和 敬 西 洋

I'm going to give this month's challenge a shot, now that I'm on a computer that boots and runs consistently. ^_^ (Details to be had at gurdymonkey's LJ.)

"BPAL test runs"

The scent of amber,
And vanilla, and dark musk,
And leather and rose,
Have made me the candidate
For a cleansing hot shower.


(You know it's time to rinse off when you've run out of test areas you can reach with your nose...)

Yesterday and today went much better than expected - no fights to speak of (though there were a few moments where screaming was sorely tempting). I drank a lot - about 8 glasses of wine, total. (Prosecco may be trendy, but it's not all that good. I'll stick to riesling, thanks.) And I can hold my liquor pretty well, given that I wasn't knocking it back like a frat boy - one glass every thirty or so minutes had me nicely toasted by dinnertime. :) [And dinner went well - Mom complained about the timing because she's out of practice, but the food was all hot when we sat down to eat, so I don't really see a problem.] We never did make it to midnight mass - Mom and I were both dead on our feet by 11, and since our cousin Elma didn't go home until 11:30, we opted to just rinse dishes and give up for the night. I slept until noon; good thing Christmas Day is a lazy holiday around here - I was still the first one out of bed, just like every one of the past twenty-some years. :P

If you want a good, simple potato recipe, hop on foodnetwork.com and look for the Jacque Pepin-style potatoes that Rachel Ray does. (You do want to use the small potatoes, though - we had slightly larger ones yesterday and they took MUCH longer to cook.) Nummers. (Also, a simple salmon spread for crackers: one large can of red salmon, one block of neufchatel or cream cheese, a dash of liquid smoke (or use a large can of smoked salmon, and you can nix the liquid smoke addition). Mix and let sit in the fridge so the flavors meld - ideally, we do this the night before we intend to serve it. Garnish with finely minced chives, if you're feeling swank. Serve with triscuits, wheat thins, whatever catches your fancy. The red salmon looks better than the pink - less washed-out in color - but tastes the same.)

Presents were good - lots of obiage and obijime for me, plus a cute purple newsie cap and sleeveless turtleneck (no surprises - Mom went shopping with me at Kyoei because I know what I have and don't have, so we agreed on a budget and left it at that). She liked her iPod* and sudoku book and spice spoons (oblong measuring spoons that fit into little jars - good gift for the foodie that cooks a lot). We couldn't continue the tradition of coffee cake and champagne, as we had no luck finding the Sara Lee coffee cake we usually get, but the "apple blossoms" (Safeway brand) were a nice substitute - flaky pastry and apples with a crumb topping. Heat and serve. :) Freixenet champagne is the way to go. :)

I got Pitelka's newest book on Tea pottery from brother Mark, so now I need to find an excuse to go up to Oxy and harass him for an autograph or something. :) I still need to save up the $$$ for his older book that I used and abused for my thesis, which is crazy-expensive because it wasn't put out by a major press company, just an academic print run. (Supply and demand, sometimes I hate you.) Davil, we haven't heard from you in ages - if I have to plot a surprise road trip, you can bet I'm going to shortsheet your bed and bring some Grape-Nuts, just to make sure I've done my irritating-little-sisterly duty.

Watched Kung-Fu Panda a little while ago. Silly-cute movie. Did some sewing, but rapidly lost interest in continuing after frying my index finger on the side of the iron - while it was set to 'Linen'. Did you know the next phase after that smooth one on a burn is puckering? It looks like I was trying to make jerky. o.O: Yeah. I'll try working on my crafty stuff again tomorrow (yay four-day weekend!). Perhaps I should invest in one of those Ov-Glove(TM) things for when I need to press something.

'Moon of the Terrible' is, unlike its name implies, quite not-terrible at all on. Not overpoweringly floral, with a sweet undertone. I quite like it, and am glad I placed such an impulse purchase. [Also, freebie shipping upgrade! Woot. Got it yesterday before noon.] (Butter Rum Cookie is nice, but it becomes rancid Butter Rum Cookie by the next morning if you're not careful. Couldn't figure out right away why I smelled like spoiled cookie dough when I woke up this morning...) I also have the resurrected Snake Charmer to try out - my imp of the original is a bit aged, and while it doesn't smell bad or off, it's a much more potent scent now than the fresh oil. I think the fresh oil may work better. I'll have to use up the imp in the tub sometime. Waste not, yadda yadda. (I am currently battling my impulse demons over going back on the Villainess website to order more sugar scrub. ursulav was right about the scrub being a huge help against ingrown hairs from shaving... My bikini line hasn't been this smooth in YEARS. Also, I am ridiculously fond of scented bath products, much moreso than lotions or sprays. I wish the BPAL Trading Post weren't so spendy, or I'd get their things, too, like the bath oils... )


Now, if only this splitting headache would leave me the hell alone... I'd be in a pretty damn good place**. Stupid headache. (Tried the hot-shower-and-tea route. No dice. Took two (behind-the-counter, tracked-by-the-gub'mint) Sudafed and two Advil. I now have a medicine-head feeling somewhere under the blinding pain around my right eye. Next step is two Excedrin migraine and two antihistamine. After that... will probably be more painkillers and a few shots of rum, as I lack the loaded revolver necessary to put me out of my misery. Oy.)



* The newest generation of shuffles charges in, like, ten minutes. I am all kinds of jealous - mine takes forEVER.
** It's still the holiday season, so I'm not going to hold my breath when it comes to limitless joy, etc. That's just expecting a bit much.

It's funny, but I've been so used to the massive blue chair and the other chair(s) crammed into the office for so long that stepping in today, I had to stop and gather my thoughts a moment, because I was certain i'd walked into the wrong room. There's open space in the middle. A single chair. The desk is visible. It's downright WEIRD. (Admittedly, there are still mountains of crap stuffed into corners, nooks, and under everything that has a level surface, but still...)

In other news, I have Tea tomorrow, and while i managed to spend some productive time in class tonight doing some stitching and seam adjusting, I know that there will be further provocation about those damned vests. Because it's SO HARD to have one vest when only one student can do temae at a time anyway. (We're not going to get into the whole thing about it being my vest in the first place, because I took the one with looser seams and needing repairs home to try and duplicate, and trying to switch them back made it clear that Sensei had decided what's mine is hers and what's hers is hers. Not a battle I want to revisit anytime soon.)

Today was one of those days where it was just as well I'm lacking ambition, because the urge to get my grubby paws on a high-powered rifle and a rooftop was pretty damn overwhelming by the time 5:30 rolled around. At least sewing class was mostly relaxing - I didn't do too miserably on the apron project, and aside from forgetting to clip and grade seams, did okay at 46/50 possible points. Next time is a pillow project and a field trip to the store, I think. Then tote bags, then the class is pretty much over. No Intermediate will be offered at a time I can make it, sadly, or I'd take the next level this fall. I intend to email the department chair and suggest that maybe an evening time for those of us who can't take daytime hours off regularly would be SUPER nice to have...

Got my wide-enough kimono in the mail today, and it does indeed fit me from almost wrist to wrist AND wraps the hips properly. It is not silk, however, as the auction said, but a very stiff polyester. Still, it's a nice, not-iromuji kimono in a color I can wear, so huzzah for that.

I also got my big, once-yearly BPAL order. ^___^ I was finding every excuse I could today to test a scent, then go wash my arms clean and test another... And the frimp of Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo is giving me a cherry bubblegum mojo headache. I think that will be a scent that goes on the wrists, away from the face. I'll have to go through the rest of the frimps - most of them don't sound remotely familiar to me, so I'll be looking them up and posting notes at some point in the future. (I've pretty much given up on my wishlist, simply because it lists about two-thirds of the general catalogue. Unless a frimp catches my fancy like whoa and I must order a 5ml[eleventy!!1], I think I'm done with the imp orders for a long while. ) I do need a bigger 5ml bottle box, though - I've got three smaller ones, now. Hm. (I wonder if OCC offers woodshop in the fall. o.O:)

I do hope tomorrow does not end up an aggravating day - my diplomacy and tact tanks are running on fumes right now.

HANAMI
Sleeping under the trees on Yoshino mountain
The spring breeze wearing cherry blossom petals

In Japan, the advent of spring is heralded by a blanket of pink and white that spreads gently from the South to the North to cover the islands. Hana-mi translates to "flower watching", and it is a sport of leisure that has been enjoyed since the Heian Period.

A scent of peace, reflection, and renewal of the spirit: sakura, ume blossoms, and wisteria.



I am IN LUST with this scent. It's one of those florals that doesn't hit me square in the nose because it isn't made up of the heady ones like jasmine. It's mild and feminine and soft and I luffs it. Oh yessss, this one is very much a keeper.

[Also got frimped Black Opal and Le Bijoux. Will try those later. At least the Bijoux one; I think I've tried and liked Black Opal before. I think. Dun' remember.]

---
Also, lousiest wake-up call in the world? When you're half-awake coming out of some dream or other, and notice that it's way before your alarm, so you decide to roll over and go back to sleep, but something crawly skitters right across your bare shoulders? O___O:: Yeah, I've been awake since 5:30 today. SUCK.

Laid flat with a sinus headache since 6am, that decided to team up with some sort of stomach bug. I wasn't able to keep food down until about 4ish this afternoon, and I'm still not entirely sure if I'm nauseous or hungry ar the moment, though I had some success with toast. [I am SO GLAD today was a holiday, which saved me from using my PTO at work.]

Still have the headache, though - my attempts at keeping down advil and sudafed failed miserably.

Also, I finally caved and used one of my imps in my bath soak (if I'm going to spend upwards of 7 hours of the day sitting in hot water because it's the only thing that works to keep the headache and stomach issues at bay, well, if not now, when?) by sprinkling baking soda, epsom salt, and my half-imp of Aizen-Myoo into the tub (no real measurements, though it was probably a tablespoon of baking soda and two of the epsom salts). It's MUCH nicer as a soak than a perfume - the citrus is pleasant and the other notes don't become overpowering. I'll have to try it again with some others the next time I plan to sit in the tub until prunes look younger than me.

I also need to try and sew tonight. Key word being TRY.

Edit: Managed to hunker down and finish one of the tea vest prototypes I've had pinned for months. [I gave up on the idea of elastic for the fukusa to tuck into, and will just use the waistband instead. We'll see how that goes.) While what we've gone over in sewing class isn't necessarily new or groundbreaking (different seam finishes and stitch lengths, etc) - it's nice to sit down and *know* that I need to backstitch a few times and then run a standard length stitch, backstitching at the other end when I get to it.
Lordy, I'm tired. >.< I've spent most of the day asleep or in an unmoving state, and I just want to sleep MORE. Ugh-ugh-ugh! And my head still hurts. ;_;

Mrfle.
Wearing Eclipse today.  Nice, but not the 'mood' I was going for with the scent of choice today.
I need to get back into my BPAL habit. I blame the Lupercalia update for this, because I want ALL of those LEs this time around. Oy.
--

Had a good day at work yesterday - got the annual increase (and while it's nothing large, it's SOMETHING) numbers, and asked for more work because I hate having down time or projects that don't engage my brain at all (I go home angry and frustrated when I didn't get to do anything during the day). I also found that it will probably take me two-ish years to get my license (and then I'll need 50 hours of continuing education credits per year for a while), but designations are a little easier to come by, so I'll aim for those first, like AIS. That one's pretty do-able.

Unbelted is tomorrow, and in the spirit of being presentable and put together as a somewhat late New Year's resolution, I will be buying myself a white DuRag tonight to go on under my veil to hide my garishly short modern hair (and give my veil something to pin to if I forget to wear a circlet). I will also probably put on a bit of makeup, because I've found that even just a coat of mascara and some lipgloss does wonders for looking less and less like the walking undead.  (And in this vein, I also need to pick up Crest Whitestrips, because ew, my teeth are naturally yellow.)

I have an imp of "Tears" and can't find it in the catalogue. It's just odd enough that I REALLY want to know whatinheck the notes are in it. Any ideas??


In other news, I smell like a perfume factory exploded on me. Oops. :D Y'ha-Nthlei and Verdandi on one arm, Moon Rose on the other, F-5 on my tummy (it's hot, it smelled cool... there was logic in that at some point), Tears on my shoulder [a bad country song, I believe]...

Yeah. You can smell me from orbit. o.o;

Hahahahaha!

Thanks for that link, topknot.


In other news, got my latest BPAL today. Sportive Sun smells warm. That's about as far as i've ponderd it. And because it's hot and I'm bored, my left tit smells like Bloodlust and my right tit smells like Omen. Frimps + boredom = good times. Sadly, I was not nearly so creative with Sportive Sun - that's just on my left forearm. Boooooring.


*wanders off to add to the cowboy Harlequinne*

Wearing Polyhymnia today. Nice scent, sort of a not-unpleasantly-powdery floral.

Wore Black Opal yesterday - I can detect vanilla in it, but that's about it. It's a nice scent, though, and has very little throw, so it's good for work.

Dragon's Milk - not quite the Krispy Kreme glaze result Naamah reported on Bat_cheva, but it's warm and reminds me rather of some variety of a chai latte - spicy and yummers, but not too sharp.

Sudha Segara is a good cuddle-up scent, like a very mellowed incarnation of Milk Moon 07.

I've found that most of what came this order I quite like. Moon Rose I'm still leery of trying, because my skin tends to turn rose scents into something like the slap of a gauntlet in both throw and rank stench. Not so fun. (And for all I'm hoping to find a scent that is blended in a way that avoids this result, I'm not having much luck.)

Been a while since I updated with Labbie stuff.

Got my order today - the Lab's shipping at lightning-fast speed, because I placed it on the first of the month - eleven days. o.O:::


Ordered Gibbous Moon and an imp pack, and got a handful of frimpies. Bon Vivant, Moon Rose, Sudha Segara, Black Opal, Dana O'Shee, and Dragon's Milk, with Loup Garou, Polyhymnia, Van Van, and Tempest as frimps. My eBay winnings of Holiday Moon should arrive soon, too, to sweeten the deal. I do believe this is about as close to instant Lab gratification as there is, short of storming their Hollywood location during a Will Call.


Also, Naamah, I got your pakijj and blanked on letting you know. My bad, and thank you! <3 I need to remember to get myself a box one of these days to send you my half of the bargain. :D Of course, you know me, and I'll probably have it in the mail by Thanksgiving.

I've got a dab of Gibbous Moon on right now, and on me, it's a very soft, feminine floral, about as sensual as florals can get on me. I will DEFINITELY have to write down the notes in it. I think the cucumber keeps it from being a headache-y intense floral. But it is rapidly shaping up to be my flirty-girly scent du jour. (Versus, say, coming-off-a-bender smutty, like Litha.)


Seriously debating ordering the Strident Sun blend before it's taken down Sunday, but I don't trust that it's going to work with my skin. Ponderponder.

I'm certain there's a real update somewhere up the pike, but for now, it's Lab ramblies. I'm off to write my own tasteless Harlequinne Historical now. Tah! (Been the first time I've picked up a book for pure reading pleasure since the summer of 2000, if that gives you an idea of how low I'm willing to sink to slake that thirst. Good GOD I've missed the printed word.)