So… I've been thinking of scents… why? 'cause I was asked what my favorite scents were and I've been thinking about that question for quite some time. As many of you know I shy away from incense, candles, and in fact most highly scented items for various reasons. But, it's certainly not that I don't like scents, it's just the type of scent that I enjoy that is rather particular I suppose… and that I'm not a huge fan of being overpowered by some uber-flowery thing (not to mention the fact that I'm not super awesome with flowers… I'm not good with 'em [they like to die rather quickly… I'm surprised that my cactus survives as well as it does], and am not always that pleased with getting those dead cut things either [which also die awfully fast, as beautiful as they are] although the thought is often awesome).
So, what are my favorite scents?
-vanilla: I actually really appreciated my old roommate's gift a few years back of vanilla scented Body Shop stuff… I actually use(d) it and it was good.
-cocconut: I used to use cocconut scented shampoo from Costco, and loved the scent of it. Still do like the scent of cocconut.
-Eucalyptus: When we took our field trip to the Edmonton Art Gallery during WRITE 298 the one art installation that I remember best is the Eucalyptus room. An entire room with eucalyptus leaves tacked onto the walls, and the scent everwhere. It was so utterly peaceful and calming (not to mention great for poetry-writing) that I still crave that scent… mmm..!
-peppermint: somehow I've always liked that minty scent also. I rather enjoy it a lot also… I've noticed this about trade shows/gift shows/craft shows… peppermint smells make me happy.
-cinnamon: although one cannot have too much cinnamon around (it overpowers the senses) I've always enjoyed that scent.
-fresh baking: heck, I love food. I miss Kim's midnight baking as a result of this.
-good food smells: usually this smells really great!
-fruity smells: many of these work out well… that is provided they're fruit/berries I like!
And my least favorite scents?
-many flowery smells: I'm not a huge fan. Of course, they're not annoying when coming from *actual* flowers… especially when they're growing in natural spots for them… but *sighs* in cleaners etc. they can be rather annoying.
-fresh cilantro: hey, I work at a grocery store, and when it's incredibly fresh, I almost feel sick to my stomach. Fortunately, this does not happen terribly often (well, unfortunately for you cilantro-lovers out there, but I'm sure that you can deal)
-whatever that night market smell from Taiwan was: whatever it was, it didn't encourage us staying.
-burnt smells: that is where they do not belong… like in the kitchen
-burnt rubber smell (especially from a vacuum cleaner): long story short, as a youth me and vacuum cleaners did not get along terribly well.
-melted plastic: I distinctly remember the time that a tub of popcorn was placed on a kitchen burner… that DOES NOT smell good… not to mention eating plastic encrusted popcorn not being on my list of best foods ever (to put it lightly! 😉 ).
-cigarette smoke (and cigar smoke… and other noxious fumes): I like breathing. I like breathing muchly. In reality there's about 2 people I know around whom I can actually stand being while they're smoking without getting all *can't breath/coughing fit-y* in short order. I love the smoking bylaw: it means that I can actually stand being at a bar/club/etc. without having to leave in like 20 min due to not being able to breathe. In the past, I've lost at least one 'friend' due to my not being able to be in close proximity due to cigarette smoke smell.
Inevitably there's more to it than just what I've listed here… but this is certainly a listing of some of the scents I enjoy and don't enjoy.