dimanche 26 octobre 2008

I've been tagged!


I’ve just been tagged in English by my dear friend Cait of Legerdenez and by the French perfume blogger Poivre Bleu! As most of you know, the game consists in revealing six random things about yourself. So, without further ado, of all the possible things that could pop up in my mind, here we go:

1. Glen Gould’s first Goldberg Variations are as familiar to me as my mother’s heartbeat: she listened to them all through her pregnancy, and used them to soothe me to sleep as an infant. To this day, I can’t hear his trademark hum without feeling I’m home.

2. I am the usurper of a cat: my parents used to travel all over Western Canada in their powder-blue VW beetle with a smart, resourceful tabby who took off, never to return, soon after my birth. As a result, as a child I became both violently allergic to, and violently worshipful of cats. I’ve never not had one. My current owner is the 9-month-old Jicky; her predecessor Kiki de Montparnasse lived with me for over 18 years, longer than any human being. And I’m only very mildly allergic now. What’re a few sneezes next to a bundle of catty love?

3. Miss Jicky is a budding perfumista: she sniffs my wrists with very keen interest and tries to lick them; when I’m testing various scents or raw materials on paper strips, she picks one up in her jaw and runs off with it. Oddly, osmanthus seems to be a favorite.

4. I am one degree of separation away from Madonna. This involves a man (if you’re Spanish and over 40, you might guess his identity).

5. I once had a bodyguard for two months, for a piece of political/gonzo journalism I wrote back in the 80s.

6. Ever since I’ve been old enough to buy my own clothes, I’ve been collecting vintage on and off. The last such frenzy came after my divorce. I got so many parcels from eBay that I got to know the young, cute, sweet postman quite well – he used to wake me up, and look at me in my bathrobe as though I were in full make-up, cocktail dress and Louboutin heels. What can I say? It was an efficient tactic.

Now these are the rules of the tagging game:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.

5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Most of my perfume blogger friends have already been tagged, so I’ll shift part of the game over to the French territory, and tag:

1. Octavian of 1000fragrances, probably the most erudite perfume blogger of our sphere, and a good friend.

2. Six’ of Ambre Gris, whose sensitive and thoughtful reviews are always a pleasure to read, and who can write in English as well as any native speaker (though her blog is in French).

3. Alex Lee of I Love Perfume!, a young perfumer in training at Grasse, who doesn’t know me at all, so he’ll be a bit surprised, but I hope not too flustered.

4. Christopher of Vetivresse, whose cultured posts always shift the perfume discussion into new geographical or literary territories.

5. Qwendy of Notes on Shoes, Cakes and Perfumes, who is a real-life friend: my e-friend Helg of the Perfume Shrine tagged her too, but I’m doing it anyway because it’s time the woman started blogging again more regularly!

6. Amy of StyleSpy, whom I’ve also had the chance to meet when she came to Paris last year – her views on fashion always translate into real life, she gives great shopping tips, and she’s a very entertaining writer.

24 commentaires:

  1. Fun to read your items...I am pondering the identity of the sen~or who separates you from the Material Girl.

    Gonzo journalism -> bodyguard, eh? Methinks you did not reveal the recipe for the Guelinade.... ;)

    BTW, I agree; Qwendy should be blogging much more regularly. (Hiya, Q!)

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  2. Nice to get a peep behind the veil! :)
    By the way: Share your love & fascination of cats. We inherited (yes) two who share living space with us, a huge black Norwegian Forest Cat, very lacy and cuddly, with the thickest long fur, and an utterly graceful & elegant white shorthaired one that always will behave in a half wild way. (he is the Cat with a capital C!)

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  3. Scentself, the Guerlinade had nothing to do with it. It was very much political. Let's say a few months later the premises of our magazine were bombed, thankfully at night when no one was there.
    As for the M. thing... It's not entirely impossible to suss out.
    But all of this goes back quite a while!

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  4. Stella, I saw a picture of a Norwegian similar to yours on PoL, didn't I? They're glorious creatures... Have you ever read Bruce Chatwin? In one of his books, he has a theory about our fascination for cats: he says it's a faraway reminiscence of our species, from the time when we had to share caves with big cats, and accept that some of our band would be devoured, in exchange for the shelter...

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  5. It is ours! Was difficult to chose among him and the white one, so I will change to the white one soon.

    I haven't heard about him, but will look him out! I'm sure our fascination for the cats has primeval origin.
    My fascination is rooted in being befriended with cats from an early age. And they really must be among the aesthetically most pleasurable creatures at which to look! And the smell from theirs furs, I almost can't think of anything better in which to bury my nose! :)
    they are also so distinct in their individuality even though living in a symbiotic relationship like our two.

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  6. Stella, I think there are a few of us cat lovers out here (I think the love of cat and of perfume goes together -- see Baudelaire) who would love to have the smell of cat fur bottled... With no cruelty involved, of course! And the smell of the sweat between their precious pads is divine...

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  7. ("des pieds jusques à la tête,
    Un air subtil, un dangereux parfum
    Nagent autour de son corps brun."
    Ah, I love reading his Fleur du mal..
    But, now I must back to work!)

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  8. Stella, Les Fleurs du Mal is a book I've been re-reading regularly for years and years (and then some).
    Now, back to work for me too!

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  9. Carlos León? :D
    That postman was a lucky dawg, you sassy man-tease, you! :)
    My favorite visual is Jicky pinching a scented strip and running off with it in her mouth, priceless! The little sweetie...

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  10. Hey! Thanks for your tag. I am happy to know that there are people reading my posts. Where are you located in France?

    - Alex

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  11. Banderas? Canseco? Leon? Tony Ward??

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  12. So is the departure of the cat being cast as an alternative primal scene for you? Hehehe. I hope you have a marvelous day.

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  13. Merci! Aussi.

    Tag! You're It. Lucy from Indie Perfumes tagged me, and now I'm tagging you, one of my favorite blogs.

    So, here’s the protocol:

    1. Link to the person who tagged you.
    2. Post the rules on your blog.
    3. Write six random things about yourself.
    4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
    5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
    6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

    Six random things about me:

    1. I am a lover of organ music (Bach, Widor, Franck, Dupré and Messiaen, especially).
    2. I speak French and German, in addition to my native English.
    3. I, too, am a compulsive reader. I like subways for that reason. For some reason, I can never read in cabs or town cars.
    4. A couple of times a year, I fetishize the ritual of consuming of a very good dry-aged steak with an excellent bottle of wine. Otherwise, I keep a near-abstemious monastic regime.
    5. I have never eaten an ortolan and consider myself the poorer for it.
    6. I am planning a trek along the Silk Road in 2010, provided my country re-educates itself in the art of diplomacy just a wee, teensy bit.

    Now for some favorite blogs:

    1000fragrances
    Grain de Musc
    The Moment
    Fragrance Bouquet
    Perfume Shrine
    The Sartorialist

    Enjoy being It!

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  14. Dusan: Spanish, not Hispanic! And yes, it's a shame I never have my camera handy to take a picture of the theft, but Octavian is a witness!

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  15. Hi Alex! Yes, I'm in Paris. I enjoy reading your posts, you're right, there are very few people in the profession who write blogs, apart from Octavian, Sacré Nobi (not a perfumer, but he has commissioned and edited perfumes), Les Christophs, and now you!

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  16. Billy... Nah, nah, nah and nah. Man was a Spaniard.

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  17. C., my love, I've already been tagged and done the deed! I'm a compulsive reader too, and for the same reason prefer public transportation to cycling (which is way too dangerous for absent-minded little old me). And I've never eaten an ortolan either.

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  18. Cait, yup, my mother would strenuouly deny it, but I'm pretty sure I'm a cat substitute. Which probably accounts for my babies being furry.

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  19. LOL, D. Someone beat me to it! We must infiltrate the Ortolan Society the next time I'm à côté chez toi.

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  20. I love cats but sadly have become very allergic..

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  21. C., I find them kind of scary to eat, with the bone, beaks and all... In fact, that's one of the reasons people put table towels over their heads to do it. Somehow, it's so... Mitterrand...

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  22. Tom, I'm sorry to hear that. It's a b*tch you can be perfectly ok one day, and allergic to something the next... :-(

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  23. Having body guards, wow that's awesome :)

    I had fun reading your post. this just made my day ^^

    Bobby
    Make Homemade Fragrances

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  24. Bobby, it was kind of thrilling in a twisted way...
    Thanks for dropping by!

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