But I’m gonna tell you anyway, because I am …well, I just have to, okay? So…I’d planned to do a really lovely, in-depth review of Liz Zorn’s/Soivohle Carpathian Oud. I love the cologne – it’s dark and dank and resinous, but with a floral heart that lifts the whole thing into a realm of startling beauty. I was going to make comparisons to the carriage scene in Van Helsing (which is the only scene in the movie that I remember – and that’s sad..because HUGH JACKMAN is in that movie)….I was also going to talk about my early experiences with Underworld…but here’s what happened:
1. I am in some Work Crazy. It’s Mercury. I’m blaming Mercury. It’s like talking to Venusians.
2. It got cold. Fast. 35F drop in 14hrs. That’s just ridiculous. And we still don’t have the nesting box insulated (because if I ask El O to do anything he simply Cannot/Will not do it. Perhaps I should’ve said ‘hey! you know…it’s a really stupid idea to insulate the nesting box where the eggs are going to be sitting in the sub-zero temps. We don’t need the eggs. Let’s just LET THEM FREEZE!” So I’ve been dealing with frozen eggs and a really bad attitude.
ps. did you know that chickens don’t mind cold – but they don’t like snow? I didn’t – but I do now! LOL! They fly as far as they can (about 30′) to avoid getting their feet in the snow. Weird, because they don’t seem to care much about rain….huh.. I have so much to learn
3. Because it got cold. Fast. I had to turn on the heat. My sinuses are shot. So anything more in-depth for Carpathian Oud than I’d already done was off the table. I really need to move back to CA. Forever.
4. My back is out (sciatica) – all twisted up like a pretzel. Some lengthening yoga is helping but you know how pain basically colors your entire existence? Yeah, that.
So…in lieu of an actual review I’m going to tell you about a couple of things I’ve been doing/smelling(ish)/etc
1. Get thee some Carpathian Oud. Seriously. I am not an Oud Lover – and I LOVE this. I love the cologne. The demi-absolute is a bit less floral (okay, NO floral) and it’s too oud-y for me. The cologne is a perfect balance. Liz has a great blog post on it here. I’m not a fan of vampires (more of a werewolf gal, meself) or Gary Oldman but I understand the attraction and hers is a glorious homage. She is a true artist.
2. I was in N-M, checking out their new Beauty department. It’s really lovely, though tucked back in the corner, behind the handbags…what is it with the handbags now front and center in so many department stores? In ‘my’ day, Beauty was the leader,at the front of the store, as it is so often an impulse purchase. Have I crabbed about this before? It sounds familiar. If so, forgive me. But…handbags? I’ll do the Immediate Gratification Thing about a $20 lippie or be talked into a new moisturizer in a heartbeat…but I have never bought a Valextra ‘on impulse’. Yet, more and more, I find myself having to navigate through the Nancy Gonzales exotics to get my Beauty fix – and often it’s just not worth the hassle…or it flies out of my tiny little mind altogether. Another downside to this ‘front and center’ing of handbags?? Even really upscale shops like Barneys are now locking up their bags! Oh, the humanity!!! It’s very off-putting, having to have an SA a) go get a key, b) watch you like a hawk while you spend a few intime minutes with a bag. It just feels…cheap. Anybody in merchandising here? I’d love to know the thought behind this trend.
3. While at the Beauty department I tried the LE of Clive Christian’s No1, created to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Normally not a Clive Fangirl, with all the ‘Most Expensive’ claptrap – but this is a stunning perfume! Limited to 250 ea (man/woman) and at a cost of $1200, it’d better be. Number 1: Goes to Eleven. Her Majesty gets The Best Presents! Betcha nobody ever got Her an iron as a gift. Especially if said iron was a replacement for the previous iron…that the giver had broken. Can you tell, Somebody Is In Big Trouble over here? There’d better be a damn diamond bracelet hidden in that iron, that’s all this gal’s gotta say.
4. By Terry! I love her Light Expert but was a bit nervous about her new perfume line. I needn’t have been – she applied the same care and focus to scent that she did for her skincare/makeup line. I love the Lumiere d’Epices. It is a zesty orange/jasmine combo that’s just really pretty. I am NOT wearing anything named Terryfic Oud. I don’t care what it smells like.
Winter Gardening. Fuggedabout it. Remember those cute little seeds I planted and my hopes/dreams for a cold-weather crop? Well, here’s the thing: in order for me to have a cold-weather harvest I have to be willing to go out into the garden. And guess what? Not. Gonna. Happen. I can barely get out of bed, come Winter. This freak snowstorm and sudden drop in temps just goes to prove: I am a fair-weather farmer. It’s all I can do to bring the chickens hot water and mash in the am and get them closed up before the sun sets and I turn to stone. So! those carrots will have to fend for themselves. I suck. I know.
Auntie Patty, I. Owe. You.
Knitting. It’s that time of year again. I finally learned how to cast off (Missy Denise tried not to laugh as I Gomer’d my way through casting off the scarf I made for Carmine. “and you’re gonna knit an entire sweater?” she asked. Ha! I’ll show her. Just as soon as I regain feeling in my frozen hands. Because, you know, it’s COLD! he looks sooo thrilled, doesn’t he? I had to go back to YouTube to learn how to cast on again (Patty’s mantra: YOUTUBE!! YOUTUBE! YouTube is your knitting friend! She is right). I found a skein of gorgeous smoky-blue wool – perfect for a scarf for El O. If he doesn’t get that damn nesting box insulated I can always choke him with it, right? You did NOT hear that! LOL!
What’s up in your world? Is it freezing where you are? How do you manage? Do you just plow through or just stop dead in your tracks (like me)? At least I’m still doing my crunches. That’s something, right? Is it May yet?
Just want to say that Carmine looks quite dapper in that scarf. Hope that all will be put right for the chickens, their eggs, and your back — soon! Carpathian Oud sounds like something I need to try, especially since my personality changes for the worst in cold weather. 😉
This was supposed to be a reply to Beverly, obviously. Apparently, I can’t work the comments
There’s a reason they call it Winterpeg! Glad you’re with you’re Mom, but there’s no snow here yet in lovely Toronto. It’s still cold, but if you need winter sun in Canada, you need Calgary.
Oh, I totally want to hug Carmine in the scarf. (Maybe with protective clothing on.) I’ve had to give up crocheting – it just kills my wrist now. Started making Bookworm’s roommate a scarf in gray and blue stripes… and had to quit. Poor thing, she’s from Singapore and she. is. freeeeeezing.
It got cold here all of a sudden too… Virginia mountains, Not Exactly The South. It got down to 24F last night. Brrrr – chillified. I think the bad part of that is that it was so sudden. Like, two days ago it was 50F, and then today we had a high of 34? Brr. I’m still feeding our orphan calf, though we’ve weaned her off nice warm bottles of milk replacer and onto sweet feed alone.
I am leery of Carpathian Oud, even though Gary Oldman as Dracula is one of the Sexiest Things Evah despite not being particularly handsome. Just… I don’t know. However, you were right about Centennial, and I did finally get the dirt in Violets and Rainwater, so maybe. I do love Centennial, and this weather is begging for it. (Today was testing Micallef Mon Parfum Cristal, nice but I dunno, sort of Micallefy, and that isn’t great for me personally. Patchouli/musk/vanilla something in teh base.)
About the iron… I have an iron-as-gift story: The CEO’s mom, despite swearing that she would never marry a farmer, met this cute older man when they were both camp counselors at a Presbyterian church youth camp. Barbara was 23. Bill was 35 and had decided to put his carefree dating years aside and settle down. Barbara kept turning him down.. but he was funny and smart. And, despite the ears, good-looking. So finally she agreed to date him. And for her birthday she received, yes, an iron as a gift. She told her mom, “Mother, he must be serious.” He was. They were married three months later.
Bill never got better at giving gifts, but Barbara was still sitting on his lap 45 years later and embarrassing their children, so he must have been doing something right. 🙂
OMGosh! What a delightful story! Alas, we’re waaay past that part where an iron would indicate ‘serious intent’. It’s more along the lines of when El O said ‘here. I got you a mop’. He ….well, let’s just say he’s a lot more careful these days about what he gets me as gifts. “I got you a mop”, indeed.
He’s just being a cheapass punk here. Ain’t gonna fly – and he knows it. Guess he figured it wouldn’t hurt to try. I sent him over to Graff. Let him sweat a little blood for a minute or two 😀
I am almost ALWAYS right when it comes to ‘us’ & perfume, Mals. Trust me on the COud – but make sure it’s the cologne. Get a leetle sample. I was stunned by how much I liked it – mucho! I just don’t like oud all that much. Liz’s oud, though……..GORG! GORGE? whatever . it’s gorgeous !!!
xoxoxoA
ps. I am so sorry to hear about your wrist! ow!
Hope your back gets better soon, Musette! Is that Carmine in the pic there? He’s so cute!
We just had our first real cold snap here in Houston. Not a freeze, but it got down in the 30s, and for a place where people call anything below 70 cold, that’s pretty cold. I’m happy because it means I can start breaking out the scarves if the weather stays chilly. When it’s cold, my cats won’t leave me alone. I become their favorite heat source. When I’m in bed, one of them likes to paw at the blanket until I lift it to let him under the covers.
Carmine is 109lbs of Crabby, alas. But he is a gorgeous dog. He can’t wear the scarf outside because he is already irresistible to little girls – the scarf is like crack – it means they don’t hear a single word I say about “no. don’t come over here. He bites”. They simply don’t hear me. All they see is this elegant, gorgeous Rottweiler, wearing a freaking SCARF. Cue squealing and running towards him. In the meantime, every tooth in his maw is hanging out and I’m trying to keep him calm and keep myself between me and him and….oh, it’s all too much. So the scarf stays home.
xoxoxoA
Indeed, it’s hard to resist sweet pup face, even if the pup in question isn’t so sweet. 🙂
He tries, Jennifer. He really does. He’s not a bad dog. He’s just a moron. And high-strung as the day is long. And he has shockin’ huge teeth. Bad combo.
xoA
Thank you, darling. I’m going to take a break from work and walk down to the library, take advantage of the sunshine. I’m taking a cane – I ain’t too proud 😀
xoxoxoA
ps. I hope your back mends soonest, too! xoxo
First hard freeze of the season last night here in Dallas, and while I hate our very hot, dry summers, I’m grumbling a bit too, mostly because my back hurts and I’m not home, curled up with a book and my kitty, with some hot tea. Well, I have the hot tea, but I’m at my desk in my freezing office with that pesky Work stuff piled up. Sigh. Hope your back is better soon dear Musette!
It’s been a stable 50 degrees here in NW Washington State , warm enough for my greenhouse to be flourishing with celery , peppers and tomatoes ( lost a few tomato plants when it got below freezing 10 days ago tho ) Is the LE Clive Christian No 1 different from the original in the gold bottle ? I’d gladly send you 5 ml if we can finish that SWAP we’ve been working on dear Musie . So sorry about your back pain . ((hugs))
that’s me Carol Sasich up there called freehold farm . ??!!??
Hey, doll! I know. I suck! 😀 I was just going to email you about that swap. I’m missing Lyric Rain but have everything else (except for the ………..what? oh! the weird Piguets – they’re not around). I am packing stuff up tomorrow.
The Clive is called Imperial Coronation – it’s an amped-up No 1. No 1 (regular) is ‘okay’ – I just never got the hype. This, however, with its amped-up self, is very lovely. Worth $1300? Prolly not. But lovely.
xxoxoxoA
I too blame Mercury even though I don’t know if it’s retrograde at the present time. What I do know is I moved from Toronto
to Winnipeg. Need to be near my old Mom. But it’s cold and I thought I’d have more sun. NOT.
I can’t imagine chickens although I do remember them from my grandmother.
So I’m going to put on some Ormonde Jayne Orris Noir to console myself and get on with things!
By the way, it’s fabulously beautiful.
I’ve not been very successful with the OJs, alas.
And what on earth made you think Winnipeg would be less cold and sunnier? I don’t know much about it other than where it sits relative to the US – and the part of the US it sits above is freaking COLD!
xoxoxoA
I’m LOL right now because I blame Mercury for EVERYTHING when I can! 🙂
This one was particularly brutal, imo. I stopped trying to engage customers in anything other than the basics, figuring it was going South so often I was probably doing more harm than good. Things seem to be settling down now, though. whew!
xoxoA
Have enjoyed your lovely blog as a lurker for quite a while. Just wanted to add that after a pretty nasty bout of sciatica
several years ago, I started taking silica every day. The pain went away, and I haven’t had sciatica since.
Knitting is one of the best things about winter. Looking forward to seeing your sweater!
So happy you de-lurked, Catherine. Stick with us, okay? It’ll be awhile before that sweater evolves – I’m no Patty, lemmetellya!
Can you give more detail about the silica? Thanks!
xoA
Oh, Musette, I lived for an year in Paris and the weather Freaked. Me. Out. I guess I’d feel like your chickens in the American Midwest! Our tough season here is the HEAT, with crazy rains. Almost 100 degrees yesterday, it felt a bit like hell. Not that this has ever refrained me from wearing Chergui or Shalimar, but somehow I’ve been in the mood for colognes. Specially the Guerlain ones. It’s been such a pleasant new filed to explore!
LOL! from Brazil to Paris, especially in Winter, would be a MAJOR adjustment! I’m really, really good in extreme heat and humidity, as long as I can stay in the shade. In fact, I thrive in that environment. Which is why Winter in IL is just so damn stupid for me!
You should try the Carpathian Oud cologne – I’d be interested to know how it plays in the extreme Brazilian heat!
xoxoxoA
I’m sold. Getting a sample presto!
I meant field, sorry. (Am I too old for this i pad keyboard?)
LOL! I knew what you meant. And no, you’re not too old. Touchpads are tough!
xoxoA
Just got my second snow for the season. It’s just sticking to the grass and not the pavement. Thus far, I’ve been wearing Epic for women to get me through the cold.
Oh, yes! on the Epic. I have the shower gel, body lotion, body creme & edp. That’s my go-to for evening shower. Nothing else like it, for cozy!
xoxoxoA
I love the winter. I come alive. I like it cold and snowy, and I should probably live up north, rather than Virginia, but there you go. I’m happy to hear you are still doing your crunches but think you should invest in a Pilates bench. I think it would serve you better.
you are right with the bench. But that will have to wait until I have More Simoleans!
xoxoxoA
ps. a Virginia winter is charming! I could do VWinter. Tradeja!?
I wouldn’t mind. Don, on the other hand, is the guy who does the shoveling, and I bet he would have something to say about it!
Oh, sweetie, the weather, yikes! It’s below freezing here this morning (which is VERY early for us), so I feel for you. Hope your back straightens out soon. As for NM, I haven’t been in ours for a while, but will try to hike in later this week and am hoping everything is not tail over tin cup with the handbags in the front (perish the thought!). Like you, I’m wondering what kind of marketing genius this is (or is supposed to be?).
it is weird. It’s like nobody actually asked SHOPPERS what worked for them. xoxoxoA
Sorry Musette, we don’t really get cold here, just chilly. I hope you get to coping soon,
Portia xx
I know! Every time you guys yell ‘Winter’ I have to laugh!!! but it’s all relative (and you’ve been to Korea, so you know from cold!)
I’ll get with the program – it just takes a minute and goblam!, Portia – this Winter came EARLY! Like: All Winter in a Day early. xoxoxoA
I’m hugging you warm across the sea. It must be a totally different thing living the cold to visiting it, when in snow I always have a hotel to return to with a restaurant, gorgeous sheets and bathtub.
Love you Princess,
Portia xx
After our hellish summer here in Colorado, we are getting out. First to Florida for 10 days, back home to wash clothes and repack, then to sunny Puerto Rico to visit the kids for a month. Coming back in mid January, I have had enough. And wouldn’t you know it? I’ll have to force myself to hit the duty free shops before I return, lol.
Oh, the duty-free humanity! LOL!
You guys really did get hammered this year, didn’t you! You deserve a break!!!
xoxoA
also, if you get a chance, check out Juan Perez’s line of perfumes, etc. You can find him on FB via his name, which will take you (sort of) to his website, Exotic Island Perfumes. His marketing is wonky but his scents are said to be divine, according to a couple of friends who have sampled them!
xoxoxoA
Ooh, have to jump in here because I love his Santal Exotique! His shop is easier to find on Etsy. Just search Etsy for Exotic Island Aromas and you’re there.
Hmm, that Carpathian Oud sounds great. And very vampirish (works in its advantage in my case). 😉
These days I wish we got some sun. It’s not that cold (autumn cold) but it’s dreary and grey and foggish. I feel like doing nothing pretty much.
LOL! Ines! It’s perfect for where you are! It’s pretty perfect no matter where anybody is, but especially for your neck of the woods (ha! see what I did there? with the ‘neck’ thing? LOL! I crack myself up sometimes! 😀 )
I’m okay with extreme cold, if there’s sun – and no ice. I hate ice. I tore up my shoulder, falling in the driveway. And a client’s admin died in a fall. Went home for lunch, fell in her driveway and hit her head.
Ice is scary!
xoxoA
Oh, now you had me LOLing. 😀
I will be definitely applying some C. Oud to my neck. The usual spot.
As for ice, you’re absolutely right. It’s scary how quickly it can hurt you.
Right now it’s impossible to get out of bed in the morning and I can’t wait to crawl under the covers at night. I just want to stay home with a hot cup of tea and a few skeins of yarn. I must have been a bear in another life and I still feel the urge to hibernate. I want chickens but when this time of year comes around the thought of going out and having to tend to them is not that appealing.
Sorry to hear your sciatica is acting up. Hope you feel some relief soon.
it’s getting better! How’s your dear dog doing, btw?
Re the chickens – a lot of planning helps avoid a lot of drama. I suck it up and fill the feeders prior to locking them in at night – the waterer is a bit more problematic but I think I’ve solved that with this plan: I am getting a cheap/used/broken skateboard and every night I will pull the waterer (just a giant dog-waterer my bfffe gave me (too big for her cats) inside. In the am, I will fill it 1/2way with warmish water, take it back out to the coop prior to letting them out.
Fwiw, it’s not that huge a trek – the coop enclosure is only about 35′ from my back door. By the time I realize I’m cold, I’m done and back in the house!
xoxoxoA
Thanks for asking. She was bad last week and ended up getting 4 different meds along with fluids for 3 days. Turns out she had/has another GD urinary tract infection so that’s another med. we had a recheck today. I was at the vet for an hour. He can’t figure out why she keeps getting the UTI’s. She had been doing pretty good. So I may have to start testing her urine weekly since she doesn’t present with typical symptoms.
Forgot to mention I’m intrigued by that Carpathian Oud.
Oh, I hear you about coping with cold! We just moved at the end of September from Malaysia, where it’s in the tropical high-80’s every day, to Mongolia. Where winter starts in October and it’s consistently been below freezing for the last month.
Changing climates has been a huge shock, no question, but the good part is that it’s like I have a whole new perfume collection… Those big va-va-voom glamour queens — Amouage Jubilation 25, I mean you — that I had to dress up to wear in the tropics are now barely noticeable under three layers. And that decant of 5 O’clock au Gingembre that I was kind of sick of? New BFF. Biggest thrill? Wearing Musc Kublai Khan in KUBLAI KHAN’S FORMER HOME!
That IS pretty thrilling! What an intriguing move to have made, too!
In a new place, it seems like something funny or interesting happens all the time, just because we’re not used to how things are done here. I’ve been blogging about the move here (if it’s ok to self-promote…?): http://drinkingcoffeemongolia.wordpress.com/
I was wondering which flag this one was. Wishing you’ll always cherish MKK because of the happy Mongolia associations you’ll have. What a cool place to get to know!
What an adventure!
Wow, Millicent — what an experience! Snuggle in and enjoy your winter heavy-hitters. 🙂
Everybody else has already said it – so I’ll just add ‘wow!!!’ – and talk about a climate change! Normally we don’t post blog-links on the Posse but yours is sooo unusual…
Stay warm! Enjoy the yaks – they have yaks in Mongolia, right?
wow!
At my local N-M, they haven’t done this yet, but I did see the handbags at the entrance thing at Nordstrom. It IS annoying, and you’re right, an expensive bag isn’t an impulse buy.
It snowed here yesterday. Didn’t stick on pavement, but the grass was white. So not ready for getting bundled up.
I was curious about those By Terrys in the Barneys catalog~will have to sniff. Thanks for providing an entertaining post, despite your various aggravations!
I’m such a whiner, ain’t I? 😀 Whilst writing this post, all I could hear was the buzzsaw of that whiiiine! The handbag/entrance thing is just weird, especially in upscale shops like N-M & Barneys. Not saying that ‘shrinkage’ doesn’t happen there but part of what you are paying for, imo, is the ‘experience’ – and having handbags shackled down like Macy’s is just Too Much Macy’s!
xoxoA
Oh, how I remember my last few winters in the Lake Ontario snowbelt, and my vehement vows that it I ever got out of there, I would NEVER go back. I have spent the last 15 years in central New Mexico, where we have sunlight all winter and very little snow. The problem, my dear, is not you, it is the insane climate you are trying to live in. The chickens are right, and snow is to be avoided. It is good for knitting, though.
Thank you! The only insane part is that I am STILL HERE! Once I get my divorce from the bank, though, I’m hoping to hightail it out of here. Pray for me 😀
xoxoA