did 24@ good push ups.%

Of course, my partner in crime did thirty-fucking-five first round of the third week when she only had to do twenty-five... show off.^

Competition may be good for some of us. I plan to do thirty-five in my last set tonight just to show her.&

*************
I actually have several perfumes saved up in my spreadsheet,††† all sniffed and sussed and ready to present to you.

Without further ado...

French Love - Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (Bewitching Brews, the Conjure Bag)

Marin says: Non-descript floral and very bright fruit. I'm going to stop saying "kool-aid" and find some other synthetic, neon fruit analog. Perhaps jello? There's always room for jello.‡‡‡

It gets considerably duller in the roll-out (such as it is),§§§ with a sweet, slightly powdery density... and still a hint of jello.

BPAL says: A warm, soft, sexual blend.¶¶¶ Sweet and alluring. Used to entice new lovers and add an aura of temptation and carnal sin to your environment.###

Hans says: That's pretty floral. And kinda like kool-aid.††††


†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Why? What have you heard?

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Lots. Lots of yarn. So much it has its own replacement value under my contents insurance.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Big, fancy projects, satisfyingly large yardage numbers.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Thin should be elegant. If it's just thin for the sake of thin, it's like fucking an ironing board. Hmmmmm... maybe that doesn't apply to yarn as well as it does to people.

#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Sweaters are big projects and if I changed my mind, I could use the yarn for several scarves and hats.

††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Yarn of rocks!

‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): I don't want to meet that person. He or she is too tightly wound for my floppy little world.

§§FOOTNOTE (turn it around): This had two exclamation points. Drove me crazy. Journalism taught me the only reason to use multiple bangs is for comic effect. I don't think this is funny.

¶¶FOOTNOTE (one foot in front of the other): Solid colour, worsted weight, probably superwash.

##FOOTNOTE (goin' to the pound): Sylvia's House of Fuzzy Crack.

@FOOTNOTE (atted): 24!

I know what I said about exclamation points. I have always been a self-serving grammar hypocrite.

%FOOTNOTE (percented): I am a complete stickler for form and distance. I think I did 27, but couldn't keep my butt out of the last three.

^FOOTNOTE (careted): Another tangent: I started giggling because my college boyfriend (oddly, the same one that used to use the ironing board line quoted above... it's a big day for the college boyfriend) used to say, "Show off! Do some push ups... it'll go away" whenever I'd best him on something. Yes, that's a dick joke.

&FOOTNOTE (ampersanded): Nyah-nyah-nyah.

†††FOOTNOTE (three! Three beautiful crosses! Mwahahahaha! *kkkchh* *EeeEeeEee*[lightning and bats - it works better in person]): Yes, there's a spreadsheet.

‡‡‡FOOTNOTE (I've been working on the railroad): Tangent: At a housewarming party this weekend, some of my old-line guy friends were talking about a guy's night out. Somewhere along the line, my name came up.

"Hey, if I'm invited, I'll be there."

"Of course," said Jack, "You're like jello. There's always room for Marin."

"Awww. That's really nice."

"Oh, he says that about you a lot," said Jen, Jack's wife. "Marin is like jello. We always have room for Marin."

Made my whole week.

§§§FOOTNOTE (180... 360... 540?): I'm fine-tuning my terminology. Not necessarily to fit terminology standards, but for my own thought process. See, most things you put on your wrist in the name of scent will change over time. Bits will fade. Some fade faster than other. I think of roll-out as an almost architectural exercise by the author of the perfume: it changes over time, but it is built to change -- probably in a particular way. It isn't just a matter of subtracting one note after the other until there's only the stickiest scent left. The oils tend to have that "survival of the fittest" deletion of elements, rather than what I think of as a true roll-out.

¶¶¶FOOTNOTE (footprints): WHAT?!

###FOOTNOTE (pound it... make it 'splode): At least you know why I bought it in the first place. I'm always looking to entice new lovers and add an aura of temptation and carnal sin to my environment.

††††FOOTNOTE (is this a record?): In case you think this has become overly-collaborative, there is a very strict code we follow in huffing scents: I grab a bunch of samples and put them on my desk at work. I pull those names from my spreadsheet and put them on a separate page with no notes or reviews to guide me. Hans and I pick from that list randomly. I put the stuff on and write my review. I take it to Hans and note his review. The object of the game is for both Hans and I to come up with our own uninfluenced assessments.

Sometimes, "kool-aid" is the only term that works.

Locomotivation

Which means nothing.†

I just kinda liked the word and thought it would look cool popping up over there on the right with the other blogtitles.‡

Here's what I have for you today:

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Like that's news.

[SUMMARY: And the grapes would be sour anyway.]

It's probably largely due to my complete lack of clarity. Two things everybody should know:

1. Secret Pal sent me enough roll-on patchouli to glaze the streets of Denver and keep the hippies happy... and keep me in a state of half-lidded sexual limbo for weeks. Thank you, Secret Pal! I'll be getting more batteries on my lunch hour!


2. The next Vampirates sweater will not be for Tallest, Hairiest Nephew's brother... it will be for Brother. Capital B. As in my brother. As in 6'2" and I wish he'd stop working out so I wasn't contemplating a township of black stockinette.§ That's why I need your support for the idea I can finish it in four months.¶

See? If I just took the marbles out of my mouth, y'all would know what I was talking about.

[SUMMARY: You get what you pay for.]

I'm sure my blogvalue will drop like a Pinto's transmission when the blogiverse gets word that Hans isn't here today.#
*************
Indonesian Patchouli - Yakshi (oil - from Secret Pal)

Marin says: Proving that, like roses,†† different patchoulis have different scents. I'm loving the idea of discovering new concepts out of old ideas.

This version educates me in notes I'd only vaguely noticed and never really put a name to before: licorice, bitter chocolate, benzene.

Usually, patchouli has an black soil base with an overlay of twigs and leaves and tiny, white flowers. This has nothing botanical that I can suss out. It's deeper, rounder and blackter than usual,‡‡ and the scent clings tightly to my wrist... I can't smell it when I'm typing, but the scent doesn't fade even after hours of wear, which makes it kind of personal.

Yakshi says: Indonesian Patchouli finds its strength from the islands of Indonesia. Imagine the heavy, distinct scent wrapping you in a fragrance reminiscent of an exotic Balinese dancer. Fabulous fingers of fragrance evoking a strong, irresistible scent.

Hans says: *cricketcricketcricket*


†FOOTNOTE (crossed): Unless you read it as "lack-o-motivation," in which case you'd be on the right track. Heh. Track... trains... locomotive... sorry.

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): Because it is better to look good than to write good, darling.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Not that there's anybody I'd rather knit acreage in stockinette for.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): Particularly given that I haven't been able to get two teeny-tiny little Arrrgyle socks done in nearly two years.

#FOOTNOTE (pounded): Funny Hans story: He just called to ask me to look up a couple of wells for him, as he wasn't finding the information he was hoping for at the county courthouse in beautiful downtown Lusk. Turns out the boss sent him to the wrong county. Now Hans has to drag his sweet ass (his words) to even beautifuller Douglas, Wyoming, where the wells actually live.

If I get to Reno next week and find I was supposed to be in Honolulu...

††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): Speaking of roses, I am currently reading The Emeperor of Scent by Chandler Burr, and there is a footnote in the book (yay, footnotes!) that every variety of rose has a distinct scent all its own.

DNC - Reduce, Re-use, Recycle

I took about 106 pictures.

This is a little less than half.† If you click on them, they'll get big.

They weave their way through the odd maintenance of the downtown fire hydrants‡ and the poorly-conceived parking lot price gouging.§

They tour the media blitz, the tourists and the fervent political pamphlet passers.¶

They skip across the political spectrum from scary to scary on the infrared and ultra-violet ends and a whole lot of in between.

We learned to look at motorcades as our daily due. We watched people hail taxis on street corners.# We watched the blossoming and fading of a whole new world of entrepreneurship.††

Pedicabs came from all over the country. Cops came from all over the state. Helicopters came from... well, presumably from hell and Channel 9.

Downtown was lousy with twinkle lights, bikes, bunting, celebrities,@ senators, balloons, buttons, hybrids, red carpets, pedicabs, riot gear, TiVi cameras, personal cameras, propaganda, flags, signs and just plain people.
























Despite all previous apprehension,‡‡ it was a fantastic experience.

My icy, cynical heart is all warm and gooey about the way my city handled this. I was amazed at how polite and cheerful and civilised everybody was.§§ I was grateful the disruptive rioters didn't put up much of a front.¶¶ I was delighted with the energy.##

As dumb as it is, the fact that our very own 'hood, the walking villa with the great restaurants and friendly bars, the mecca of boutique shopping, made national news at more than one outlet for being a "can't miss" slice of Denverana%... well, I'm proud.^

I wanna do it again.†††
*************

Fetish - Neil Morris (Vault) - (edp)

Marin says: This is another one that feels a little like I shouldn't like it -- maybe a little too head shop, maybe a little too amber-and-vanilla. But I *do* like it.

I get a strong undercurrent of patchouli (the dirty kind). The waft is pure amber/incense, but it gets more complex if you get closer. There's a lot going on... copper? Vanilla? Something astringent?

Ooooh, an hour in, there's a good, solid dry wood -- not as sharp and tangy as fresh-cut pine, but maybe a weathered pine log.

Neil Morris says: A warm blend of Myrrh,$ Ambergris, Rosewood, Musk, Oud, Leather,$ Benzoin$ and Patchouli.$

The Perfumed Court says: ...Fetish has notes of Carnation, Benzoin Absolute, Rosewood, Musk, Ambergris, Leather and is a great dark scent.

Hans says: I definitely get a whiff of baby powder, but there's something else. Like... air. Rain air.

†FOOTNOTE (crossed): You're welcome.

‡FOOTNOTE (double-crossed): A few weeks ago, it was the new locking tops. Then on Monday, they opened them up then went out into the street to do something underground. I think it was very nice of them to test the system before the riots.

§FOOTNOTE (swerved): Usually $9 a day, the lot jumped to $25 a day. Nobody parked there except a couple of monthly parkers. It was $25 when Hans and I went to lunch. It was $25 when we came back from lunch. By the time we got up to our offices, it was down to $9 again. Lesson apparently learned.

¶FOOTNOTE (paragraphed): I collected a LOT of pamphlets. I made a point of it. In fact, some of the pamphleteers were suspicious of my enthusiasm for their products.

#FOOTNOTE (pounded): *Nobody* hails a cab in Denver. You call for cabs in Denver. It shocked the hell out of some of the cabbies. By the end of the week, they were responding like pros.

††FOOTNOTE (ddouble-ccrossed): And more Barack-rock puns than you can shake a donkey at.

@FOOTNOTE (atted): Alicia from the office was stalking celebrities. She had binoculars in the empty office that looks over to the Brown Palace. That's her celebrity sighting board in the pictures.

‡‡FOOTNOTE (doubble-crossssed): Read: bitching. Or, as we like to say, "Breezing."

§§FOOTNOTE (whirlwind political tour): People mostly watched where they were going, and when they didn't, they said, "Excuse me." I can't even get that at my local grocery store. It was totally impressive. I'm not a big fan of Obama, but I did feel a twinge of hope all my own.

¶¶FOOTNOTE (fists raised in triumph): More tear gas would have sucked.

##FOOTNOTE (Give us a pound! Make it 'splode!): Like NYC, only actively friendly. And sunny.

%FOOTNOTE (percented): Pertaining to America = Americana. Pertaining to Denver = Denverana.

^FOOTNOTE (careted): The fact that it will probably boost housing values is just icing on the pride cake.

†††FOOTNOTE (not as cross as I look): Like a small child on her first merry-go-round ride: "Again! Do it again!"

$FOOTNOTE (on the money): I'm giving myself a lot of credit here. I'm saying the benzoin is the astringent part, the myrrh is a classic incense component and every time I think copper there's leather involved. So maybe two points -- a half for each note. But a full point for patchouli.

Speaking of patchouli, I got a big ol' patchouli roll-on from Secret Pal out of the mailbox this morning. Thanks, Secret Pal!