Death Notice

After six years and one month of companionship, my laptop finally died. Time of death was approximately 6:15 pm EST on Sunday, October 24. I was really hoping it would last another 6 months, but I knew the end was near last week when the blue screen of death made its first appearance. Yesterday that screen appeared again and signaled my laptop had already experienced its last reboot.

I feel like mourning. This laptop saw me through countless college assignments and research, a few romances, two transatlantic journeys, dozens of online purchases, probably hundreds of movies and TV episodes, thousands of photos, millions of seconds of music, hours of facebook, and the list goes on. It's really hard to say goodbye...which brings me to my next point...

What do you do with a dead laptop? My last laptop didn't officially die; it simply became obsolete. So I'm at a loss as to what to do now.

I'm also wondering how long I can survive without a laptop. I was counting on 6 more months of budgeting for a new one. I am not sure whether I can last even six weeks without the convenience of a home computer. My blackberry can only do so much.

beck

P.S. I was able to backup all of my beloved files before the second blue screen appeared--so thankfully no losses there.

What's in a scent?

I used to always know who my favorite co-worker was.  Now the competition is getting a little intense.  Today my supervisor presented me with a small gift in a bag labeled "Made in Oregon."  Before I could open it I caught the scent of the fragrance inside the bag.  I might have made an audible sound of ecstasy at that moment.  Inside the bag was a small box of Pacifica Sandalwood Natural Soap that my supervisor picked out for me on her recent trip to Portland, Oregon.  "Rich Indian sandalwood, a symbol of compassion, is at the heart of this cherished woody blend with top notes of tangerine and sweet orange."  Precious wood and citrus! How did she know that fragrance would be so intoxicating to me? I couldn't have picked a better soap for myself.

Inside the box is this statement: "Much like music, fragrance is a beautiful connection between cultures, experiences, and memories.  It has the ability to place us in the moment or bring back the past.... We blend these essences and essential oils in unique combinations that inspire passion, evoke a mood, and take you on a journey." Our sense of smell is truly miraculous. 

Each time I visited/lived in France I visited a perfumerie.  I'm happy to say that perfume and scents have become a lovely little interest of mine.  During my last trip I wanted to pick out a new perfume that would become my signature scent--one that I could wear everywhere and people would recognize it as me.  It was  suggested to me to visit a Sephora store to do research.  At Sephora stores, or online, the ingredients or fragrances in each perfume are listed out for reference.  The customer is able to compare and contrast the scents that they like in order to pick the best combination.  I like the idea of a signature scent, but you won't always find a scent like Chanel No. 5, which has been produced for decades.  Chances are you'll have to shift around and try a new scent every few years (perfumes and colognes don't have a very long shelf life, so even if you still have a bottle of your favorite stuff after a year, you're better off not wearing it).   So it is helpful to know the contributing fragrances in your perfume so you can pick out a new one somewhere along the line. 

These are some of the scents I have worn through the years (I did not write the blurbs):


Clinique Happy.  Launched in 1997, the original Happy is a lingering, multi-layered floral. Wear it and be happy.

Notes: Ruby Red Grapefruit, Boysenberry Bush Flower, Hawaiian Wedding Flower.
Style: Chic. Modern. Sparkling.

Clinique Happy Heart.  A wealth of flowers. A hint of warmth. A deepening of emotions. Wear it and have a happy heart.

Notes: Water Hyacinth, Mandarin, Cucumber, Yellow Primrose, Blond Woods.
Style: Fresh. Warm. Optimistic.

I loved Clinique Happy and Happy Heart when I was younger and loved getting the free samples with my makeup purchases.  I still enjoy these scents but avoid wearing them because it makes me feel a little too young. 

Lovely.  A fragrance as lovely as the woman who created it, Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker is part style-icon, part star-next-door. Like her eclectic personal style, Parker's fragrance is a flashback to the classics of fashion design, made modern with her trademark twists on tradition. Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker weaves lavender, orchid, apple martini, and musk to evoke innocence, exoticism and sophistication all at once. With a body for fashion and a nose for fragrance, Sarah Jessica Parker brings us a signature scent that's feminine, timeless, and ageless. Lovely is in the air.

At some point during high school or college I received a free sample of Lovely.  I toted the sample around with me to use on the go.  

Sensi by Giorgio Armani.  Sensi by Armani is the fragrance for women - like light kashmir - oriental romance with italian spirit.  Warm like love. 

Notes: akazia, kaffir-limette, orgeat, jasmine, palisander, benzoe. 

When I wear Sensi by Armani I think of when my mom let me wear a few sprays from her bottle the night of my senior prom.  She said I needed to wear something a little more sexy than my girly Clinique scents.  Then a year later she bought me my own bottle of Sensi.  It now appears to me that I had a sort of coming of age through perfume.  My mom bought me a second bottle last year for my birthday.  I still enjoy wearing it.

Burberry Brit Red Perfume by Burberrys.  Brit Red is a special edition fragrance with that fun, exciting playful British attitude. The vivacious red bottle is a perfect blend of oriental fruits with sensual florals.

Notes: mandarin, red rose, gingerbread, patchouli, jasmine, sandalwood, vanilla beans.

I received this perfume as a hand me down.  Someone was giving it away and I loved the scent.  I'm glad I snatched it up. 

Very Irrésistible Givenchy.  An homage to Givenchy's early days when fashion and cinema were intertwined, Very Irrésistible Givenchy, unites the elegant tradition of French style with the energy and pop-culture pizzazz of American film. Bursting with roses and infused with star anise, and verbena leaf, Very Irrésistible Givenchy is a fresh departure from the traditional floral fragrance.

Notes: Centifolia Rose, Peony Rose, Fantasia Rose, Passion Rose, Emotion Rose, Verbena Leaf, Star Anise.
Style: Vibrant. Brilliant. Captivating.

This is probably my favorite perfume.  I always loved wearing it.  Sephora's blurb about it makes me love it even more. 

Amarige Mariage by Givenchy.  Sparkling, luminous, and sensual, Amarige Mariage is a celebration of love and romance. Radiant and enchanting, it possesses all the emotion of the most beautiful day of your life - a moment of pure happiness reflected in the bright notes of citrus mingled with soft florals, rich spices, and a drizzle of patchouli.

Notes: Sicilian Bitter Orange, Calabrian Bergamot, Magnolia, Egyptian Jasmine, Ceylon Cinnamon, Siam Benzoin, Sandalwood, Patchouli.
Style: Sparkling. Luminous. Unforgettable.

I received a sample of Mariage when I received Very Irresistible.  I accidentally broke the glass vial and I was heartbroken. I had loved the scent so much that I wore it sparingly so I could make it last longer.  It was sad to lose it so prematurely.  I still imagine that I will one day wear it for my wedding.  

Before closing this post, I have to mention my favorite scents for men. 

Polo Black Cologne by Ralph Lauren.  This phenomenal fragrance was created by Ralph Lauren, in 2005.

Notes: iced mango, spanish sage, patchouli noir, sandalwood, and tonka bean.

This is my new love.  When I receive Macy's ads in the mail, I search out these samples. 

Pi by Givenchy.  Pi is a celebration of what makes a man seductive - his intelligence, courage, and contributions. Pi is more than a name, it's a symbol. The masculine bottle, designed by Serge Manseau, has a hi-tech closure system and plays on the contrast between pure lines and perfect proportion.

Notes: Mandarin, Pine Needles, Rosemary, Guaiac Wood, Benzoin.
Style: Adventurous. Sensational. Masculine fragrance.

My mom bought my dad a bottle of Pi but he almost never  wore it.  So once in a while I wore it and fantasized that one day my husband would embody this scent. 

Oh my goodness, I wish I could insert the scent of the sandalwood soap here so you can smell it.  It is divine. 

beck

Pilgrimage to NOLA

My boss mentioned last week that I might get to travel to New Orleans for work next month.  This is very exciting to me since it has been on my hot list of places to go since...well, either since I visited Disneyland's French Quarter and ate Creole cuisine (I know, kinda sad) or since I took a History of Jazz class at BYU.  I'm going to go with the latter.  I can't think of any time sooner than that when I really yearned for a trip to that city. 

During my history class, I learned the importance of NOLA to the jazz age.  It is still a key component in the preservation of jazz music from that time--they didn't name the venue Preservation Hall for nothing.  I would love to experience a performance there.  One of my favorite jazz songs seems to transplant me to that region whenever I hear it.

Now presenting: "West End Blues" by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five.  When Louis plays the trumpet, it's smooth and unforced.  And when he scats, it feels easy and lazy--as if there's not a care in the world. 

beck

Fait Accompli

Kakalina sent me a package for my birthday.  She said that when she visited me back in May that I mentioned a couple items that I wanted but didn't have.  I couldn't for the life of me remember anything I might have mentioned.  I giggled with excitement when she told me it was coming.  Then I was a bit puzzled when I saw it was from Crate and Barrel. 

I opened the package and found this:

A salt pig with a scoop!  We saw many different versions of these in Hill's Kitchen.  We might have also pretended to throw salt onto the imaginary food we were cooking in the store.  Of course I didn't have something as frivolous as a salt pig with a scoop. But now I do!

Today I finally filled up my pig and placed it next to the stove for easy access to throw a dose of salt on whatever it is I decide to cook.  It took me over a month to find the salt I wanted to put inside it.  My final choice was a modestly priced flaky sea salt sold at Dean and Deluca. 

Isn't it pretty?

beck

In Anticipation

Papa John and Mama Tracy arrive in the DC area in T minus 4 days.  I talked them into coming out for my first concert performance for the National Philharmonic Chorale.  This Saturday we're performing Mahler's 2nd Symphony, called "Auferstehung" or "The Resurrection."  I am waiting in anticipation for this concert, because it is going to be...incredible. 

I auditioned for the chorale without really knowing what I was getting myself into and I am so grateful that I followed through with the idea.  In the many choirs I've sang in, I never sang whole movements of classical music.  We might have picked out one or two pieces to sing from a symphony or set, but we never sang a work in its entirety.  I think I might have been gypped in my choral experiences.  Perhaps we didn't always have the money for the necessary orchestral accompanists, but I wish we would have tried harder to make it work. 

For now I am in love with Mahler's Symphony No.2.  I can only imagine how different my life would be if I had heard it sooner.  Okay, probably not that different, but perhaps more edified.  A friend gave me a burned copy of the music and I have listened to that CD almost everyday.  The words carry such a powerful message and they are written so well into the music.  Though the lyrics are in German, the music itself is able to carry the meaning to the listeners.  By the end of the piece you feel like you're being carried into heaven. 

Listen to it. Read the text.  Love it.  "Prepare yourself to live!"

I'm also waiting in anticipation for...lab results.  T minus 3 days.  They're not for me and I'd rather not share whom they're for, but it's kind of a big deal.  I know this will sound dramatic, but I know these results will impact the rest of my life.  I've tried not to think about it too much over the last several months, but now that we're so close to knowing, the potential results are occupying more of my thoughts.  I'm praying for miracles in modern medicine. 

beck