ethaisa

... and a new post. It's been a while - for the last few weeks Busy and Sick have been my houseguests. It was a tiring, often frustrating, December. But the year is swinging up now, so hopefully all else will follow with it.

The weather is beyond odd. It's been cold, and windy, and we've had flurries, but nothing has stuck. So strange. Many of my bulbs are poking their noses out. I don't know what will happen with the ones that need a hard freeze.

No resolutions, but I have alot of goals in mind. Most of them involve finding focus and decreasing clutter, of all kinds. To this end, I've started with sparkpeople, thanks to Hazelbranch. I quite like it - it's flexible and upbeat and very honest about its motivation schemes. It's a positive approach I think I can work with.

Off to ponder bpal, now. The January 1st update is obscenely large.

HUNGER MOON
When Hunger Moon hangs high in the sky, the fields are frozen, and game is piteously scarce. Sleet covers the ground, and biting winds chill to the bone. This is a quiet, cold perfume: desolate and despairing. It is a clear night sky that and bracing chill wind that bears the promise of snow, sharpened by the pain of hunger, and the sharp, rasping stab of thirst.

Ozone, white sandalwood, crystallized white amber, verbena, oakmoss, clary sage, and a hint of white citrus rind.

I think I could resist this one, save for the verbena (which I love) and the clary sage, which I'm finding way too intriguing. I can't think of another scent that used clary sage.


BAKENEKO
In sharp contrast to the stark sterility of Hunger Moon, we present a carnivorous chaotic charmer: the bakeneko. The Monster Cat is a shapeshifter, and is empowered to take the form of a beautiful woman (to entice lonely gentlemen) or a winsome young maiden (to the peril of childless couples). Though some bakeneko are benevolent, and only wish to find someone to care for them, or to show gratitude to a mortal that has done them a great service, others are furry balls of malevolent mayhem. Their mischief ranges from simply destructive -- knocking over lamps and destroying property, tossing ghostly, freezing fireballs from their hands -- to horrifying acts of carnage.

Warm amber musk, Satsuma tangerine, black tea leaf, cardamom, cherry blossom and cinnamon.

This sounds like it will be spicy and warm and simply delicious. (And who can resist a two-tailed cat that walks on its hind feet?)

The serious contenders....


ARACHNINA, THE SPIDER GIRL
A swirling, hypnotic perfume of black currant, poppy, red and black musk, lilies, nicotiana, and patchouli.

ESHE, A VISION OF LIFE-IN-DEATH
The perfume of life-in-death: embalming herbs, black myrrh, white sandalwood, black orchid, paperwhites, tomb dust, and Moroccan jasmine.

TIRESIAS, THE ANDROGYNE
Dark, moody, and bittersweet: black currant, patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon leaf, caramel, muguet, and red sandalwood.

THE WILD MEN OF JEZIRAT AL TENNYN
Fiery, primal, and precociously diabolical: red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower.

PRIALA, THE HUMAN PHOENIX
Three deep, dark myrrhs, smoke, and cinnamon bark.