Patchouli and cigarettes

I've always disliked patchouli. Now, I've not only had a truce with the scent, but have come to love it, though certainly not as a soliflore, though I'm sure there are some good ones out there. I'm not ready for that. I still also hate the smell.

Confused?

Patchouli is used in 1/3rd of all womens' fragrances and in half of all fragrances for men. If one doesn't come to like the smell, that would seriously limit the fragrances one could enjoy. Thankfully, the scent of patchouli as a note in most perfumes is not the stuff one gets in those sticky little bottles from health food stores.

Last week, I was stuck for hours in a shop with a nice young woman who reeked of patchouli. I felt suffocated, nearing choking on the scent. Scent seems too nice a word for it. Pretending to be warm, I opened the door to breathe some fresh air. Unfortunately, it was too cold out to leave the door ajar (we had our first snow that night).

Whenever I encounter someone who is wearing that much patchouli I wonder how it is that they are so (willfully?) ignorant of the effect the stuff has on many people. I enjoyed this woman's company, but I really wished she had left the premises sooner. Isn't that awful? My ability to interact with her was hampered by her fragrance.

Loud perfumes are a different story. Their wearers are (usually) well aware of how much of a statement their fragrances make. I can't help thinking of women in power suits back in the 80's. They wouldn't have cared if their fragrances were overpowering; being overbearing was the point.

Is something like that going on with the girls who wear layered tattered clothes and patchouli? Perhaps they're trying to say that they don't care what people think of the way they smell. Ah well. It's just too bad that that patchouli gives the stuff such a bad rap.

Meanwhile, as an ex-smoker, I've noticed that sometimes folks bring in knitting that smells of stale cigarettes. Now, with these people, I know for certain that they haven't got a clue. I certainly didn't realize just how lousy I smelled back when I smoked. One quickly becomes anosmic to that wretched odor.

I feel sorry for the knitting. Beautiful yarn, hours of work. . .and it stinks.

Image note: Wow. It's true. No can deny smoking can help keep one thin (especially once you have cancer).

CHARLIZE THERON AND TOM HARDY IN "MAD MAX IV" ?

According to"E!Online" it seems that director George Miller wants Charlize Theron to be the female lead in the new installment of "Mad Max". Off course, the movie is being planned without Mel Gibson, with the leading male role reserved for one of my favourite young actors Tom Hardy ("The Virgin Queen", "Colditz", "Star Trek Nemesis"). He's done an amazing work in the gym recently, preparing for one of his new roles and his muscles are currently very scary, so he could fit nicely in any kind of sf action adventure.
There aren't any other news about the project since Miller is being very secretive about the roles and plot. The talent auditioning for the film have only been given a letter for their character's name. The studio has yet to sign off on Miller's choices, and no formal offers have been made.
So this is still just a rumor, but a nice one :)
And, speaking of Charlize Theron, in one of her recent interviews she said she wouldn't mind playing a Catwoman if Nolan should put her character in the new adventures of Batman.

KIRSTEN DUNST IN JUAN DIEGO SOLANAS' NEW SF MOVIE "UPSIDE DOWN"?

According to "FirstShowingNet" Argentinian filmmaker Juan Diego Solanas is preparing a new alternate reality sf project "Upside Down". He has cast Jim Sturgess and Kirsten Dunst to play in this project. This movie's quite twisted plot was described in "European Film Market" brochure in the following way:
Look up towards the sky and rub your eyes because you won't believe what you see: cities, forests, and oceans with their own inverted gravity, only an arm's length away, yet completely unreachable. Take a leap over to this alternate reality, two worlds – one above, one below - facing each other, and you'll land in the extraordinary world of "Upside Down", the new ground-breaking film of Juan Solanas. Adam is a seemingly ordinary guy in a very extraordinary universe. He lives humbly trying to make ends meet, but his romantic spirit holds on to the memory of a girl he met once upon a time from another world, an inverted affluent world with its own gravity, directly above but beyond reach… a girl named Eve. Their childhood flirtation becomes an impossible love. But when he catches a glimpse of grown-up Eve on television, nothing will get in the way of getting her back… Not even the law or science!
I must say the plot is more than intriguing and promises a visually extraordinary movie, but I just can't seem to picture Dunst in this kind of role. It should've been some bigger actress, but let's give them a benefit of a doubt.

RACHEL WEISZ AND DARREN ARONOFSKY ARE OUR BEST CELEBRITY COUPLE

The winners of the last round of our Best Celebrity Couple Poll are Rachel and Darren. One of the most charming and lovable celebrity couples Rachel Weisz and Darren Aronofsky have been engaged for years now. Although he is a cult film director known for his edgy and imaginative movies, he won her over with a traditional romantic proposal on bended knee. He even rang Rachel's father to ask permission for her hand in marriage.Then he proposed to her in the middle of New York's Times Square after they've returned from filming "The Fountain" in Montreal, the movie which they did together. Both were raised in Jewish households (he is of Israeli and she's of Hungarian origin) and went to topnotch universities - she went to Cambridge and he studied at Harvard. She ensures her relationship with Darren stays strong by only accepting acting jobs close to where her filmmaker fiance is working. She gave birth to their son Henry in 2006.
The second place in our poll was taken by the newly wedded couple Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, two of the most adorable Hollywood beings. They had just one vote less than the winners and they got married just few weeks ago in France. They've fallen in love while shooting "Evening" more than two years ago and kept their courtship low-key.

NEW FANTASY ADVENTURE "TALES OF AN ANCIENT EMPIRE"

Click on the image above to read the story

$150 MILLION ADAPTATION OF EOIN COLFER'S FANTASY ADVENTURE "AIRMAN"

According to "MovieWeb" Ann Peacock has signed on to write the motion-capture fantasy adventure adaptation of the novel "Airman" for Disney and Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers. Gil Kenan will direct the $150 million project.
Based on a book by Eoin Colfer, the story centers on Connor, a boy who lives on an island off the coast of Ireland, where his father is the king's bodyguard. When the king is murdered, Connor is blamed for the crime and thrown into prison where he passes the solitary months designing a flying machine that he will use to save his family.

Yes, I still have a blog

It's been over two weeks since I last posted. My goodness. I used to write an entry at least once a day. Do I have excuses? Sure. Do you want to know what they are? I doubt it. The last thing I want to do after two weeks of no entries is bore you, yet I have no coherent topic today other than "I'm back!"

I've been noticing things that would make perfectly good entries, but I have been falling asleep on my sofa in the evening. I haven't yet mastered the art of writing while asleep. Wouldn't it be amazing if I discovered that secret? Maybe I should just stick a pen in my hand when I'm nodding off, though I figure all I'll wake up with is ink on my couch.

One morning recently I noticed that some of my fingernails were dark blue. I was mystified until I discovered that I'd written something on my to-do list with a faulty pen while half asleep. Writing even whilst in a morning haze is hazardous.

I'm still getting comments about my old Ikea mattress post. Who'd guess that this would turn out to be the most popular entry ever? Seems that everyone has troubles buying a mattress, or is disappointed in the one they've purchased (save a few angry folks who seem oddly brand-loyal or mistake this blog for some sort of consumer report). Our wonderful new one has turned out to be not so wonderful. I wake up stiff and sore, but I suspect that waking up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world that some mattress companies promise with their 5000 buck investments are simply absurd. Have arthritis or a bad back? Sorry, but waking up in the morning feeling like crap is probably just a fact of life.

Oh, darn. I made a promise to myself to write nothing negative in my first post after a long absence!

One thing I've been thinking of writing about is the marquee sign of a church in a strip mall that I pass frequently. They have a weekly message and it is almost always either mildly offensive or at least something that makes me think. This week it says "The next life is more important than this one." This could either be a veiled threat or comfort, depending on the way one looks at it. Doesn't matter to me, quite frankly, for I don't believe I'll be going anywhere after this life. I thought of Muslim suicide bombers and how many Americans think their beliefs are absurd. No, I'm not advocating violence here. I'm only thinking of how similar the belief system actually is. God is on our side. We will be rewarded in heaven.

That's nothing new, to say the least. I like what Lincoln said about this subject in a letter to some generals. Ah, I just spend 20 minutes trying to find the quote, but failed. Perhaps it's a figment of my imagination, and if it is, it's a good figment. In my memory, but perhaps not reality, he wrote something to the effect that if God deigned to speak to both North and South, he might have found the time to whisper something into the President's ear.

Now, I've got some things to do in the real world, so I'll end this here. Tomorrow, I'll have no time for blogging, but I've got some ideas percolating. . .

Painting note: Botticelli's "Return of Judith to Bethulia" 1469/70
Why this? An image search of the words "the return." To read about Judith's return to Bethulia, go here.