chapter 5 due

OK - enough with the distractions. Bikinis and whatever you could call the get-up from yesterday. . . .

What I finally thought was: "This is what these people chose to put on, knowing they would be photographed." It's not like someone snuck into their backyard and caught them watering their flowers before they changed out of their loungewear.

I think that is what is amazing to me.

What else is amazing to me are the lengths to which I will go to avoid finishing this dissertation. As I mentioned in this is dangerous, I have a horrible tendency to need the pressure cooker of time constraints to squeeze required words out. Never has this been more the case than this week. I have dillied. I have dallied. I have squandered words on Britney, Courtney, and you just barely missed Paris.

OK - I can't resist - here's the description of Paris' latest fragrance, Heiress:

Paris Hilton Heiress is a fruity floral — no surprise there — and the notes include passion fruit, orange, peach granita, champagne mimosa, star jasmine, tiare flower, ylang ylang, honeysuckle, dewberry blossom, grenadine, violet leaf, vetiver, tonka bean and blonde woods.

Amazing.

What - the quote? The fragrance?

No. . . . my ability not to get down to writing. (although the descriptive list of that 'parfum' concoction is rather astonishing. blonde woods?! tonka beans. . . .)

Well, since most of my writers seem silent these last few days, I think I might try and take some time off too, and knock out chapter 5. It's due Monday.

Ha!

later. . . .

patchouli

Yes. . . . I love it.

Then again, I love the smell of boxwood, too. It reminds me of mansions and arboretums and hot summer days punctuated by dark, moist shade under enormous trees. I was smaller then.

I found a plant marked "patchouli" at the local nursery this spring. "Tender herb", it said.

"Rather unprepossessing", I thought. I bought it anyway.

It has survived the summer, but remained unprepossessing. Kind of ratty, raggy leaves, no flowers. No aroma. I kept meaning to check online to figure out what it's supposed to do - where is the scent supposed to come from?! Is it expected to flower, or something?

Turns out it's the leaves that are fragrant. They're only mildly so in the garden, but you can dry them and put them in sachets. Distilling them into essential oil is apparently more trouble than it's worth, and would consume the entire plant. And still need more. For those who think it smells like bug spray, take heart: it repels destructive bugs from silks and woolens. The rest of us non-destructive types can be trusted around such treasures, and so love the aroma.

I'm looking at the plant with a bit more affection. I covet its leaves, which I'll be pinching back any day now. Not too much, now. . . . I understand it will flower - unspectacularly - in the fall.

Unprepossessing. But what an aroma! One people seem to either love - or hate.

I love it. I know. I said that already.

travel tricks

A couple of weeks ago I stayed overnight at the Ritz Carlton: legitimate business meeting, corporate rates (I'm sure), thankfully paid for by said corporation - not me. But I'm the one who got to enjoy the upgrade to executive suite, thank you very much, with TWO bathrooms!

Nice. (even though I felt vaguely uncomfortable with the sheer excess of having two - which I solved by shutting the door to one and mostly ignoring it)

This brought on a moral dilemma, however. It's one thing to clear out all the nice smelling toiletries to take home with you when you're talking just one bath. After all, they were put there for me to use, and I might have used them all up, if I hadn't wanted to take them home because I like the little bottles. But this is two baths - one person - one night. No way I could legitimately use up all the toiletries. . . . Is it legit to take them, anyway?

Right. I took 'em.

I'm glad I did, too, because once I got them home I really got to liking the smell (Bvlgari - Au The Blanc - and that would be 'The' as in 'tea' and not as in 'the' - so 'tea, white' and not 'the white'. . . . Ah, the French. Took me a while, too, so don't feel bad. Oh, and I still can't figure the 'v' instead of the 'u' - or at least I assume you pronounce 'Bvlgari' as 'Bulgari'? but what do I know) ANYway - once I got home and started liking the smell, I discovered that it's available really only at Nordstrom's, and the 'guest collection' (which is essentially what the hotel put out in each bath - minus the "oshibori", and what the hell is that, anyway!?) is $85.00!

Eighty-five bucks! Man.

I also found out later that the corporate room rate was only something like $120.00. I figure I'm ahead of the game. WAY ahead.

And yes, there is a tidy little resale market of 'travel sized' Bvlgari products on Ebay. . . . But you won't see any of mine there. You see, I REALLY like the smell. I'm thinking of going back to the Ritz for more. It's cheaper than going to Nordstrom's.