Gonna take a scent-imental journey......

[poltr1]

"Pyramid patchouli. There was only one joker in L.A. sensitive enough to wear that scent, and I had to find out who he was....."
--Firesign Theatre, "Nick Danger, Third Eye"

Colognes and perfumes are always popular Christmas gifts. (And Hanukkah gifts too?) However, as evolved and high-tech as we humans are, the nose/brain connection is still one of the most primitive, primal, and powerful connections. The smell of food is enough to make a person feel hungry. What guy doesn't go nuts over new-car smell? (I, technonerdboy that I am, happen to love the smell of new electronics. Or maybe that's just the solder.) And smells of the opposite sex are quite enticing and enhance the experience when things get intimate. (I have one word for you, boy: pheromones!) [Caveat: I'm speaking as a straight man here; I honestly don't know if smells of the same sex are just as enticing to gay men and women. Although I'm sure someone will clue me in.] Also, many memories are linked to scents. Nothing evokes memories quicker than a smell.


People
Old Spice: My father. (How many other fathers wore this cologne?) And my first cologne, because it happened to be there. (I don't remember if my mom had a favorite cologne or perfume. I think she got whatever was on sale at the time.)
Windsong: Chris, my high school sweetheart, whom I dated during the summer of '80. (More about her in a later post.) She borrowed the cologne from her mom.
Love's Baby Soft: Erin, the proverbial "girl next door" -- or actually, around the corner and down the street. I dated her between '81-'83.
Jovan Sex Appeal: Owen, a grad student from Nigeria, whom I used to work with as a student assistant in college. I think he took the name of the cologne too seriously; he drenched himself with it.
Ralph Lauren Polo: Worn by one of my fraternity brothers, Tom K. I think he let me try some once.
Windquest: I really liked this cologne, which I used in '92-'93. (Available only from Amway distributors.) Unfortunately, like many products I grow to like, it was discontinued.
Realm (for women): My wife, when we were first dating. Supposedly contains added pheromones. Hasn't worn it in a while. :-(
Patchouli: Several pagan women I know wear this scent, usually at the open sabbats. Like tobacco, I can tolerate it only in small amounts and wide-open spaces.
Oil of Bergamot: Earl Grey Tea, and my friend and Warrior brother Gary.

Places and Things
Unnamed/unknown cleaning solution: Many Dairy Queens, my first apartment ('89), and the college dorm in Minneapolis I stayed at in '84 while I attended SIGGRAPH.
Mold/mildew: Most basements, including the one in my parents' house.
Cigars: My uncle Joe, who passed away in 1989.

Scents I don't particularly care for: Patchouli, tobacco (especially cigarettes because it stays around the person and gets in their clothes), Calvin Klein Obsession, Calvin Klein Eternity. Nor do I care for those agressive and overzealous spritzers at department stores, which may or may not be urban legend. (Here, try my fragrances. Mace! Pepper Spray!) And of course, dirty diapers, rotten eggs, and the dead skunk in the middle of the road.

For the record, I wear Abercrombie & Fitch "Woods" in the fall and winter, and Eddie Bauer "Ebtek" in the spring and summer.