nose workout

i looked in the phone book for local aromatherapy dealers, since, aside from the new-agey stuff of high vital energy with a strong life force, they're the most likely to have essential oils around for the sniffing. i also like to give my business to local folks, especially if i can find those who behave well towards the environment.

the first one, "essential aura aromatherapy" turned out to be much harder to find in concretespace than on the web where they have a lovely presence complete with retail and wholesale store. i drove past the building twice until i finally decided it had to be there somewhere based on the street numbers. and it was. hidden in the back. turns out they give walk-in customers a 15% discount because they are so hard to find, *little snicker*.

they were really nice people, asked me what i was there for, and gave me their price list, and then left me alone to sniff. and sniff i did. they had little fragrance sticks all handy, which was excellent, cause i could dip, smell, let them sit for 10-15 minutes, smell again and compare to the fresh scent.

i checked out atlas cedarwood, black pepper (from costa rica), cardamom, coriander, ginger, mandarin, neroli, niaouli, palmarosa, petitgrain, roman chamomile, sweet fennel, turmeric, and vetiver.

( the first cut is the deepest. well, maybe not. but i might be boring you. )

dear NHL

congratulations. you have managed to reduce the sport to the point where today's reaction overall is:

WHO CARES.