MissMeliss: Escribition

Arriving in tandem with the red cups at Starbucks was my Yule order from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab.

Here’s what I received:

Bottles:

Chanukkiyah
La Befana
Lick It One More Time

Frimps:
Grog
Jester
Lightning
Midnight Kiss
Nocturne
Pride
Shango

And a lovely card, plus a Shojo Beat card.

An early payday from a paid blogging service I work with has been translated into a new order from Black Phoenix.

Here’s what I’ve ordered (italics are BPAL’s descriptions):

Bottles:

Beaver Moon:
Traditionally, Beaver Moon is named thus for a very obvious reason: during this time of year, beavers are hard at work building their dams and preparing for the onset of winter. However, we at BPAL rarely let an opportunity for sleazy campiness pass us by! For your pleasure and amusement, we present this year’s incarnation of Beaver Moon: wild cherry with vanilla cream accord, and a hint of strawberry.

Samhain 2007:
Truly the scent of autumn itself — damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.

Also imps (sample tubes) of:
Black Phoenix
Blood Kiss
Catherine
Kill-Devil
Nocturne
Windward Passage

which descriptions I won’t post.

I find that the descriptions of their scents inspire me as much as the actual scents do, if not more, and I like having options so I can pick a scent - or scents, some layer really well - to change or enhance my mood.

I spent most of my life not allowed to wear perfume because my mother is allergic.

I might be overcompensating now.

But only a little.

I’m eagerly awaiting my en route order from BPAL despite the fact that I tallied my collection of imps a couple weeks ago, and found that I had 96 different scents, plus bottles of a bunch of Limited Edition and Lunacy scents, plus one General Catalogue scent - Intrigue - and then today I found a handful of little tubes I hadn’t tallied, had not, in fact even removed from the last box, which was still sitting on my dresser from when I pulled “Singing Moon” out of it a few weeks ago.

If there was a sort of drug rehab equivalent for perfume, I would probably be an excellent candidate. At this point, I’m spending almost as much at Black Phoenix as I am on books. And we all know about my addiction to books.

Actually, I’m very proud of myself for ordering a mere three bottles from the last release, though my next bunch of blog money will probably be spent on some of the Halloween scents.

Yesterday I wore Intrigue.
Today I’m wearing Thunder Moon.

I find these perfumes to be incredibly inspiring - the descriptions as well as the scents.

The leaves danced in the trees today and the sun was shining with joyous delight, for the air was cool and the crispness of fall was evident in every breath of fresh air. As I write this, the outside temperature, according to weather.com, is a cool, soothing, seventy degrees.

Three things happened today.

First, I had a long talk with myself, after receiving a link from my mother to a literary agency comprised almost entirely of women, one of whom I really feel clickage with. She specializes in fiction that is dark and/or quirky, and I’m tired of having all the work associated with my name be work stuff, essays, and stand-alone stories. So I’m feeling inspired and as I work best with strict deadlines, plan to have drafts of my proposal and sample chapters out to friends by the end of the month so that I can have it ready to send as a query by Halloween.

Second, I found the inspiration and the hook to weave, or braid, to borrow a phrase from a friend (and thanks, Julia-dahling, for loaning me your husband over the phone tonight. I needed to have a long chat with someone who would let me babble and geek out with me, and stuff.) my vignettes and stories together. Actually BPAL’s lunacies are one of the inspirations as well.

Third, I asked for, and was granted very graciously, hiatus from ComedySportz. No, nothing tragic happened. I’ve just got a lot of personal stuff going on, and all my creative energy is going Write, Write, Write, and I need to focus on that for a while.

But the pink hair is staying :)

Sometimes you can tell from the first moment you open your eyes in the morning, what kind of a day it will be. Or at least, I can.

Yesterday, I knew the day would be a trying one, because I hadn’t slept enough, had tasks I didn’t want to face, was stressed over Fuzzy being in the air, which I know I can’t do anything about, but I always worry til I know he’s on the ground.

Even before I went to bed last night, however, I knew today would be better. One sign was that I received a “click-n-ship” notification from Black Phoenix letting me know my most recent perfume order was on its way to me. If you’ve never experienced the wonder that is BPAL, you may not understand how exciting this is, but trust me, it is.

This morning, I woke to a soft gray sky, an outside temperature below seventy degrees, and the news that a piece I wrote for a site that doesn’t take pieces from just anyone will go live on Sunday. My boss told me I rock, and that I make his job easier, and there were no presents from the dogs on the bathroom floor.

As I write this, my coffee is about to finish the brewing process (this morning’s blend is Starbuck’s new “Joya del Dia” blend, which is a bold, dark roast with chocolate overtones (but NOT flavoring), and even the neighbor’s leafblower is striking me as “cozy” and “neighborhoody” instead of “horrible” or “jarring.”

Yes.
Today is a better day.

I’m beginning to think someone somewhere really wants me to fall in love with BPAL’s scent called “Aureus.”

I say this because not only was it among a mystery pack I ordered from the forum, but it was a frimp (that’s free imp, or free sample) in my first BPAL order, as well as in my 3rd, which just arrived today. And this isn’t bad, exactly, except that it’s a bit to light and happy for me, and I keep giving away the imps I have of it, only to receive another.

The actual order was a bottle of Intrigue, and imps of Dee, Eclipse, Jolly Roger, Queen, Queen Mab, and Thaleia. Frimps (in addition to the afore-mentioned Aureus) are La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente, and Thalia.

The excitement of a new box of BPAL, btw, has boosted what started out as a great weekend. First, despite being in a blue funk, I fought through it and we had a great show last night. Then, last night over spinach and mushroom omelettes at IHOP, the waitress complimented my hair, and this morning, not only did I get to have a relaxing facial but I had my free eyebrow waxing, and Jennifer did an amazing job, though I’ll miss Monica.

Following that, I hung out at Barnes and Noble in Cedar Hill, nibbling on a cheese and tomato panini and sipping an iced latte - yay for the return of sun and mild weather. I also bought books, which will eventually appear over on the bookblog, including two which were signed by their respective authors, who were in the store celebrating Black History Month. Both were warm gregarious people, and invited me to email them with my thoughts, after I’d read their work. In a perfect display of balance, one author is male, the other female, one book is non-fiction, the other a novel. And then there was the OTHER $84 I spent on books.

There was a side-trip to Bath and Body Works, where I bought four bottles of antibacterial hand soap for $10 (total, not each), and, there was also the aquisition of pink lip gloss (’grapefruit’) from Aveda while I was there.

Back at B&N, I also bought the latest offering from the Gipsy Kings, one of my favorite musical groups ever, because they always sound so soulful and lusty in that loving life and sexy but not particularly sexual way.

I’m off to shower now, and then will go help out at CSz.

Yay sunshine, yay weekend, yay music, yay perfume, yay improv, yay me!

It was sunny yesterday, but it was the sort of sunny day that has no heat, just brittle, chilled sunlight. A wintry day, such as wintry days are in this part of the world. Dry. Cold. Over-bright.

Despite the fact that my body chemistry decided I was not allowed to feel comfortably warm until bedtime, it was a happy and productive day as well. I got the answers to some of the important work questions I’d wanted, still waiting for others. Made headway with one of the seven work projects I’m trying to do simultaneously.

And then there was the mail. I love mail. I especially love snailmail. And I love when my mailbox holds surprises. The expected mail was the arrival of my first official order from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, of a 5ml bottle of one of their limited edition Yule scents, The Winter of our Discontent, as well as six imps: Asphodel, Dragon’s Heart, Intrigue, Lightning, Midnight, and Miskatonic University. I’d heard that BPAL generally gives an extra imp with orders, but I received three freebies: Aureus, Juliet and Loviatar. There was also a lovely postcard advertising the Lab and one of their popular scents - Snake Oil.

So far, of the imps, Intrigue is my favorite. It’s a blend of black palm, cocoa, fig and something woody that smells like cedar, and it’s not sweet, except in gentle subtle wafts, but sort of dark and unpredictable. The fig didn’t even really come out until drydown, and then it was there, harmonizing with the other notes. Delightful.

The unexpected mail was the invitation to a friend’s wedding in March. There are weddings you are invited to and you’re glad you live miles away so you can plead travel expense and not go. There are weddings you are invited to that you make a perfunctory appearance at, for form’s sake, and then there are weddings you truly wish to attend. This is one of those. Their invitation was pretty, but also funky - colors were purple, charcoal, silver, and white - and they set up a webpage with important information. I can tell just from this, and from various conversations, that this is going to be a delightful, warm, happy occasion, and I’m thrilled to be invited. Also, it’s an excuse for shopping. Shopping is never bad. Never.

So yesterday was a figgy day, in the best sense. Purple. Juicy. Surprising.

Today, I’ve got stew stewing in the crockpot, and I’m playing Time Girl for poor Fuzzy who has been up literally all night, trying to solve a crisis in his company’s Tokyo office. In the meantime, though, I’m going to snatch another two hours sleep. Because I can. Because the bed is warm. Because the dogs are sending out enticing alpha waves. Because I’m a little groggy and would rather rest now and then work solidly til seven or eight. And…just because.