Favorite Mary Chapin Carpenter Song

I took a walk in the rain one day

on the wrong side of the tracks

I stood on the rails till I saw that train

Just to see how my heart would react

Now some people say that you shouldn't tempt fate

And for them I would not disagree

But I never learned nothing from playing it safe

I say fate should not tempt me

I take my chances, I don't mind working without a net

I take my chances, I take my chances every chance I get

I sat alone in the dark one night, tuning in by remote

I found a preacher who spoke of the light

but there was brimstone in his throat

He'd show me the way according to him in return for my personal check

I flipped my channel back to CNN and I lit another cigarette

I take my chances, forgiveness doesn't come with a debt

I take my chances, I take my chances every chance I get

I've crossed lines of words and wire and both have cut me deep

I've been frozen out and I've been on fire and the tears are mine to weep

Now I can cry until I laugh and laugh until I cry

So cut the deck right in half, I'll play from either side

I take my chances, I pay my dollar and I place my bet

I take my chances, I take my chances every chance I get

I take my chances, I don't cling to remorse or regret

I take my chances, I take my chances every chance I get

Don't Drink and Knit

The whole idea of having a glass of wine at your elbow (or a muscle relaxant in your gullet) as you carefully knit 5, purl 5 ... is a deeply flawed concept.

Last night I got to rip out about twenty rows that looked like they had been knitted by a drunk monkey. (Heh. I guess they were.)

Don't mix your relaxation methods. Just as you wouldn't attempt to do a yoga headstand and knit, don't try to guzzle and purl. No good comes of it.

No need to thank me for the wisdom. I'm here to help.

Last night and this morning's scent: Ormonde Jayne's body lotion in Ormonde with a splash of Ormonde Woman on top ... a treasured V-day gift from Jim ... I want to gnaw my arm off, it's that good.

Hillary! Stop It!

It's time to step up and claim your dignity. You don't want this badly enough to destroy your credibility and the pride many of us have had in your accomplishments. Don't resort to political hack tactics. You're better than that.

Happy Ogre Day

Curmudgeons everywhere are sneering at the candy and flowers today as they celebrate their own Festival of Feeling ...

Doug, this illustrates what I wish for you.

Have a Wonderful Day! XOXO

Happy Valentine's Day

The official Valentine fragrance of c'est chic is Ormonde Jayne Ta'if. Here, from way back, is my original review:















How Badly Do You Want It?*
In the case of Ta'if, very badly indeed.[With a bow to Robin, whose blog http://nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com/ today features an interview with Ormonde Jayne's Linda Pilkington, the perfumer responsible for my favorite fragrance in all the world ...]This heartbreakingly beautiful fragrance is named for the Ta'if damask rose from Arabia (Ta´if, a town rising 5000 ft above the Red Sea overlooks the Arabian desert and is famous for its rose plantations. A rose plantation. Can you imagine?).Notes are: top -- pink pepper, saffron and dates; heart -- rose oil, freesia, orange flower absolute and jasmine; base -- broom and amber.The Ormonde Jayne site proclaims the perfume "intoxicating and audacious." To me, it is magical and contradictory. This is a non-sweet, nearly herbaceous rose scent with none of the saccharine qualities most often associated with the floral, and particularly rose.Its saffron, pink pepper, tree resin and broom notes differentiate it, affording unexpected richness and depth. There is also a darkness to this scent, nearly a blood-warm quality (and those who like this sort of thing may also find Czech and Speake's Dark Rose appealing).The emotional pull of this has everything to do with its ability to transport you. It's rare that a perfume has such a strong persona that yours bends to it, rather than the reverse. But this is true of Ta'if.In my mind at least, I become dangerously seductive -- who knows what I'm capable of, in the realm of this wonderful scent? *quote, completely out of context, from Gracie Allen

wonderful image from the fabric designer Anna Maria Horner.

Washington Caucus Precinct 1266

Participating in my precinct caucus -- the first I've ever participated in -- was a study in Jim's favorite topics: relative realities and shifting perspectives.

That is, what we deeply, truly, madly believe to be real ain't necessarily so. And it's all a function of what you bring to the table in terms of age, gender, economic status, life experience, expectation.

After stumbling through the Pledge of Allegiance with these people, feeling solidarity with this group, you observe the mass of people on one side of the room who so earnestly believe that Barack Obama can and will change this nation ... versus the handful of people on the other side who believe that Hillary is our most electable option, flawed, battle-scarred, and maybe jaded as she is.

How can you tell the idealists that you once watched a black and white TV showing the caisson carrying the casket of another presidential idealist? That you once stood in a rally holding a sign that said MCGOVERN? That you had real belief in Howard Dean's fire and impetuosity, right up to the time the media crucified him for The Scream?

How can you convince the convinced that their candidate may not be capable of the miracles he truly believes he will bring to pass -- in terms of bringing the nation together, extricating us from the hell that is Iraq and helping all of us -- including the poor, disenfranchised, the ill, people of color and elderly -- get what they need from their government?

You can't. That's their reality. Even as you have yours. And who's to say they're not right?

You can join them in their hope. And not puncture their utopian balloon before the universe serves them the bitter herb of failure that you've already tasted.

And who's to say that this time it won't work? That miracles can happen. That the United States can regain its heart, its humanity, its dignity ... and rise from the ashes of too many wrong roads taken.

Why not hope?

I Feel Good!

Yeah, I know there will be ups and downs. But that second injection seems to have WORKED! Pain is relative, but when it's greatly reduced, or (wow!) gone ... you're just so darn grateful.

Today's scent: Shocking by Schiaparelli. As Nancy describes it, so much better than I could: A wonderful and surprising blend of rose, jasmine, narcissus, moss, vanilla, raspberry, and tarragon. A classic that is still fresh and new. Once I get past the raspberry, it's all good.

And Today We Caucus. On the Democratic side, we only have good choices. Hope I don't have to sit on any twenty-somethings to make them see the wisdom of my thoughts.

Postscript re Doug's question about spleen: I didn't really vent mine when, if you were caucusing for Hillary in one Washington state precinct this afternoon, you got stomped. It does look like Obama is going to sweep the state.

This Perfume Makes Me Unreasonably Happy

I collect niche perfumes, which means I like the weird ones. The ones that have ad copy that reads:

"You can smell...you can dream...but it's all in her hands. The very elegant but thorny bulgarian Rose marries patchouli and vanilla to draw this fine elegance, both contemporary and inevitable."

Thorny bulgarian rose. Heh. Juliette Has A Gun Lady Vengeance. Heh.

One. More. Time.

I'm having another steroid injection tomorrow. Why I'm posting that picture with this news, I cannot tell you. Except I like the idea of a bunch of Celtic feet. I sure hope this is the last time I get to share this news. In my ongoing search for sympathy. Wait til I start my blogseries on What Perfumes Go With Chronic Back Pain. You're gonna love it. Or maybe I'll do an insider series on The Best Pacific Northwest Operating Rooms. Another winner. Just ignore the kvetching. I'm planning on a complete cure with this.
I. Mean. It.

Hope, Idealism, Sacrifice, Redemption

No, this post has nothing to do with this political season.

It has everything to do with a movie Jim and I watched last night ... Lady In The Water ... a 2006 fantasy thiller listed by Variety per Wikipedia as one of the ten biggest financial losers of that year.

Too bad. It's a wonderful story. See it if you want to feel better about human beings and their possibilities.

RABBIT, RABBIT!

I almost forgot! I know I used these before, but aren't they CUTE?