Perfume & Other Stuff

I’d planned to write about one of my favorite shops today but with the Bruno Drama plus……some great business news! …I got way off track.  So that’ll be for next week – and it’ll be a dilly and it’ll be something you LOVE!   For now, let’s talk about Stuff.  And some Perfume.  But mostly Stuff.

bruno

what are YOU lookin’ at?

1. Bruno.   He’s doing pretty well – scrambled eggs, oatmeal and touch of canned dog food (for the Flava, baby!) are doing the trick and his bony little spine, which freaks me out, is slowly but surely getting covered up by muscle and flesh.  His vision is coming and going, which is probably stressful for him but  it’s an indication that he might regain his sight.  Followup CBC is next week.  In the meantime, we’re settling into the Give the Dog the Meds routine which, since he’s well enough to try to outwit me on the eyedrops, is pretty hysterical.    And who knew that I was not supposed to walk him with any sort of neck restraint, lest his jugular get bruised and he bleed completely out??   HIS JUGULAR?  Are you serious? My nerves.  They are completely shot! LOL!   We’re getting a halter but at this point I’m ready to put him in one of those bubbles.  Or, hey!  Maybe I could put myself in one of those bubbles.  With a case of bubbly!

2. Weather.  Oh. My. GAWD!   Really?  After 50s for a day or so…downdownDOWN the temps….then.. An inch of snow this am, followed by gale-force winds.  It looked like we were settling in for another Snowmageddon (yeah, I said it).  Then the sun came out and boop!  it’s gone.  This bizarro weather makes choosing perfumes difficult.  I am feeling all Iris right now but the gorgeous lighter ones, like Hiris, are getting eaten alive (aliiiiive! I say) .  The freezing winds are turning the normally gorgeous Xerjoff Irisss to pickle juice and LeLabo’s phenomenal I39 ?  Rancid butter.   I think I need to take a cue from the actual iris  and put these back in the dark armoire for awhile longer.  It’s tough to know what will thrive in weather like this.  Slicey grey winds change up nearly everything. Tuberose? Monistat.  Rose?  Frozen Barbie legs.  On a hunch I grabbed CBIHatePerfume’s 7 Billion Hearts – it’s POIFECT for this weather.  The smoky-creaminess  gives this brutal wind the side-eye and goes on about its business, humming a happy tune. I’m not a huge fan of vanilla but this one always stuns me with its smoky beauty.  Take that, Winter!  Ha!

3. Science.  Cool.  Sexy.  Fun.  Who knew?  Dont laugh but The Big Bang Theory is the gateway drug for this loser who knows just enough to know I don’t know NOTHIN’!  Carl Sagan was cool and verra sexy!  Then along comes Neil deGrasse Tyson, pushing SCIENCE into the mainstream, yet again  (and the fact that when you Google “neil d” it automatically pulls up The Man Himself is just so stunningly fabulous)…between him, Stephen Hawking and The Big Bang Theory (deal with it)..  I’m lovin’ SCIENCE.  Who’s watching the new ‘Cosmos’?  Are you guys loving it as much as I am?  I didn’t know all the juicy stuff about Isaac Newton, though, unlike Penny I  did know that Fig Newtons were not named after Sir Issac but, rather, after a town in Massachusets.  But that’s all I got!

4. I found FOOD!  I’m so happy!  Miss Snobby here couldn’t imagine that Peoria would have an Asian market.  Ha!  They’ve got TWO (possibly more but I’m happy with two!  Heck, I would’ve been happy with one!  Or just some stuff in a freezer at the HyVee)…. but…oh!  fresh bean sprouts! mangosteen! rambutan! lumpia! (so I don’t have to make them  myself!)…….dim sum on Sundays, right out of my freezer!  Joy!

  • Mariekel says:

    Bruno, Halsbury insists she plant a big wet smooshy kiss on the snuffler. Get all better, sweet boy, and tell your mama to bring you for a visit to DCland! Love to both of you from me and the hounddog.

  • heatherhart3 says:

    Your dog is so beautiful. I want a dog!

  • Suzy Q says:

    Thanks for posting the doggy picture! We are all rooting for him.
    I’m addicted to Startalk Radio podcasts. Neil de knows how to make theoretical physics accessible to the rest of us.
    I’m also addicted to aldehydes this spring. Perfumes that are full o’ them wear perfectly in the fluctuating temps.

  • Elena says:

    I’m with you. I keep wanting to wear my irises because it’s “spring” but it’s SO GODDAMNED COLD. And nasty windy today, too. I’m wearing Ann Gerard Cuir du Nacre and it’s working beautifully. Bruno is super cute! I lost my old man dog this autumn, so I feel for you. It was many long months leading up to his passing, and none of it easy.

  • Liz K says:

    Glad Bruno is feeling better. He is so cute! Give him a gentle hug from me (please don’t bruise him- yikes!).
    I will probably be lynched for this but it is already getting too frickin’ warm here. Supposed to be 89f on Friday. I know, waah, right? I have gardening to do so it will be too hot for comfort. Had a root canal started this morning so no perfume for me as I enjoy my dentist’s cologne. Wonder what he wears?

  • rosarita says:

    Oops! That was supposed to go under your killed & boiled response, Ms A!

  • jirish says:

    So glad to hear that Bruno is doing better. In regards to Asian markets, have you ever been to Mitsuwa Market in Arlington Heights? It’s absolutely glorious. Plus, there’s a great food court with the best ramen in the Chicagoland area.

    • Musette says:

      Alas, I have not. It’s so freaking FAR AWAY, jirish! Gone are the days when I would whiiiiiine because I had to find a parking place on Devon Ave. Alas.

      “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s….gone?” 🙁

  • Mary K says:

    Happy to hear that Bruno is eating and improving and that his sight could be coming back. Thank you for including the picture of him – he’s so cute!

    I agree with everyone on the difficulty of choosing the right perfume when the weather is so changeable. I kind of go by what the temperature is and what it’s doing outside. Still wearing ambers and incense when it seems more wintery and switching to spring smells like iris and LOTV when it’s warmer and the sun is out.

  • HemlockSillage says:

    Bruno’s on the mend, yea!!! Sending gentle hugs, love and prayer your way. Medicine schedules and special chow take lots of your energy, but so good to hear that he’s up to antics like tearing up bathroom paper!

    I’m back from a business trip, and having the same nothing’s quite right perfume days. I took spring-y samples what got et alive by the cold. Not spring yet! (Chamade extrait) Silly optimist me. (Silver iris) I still smelled good, really close. (Paris Premieres Roses) This close. (Mito voile) For about 5 min. Then I realized that the throatiest thing I packed was Eau de Navigateur, which is not much against the cold, but at least has coffee and spices 😀

    Anywhoo, wishing you fragrant explorations, and sitting here with a lap full of purring Miss Cleo, who, like Bruno, makes life better. Be well.

    • Musette says:

      Bet you’re glad to be back in somewhat decent weather! This transitory cold is just bizarre for perfume. Or clothes. This weather is why Floyd invented layering, imo. And 7Bill (though that was Christopher Brosius) 😀

      xoxoxoxo to you and Miss Cleo!

  • Yay, Team Bruno!!

    Weather…please. This morning I braved the gale-force winds to check on my garlic bed. The little dears are sending up shoots. They are so brave.

    I loved the original Cosmos with Dr. Sagan (agree, he was sexy!). My hubs and I are enjoying the new series and Neil de G is so very watchable. Great show, and it is interesting how much of our planet’s evolution gets covered, along with the star-stuff.

    Food? Hmm. My hubs is trying to go gluten-free for a while to see if it makes him feel better. He is sleeping waaay too much and feeling sick in the morning. He loves all the Asian stuff, especially sushi and seaweed. Me, not so much–I want bread, meat, pasta, wine, fruit and veggies of course…and garlic, lots of it.

    Wearing Jolie Madame at work today, although not the vintage.

    XO

    • Musette says:

      Your Majesty – tell your husband to GO FOR IT! I did that and it is stunning. I do protein (eggs and avocado) in the morning, fish and greens in curry at lunch and usually little or nothing at dinnertime. Smoothie with that Vitamineral Green stuff that Patty recommended. 1/4 cup of unfiltered vinegar added to the smoothie. Honey, you wouldn’t believe the change! More energy, pooping like a racehorse (TMI, I know but really, QC? A clean gut makes all the diff in the world!). I went back to a lot of gluten when all this drama happened with Carmine and Bruno and I so regret it. Going back to greens and protein.

      xoxoxoA

      • Wow! This looks like great advice! And yes, more energy and the right kind of pooping is what we want. Thank you thank you thank you! I will buy some avocados on my way home from work tonight. I think we have the unfiltered vinegar at home.

        You’re the best!

        XOXOXOX

  • rosarita says:

    Such good news about Bruno, but the jugular thing so scary! Poor fragile baby. I’m with you on the hunt for a wearable perfume…. yesterday was periods of lake effect snow so heavy you couldn’t see at all, immediately followed by a blast of sun, all washed down with howling winds….. but enough of my whining. Frozen Barbie legs is a wonderful description of how everything just smells weird, even beloved standards. Today I went with Yves Rocher vanilla lotion and called it good. How are the clucky girls?

  • Martha says:

    Bruno is adorable.

  • Portia says:

    Musette,
    You make me smile.
    Portia xx

  • Solanace says:

    Yay, Bruno is getting better! I’m having a similar problem choosing perfume here. The day starts too cool for Eau d’Hadrien and I think, fine, I can wear l’Heure Bleue. But after a few hours it turns HOT, and I start being eaten alive by the classic Guerlain. Absolutely love The Big Bang Theory! Sheldon’s kiss was the best valentines day episode ever.

    • Solanace says:

      I saw an interview with Seth Mc Farlane, who is in the project (!), and I just can’t wait to see the new Cosmos.

    • Musette says:

      Re The Kiss: I know! I was gobsmacked! Even funnier, though? His followup convo with Leonard! Jim Parsons is great! That whole cast is perfect, imo! Cosmos is wonderful. So much wonderful stuff to learn – and it’s so entertaining! Though NdGT’s spaceship (modeled on the Vulcan craft in the latest Star Trek movie) gives me the heebie-jeebies. xoxoxoxoA

  • Dina C. says:

    So glad to hear that Bruno is recovering little by little! Here in Virginia, we had more snow yesterday, which is just incredible. My bulbs have 4-6 inches of growth poking out of the snow. I hope they still bloom okay. I would gladly hop into a bubble as long as it was nice and warm inside. I’ve been wearing ambers, sandalwood, and a touch of iris and LotV when the weather cooperates for five minutes. VC&A Bois d’Iris is hitting all the right notes for me right now. The new-to-you Asian market sounds good. I need to explore more food choices myself. I haven’t seen the new Cosmos yet, but now I’m interested in checking it out.

    • Musette says:

      In general, bulbs and snow get along just fine!!! I have to revisit the Bd’I – it always falls off my radar!

      xoxoxoA

  • poodle says:

    So happy to hear Bruno is doing better! I’m also getting the wacky weather so I haven’t even tried to bust out spring scents. It was single digit cold yesterday morning. Spring? Flowers? Who am I kidding? It’s still incense and amber and orientals for me. We were supposed to have snow this morning but it seems it’s tracking a wee bit south and east of me. Part of me is happy. Part of me wanted to call out of work.
    Give Bruno a big poodle kiss for me and tell him to keep getting better. And have yourself a nice glass of wine with all your great new food discoveries. It’s exciting when you find things at the grocery store that you never thought you’d see.

    • Musette says:

      It’s like striking GOLD, poodle! Heretofore I had to schlep all this stuff back on the train from Chicago – or worse? DRIVE the 150mi to Chicago so I could go the the neighborhoods and load up! I hate driving to Chicago like a mongoose hates a snake. So this is way mo’ betta!

      He’s duly kissed – and kissed again. and he’s feeling MUCH better! He tore up the paper in the BR trash can (just inside the door – he’s not allowed on the carpet in there) – I was overjoyed! LOL!

      xoxoxoxoA

  • jilliecat says:

    Oh, the joy of feeling those little bones getting less sharp! And yes – a big bubble for you all to live in safe and well (with copious amounts of champers, food and perfume) – that would be just great.

    I love Carl Sagan, but have you ever seen our UK equivalent, Brian Cox (not the actor)? He used to be in a rock band when young, and is now an eminient scientist and great presenter, still with his good looks in a geeky way. He made “The Wonders of the Universe” on tv, and his enthusiasm is totally infectious.

    Love to Bruno.

    • Musette says:

      What a doll! See, that’s what I mean about Sexy Science!!! I just went on his FB page and one woman summed it up quite nicely – as does NdGT, Prof. Cox makes learning this stuff painless – and who doesn’t love that? I never did understand the urge to make learning a struggle. Must be a Puritan holdover…

      xoxoxo

  • Maren says:

    Such good news about Bruno! And I know what you mean about this crazy weather and the iris just not workin right. I’ve been reaching for sandalwood lately.

  • Lisa D says:

    Gotta have an Asian market, even if it’s only the size of a large closet, and serves primarily as a hangout for the three Korean women in town (as mine is and does). Sweetie, once you get through some of that lumpia and dim sum, I encourage you to discover bibimbap, if you haven’t tried it already. Sizzling hot stone bowl, layered with rice (which gets that golden crackle after a bit), topped with grilled beef, assorted veggies, kimchi, and a fried egg. And if that’s not enough, drizzled with sesame oil and gochujang sauce. If nothing else, see if your market carries gochujang. You can add it to anything, and you’ll be happy that you did. Can you tell I think a lot about food?

    I’m seriously jealous of your access to mangosteen and rambutan, but I figure, with the weather you’re enduring, you deserve it!

    Love to Bruno.

    • Musette says:

      LOL! I would give all the hair on my head for a good bibimbap – alas, that’s probably asking for a bit much out here …..except…the new Asian market is supplying to ‘somebody’……right? hmmmmmmm…

  • Nemo says:

    Bruno looks like a total sweetheart! So glad to hear he is plumping up nicely, too. I also love dimsum, and if I didn’t live out in the middle of almost nowheres with no Asian store (or decent Chinese restaurant) nearby, I am sure I’d be plumped up with dimsum in no time 🙂 Thanks for introducing me to lumpia, too.

  • eldarwen22 says:

    It’s good to hear that your dog is doing much better! Let’s just say it’s no fun when you have a sick animal and the vet bills are enormous to boot. I hear you on the perfume bit because nothing seems to really suit. But right now, I seems to be wearing L’Heure Bleue quite often and draining decant after decant of it.

  • Katherine says:

    Glad to get the Bruno update. I LOVE Cosmos! Neil DeGrasse Tyson is unbelievable. Yeah for science!

  • Kandice says:

    I’m SO glad to hear Bruno is improving! And what a cute picture of him! Other than that, your posting was, as always, hilarious. Love the comparison of tuberose and rose to Monistat and frozen Barbie legs! And all I have to say is that if you find a bubble to put yourself and Bruno in with a glass of champagne, please let me come visit!

    • Musette says:

      You are on the list, darling!!! And it will be a case of champagne – or two! (that’s gonna be a big-ass bubble~) xoxoxoA

  • spiker says:

    So great to hear that Bruno’s improving! I’ve been dealing with some kitty drama myself. I literally spent the evening hand feeding Gerber’s chicken and gravy to a cat. This is not the glamorous life I’d anticipated, but she’s lost about 10% of her weight in 2 weeks and at this point I’ll do anything. The steroids seem to be bringing her around (My cat is Juicing!), but I’ll be glad when she’s all the way back.

    Sorry for adding my own complaints! I meant to just say how concerned I’ve been about Bruno and how I empathize. Please do keep us updated on his progress.

    • poodle says:

      Chicken and both, and chicken and gravy are always on my shelf for when the dogs get sick. It’s tasty and easy on the tummy. For them I mix it with rice or oatmeal but cats need more protein so straight up is better. Hope your kitty feels better soon.

    • jilliecat says:

      Hello, Spiker, and I can relate to the feeding of messy food by hand! I have discovered that my two elderly gentlemen can also be tempted if I squeeze some Webbox Lick e lix (yoghurt based paste) over their food, but I am not sure if you have that in the States? I think the strong aroma appeals to them.

      Also, even if they can eat nothing else, ham usually whets their appetite.

      Joining Poodle in good wishes.

    • Musette says:

      spiker, NEVER apologize for that! Your pet drama is just as valid as mine or anybody else’s! There is some excellent advice here from jillicat and poodle! And I join them in wishing your kitty back to 100%!

      xoxoxoA

    • jirish says:

      Oh, I’ve been through this as well! Had to feed one cat by hand, twice a day for 4 or 5 days before he started getting his appetite back and eating normally. Hope it goes quicker for you, but hang in there.

    • Liz K says:

      I think we care about everyone’s pets here- I know I do. I am also guilty of chiming in with moderately relevant cat stories (or even completely irrelevant ones, I love my fur kids). Canned kitten food mixed with that probably toxic gravy stuff or even KMR has always done the trick for me but I have never resorted to baby food. Good idea. Those little plastic baby spoons are da bomb for force feeding kitties though. Much easier to keep food on than tongue depressors and easier on everyone than a syringe. Hope your kitty is better soon!

    • spiker says:

      Thank you all for your kindness and your excellent suggestions! I’ve been reading the Posse and occasionally chiming in for a little over a year now. What a warm, kind group it is. Thanks again!