August 31st

So today was the slowest work day in awhile. But I went and hung out with cats afterwards so it’s all good. Also I looked cute today.

New apartment TOMORROW.

August 30th

Slooow work day. And I guess college football starts tomorrow? Or so I've been told? That's not meant to be some hipster response, I genuinely didn't know. Sports are kinda out of my field (haha) of vision most of the time.

Do you ever eat too much at Red Robin? (Yummm.)

August 29th

It is warm and sticky. I took an nap and I'm not sleepy. What's a girl to do?

Question of the day: Am I going to MAGFest? I'm still deciding.

August 28th

Is it really almost September? I've been at my new job for almost three months now. This summer absolutely flew by. (Not today though, today was a slooow Tuesday.)

Where does one find a couch to purchase? I'm a little wary of Craigslist, but I also don't want to spend a lot of money...

August 27th

So. Many. Bug bites.

Today was all right for a Monday. I bought some new pants. (I still can’t find any tan/khaki pants, but apparently I’m having great luck with black ones.) I had some oatmeal.

I’m in the mood for a nighttime snack.

August 26th

Huh. I keep hearing about four day work weeks in other countries and like...I’d be down for those. Or at least maybe like once a month? That’d be kinda cool.

I feel like I have so many bug bites. I don’t like this house. But it’s only one week til I get the keys to my new place!

I’m not sleepy enough for bed yet.

August 25th

I’m not sure that today was particularly eventful, but I did try Outback Steakhouse for the first time. It was...okay.

I’m mostly just excited (and nervous) about moving!

August 24th

I got the apartment I applied for. Finally. I am so, so happy and relieved. I can do this.

August 23rd

And so begins the apartment application process. I’ve found a place that makes me content and is within my budget. Now I wait and see if they want me, too.

August 22nd

Guess who felt a little meh this morning and then after lunch got really ill? And then took ginger pills to try and help but mostly they just got stuck in my throat which made me gag? Yeah that was fun. I left work a little early. And I still don't feel totally better! Better than before, sure, but like...not ideal. On the plus side, Cas is hanging out with me which doesn't always happen when the housemates are home. God, I really love Cas though. He is a really good cat.

August 21st

My alarm didn't go off this morning. It wasn't on, and I don't know why. It's set to go off every weekday. Luckily, by pure chance or dumb luck or whatever you wanna call it, I woke up at 7:15 AM and was able to make it to work on time. But that was an unnecessarily stressful awakening.

Work is a lot. I've got stuff to do.

August 20th

I have three apartment tours this week and I'm over the moon. I really, really hope one of them works out.

Here, have some quickie fragrance reviews!

Flowerbomb Nectar by Viktor & Rolf

Tonka bean, cassis, vanilla, patchouli, gunpowder, benzoin

Oh, Nectar. You drew me in with your gunpowder note, then gave me...well, just a more sugary Flowerbomb. Now, I like Flowerbomb. A lot, actually. And the idea of Flowerbomb with this dusty, dirty gunpowder accord really appealed to me. Maybe other people get this note, but on me this really just lived up to the Nectar name -which isn't a bad thing, I suppose. Flowerbomb is already pretty damn sweet, but if you want sweeter, you will probably enjoy Nectar. 

Cocoa Woods by Nest

Cacao, sequoia, sandalwood, ginger

I'll reiterate what most have said - this does what it says. It's warm, dry cocoa and woods. I have the rollerball, and the longevity is alright. Better than the spray, anyway. I think this will smell better in winter - it's quite a cozy little scent. I think layering this with a body spray (think Warm Vanilla Sugar) would really make this shine.

August 19th

Housemates are back. Thank god for Brad, who lets me hide at his apartment. 

Also, I’m covered in very itchy bug bites. My right foot is totally wrapped up so I don’t itch in my sleep (again) and mess my toes up even more. 

I’m not sleepy yet. So...YouTube I guess?

August 18th

I saw the new Christopher Robin movie with Brad today...and I really liked it! Well done, Disney. Live-action Disney movies are so hit-or-miss, but this was good. It had a good spirit about it. And I laughed out loud a few times. Pooh and his friends are just fucking precious, you know?

I also ate amazing German food for dinner so I'm a happy lady tonight.

August 17th

Today was a long and busy day. But Brad and I got pizza and watched The Last Unicorn, which is a stranger movie than I remembered. I like the book better.

So um...I think I want to go to the animal shelter this weekend and hang out with cats. I need to decompress.

August 16th

I didn't even think much about perfume today, so no reviews. Work was very busy. I took on a lot of projects and now I'm stressed. And instead of being able to go home and relax, I have to go to this horrible house that I live in - hopefully not for much longer - and deal with all the garbage here. My housemates are back. I don't know how they - well, she - can preach to me about cleanliness in the same breath that she chuckles about the mice and bugs that live in this house, as she stands in front of her dusty bottles in her dank, musty kitchen. It's true, I don't recycle as much as she does. And I don't scoop Cas' box every time I walk past it. (That's actually a rule she wants to enforce.) But I'm also currently living in a house where I can't even take a shower because the scent of the hot, sulfur-scented water makes me ill. Living here is not what I wanted it to be. I knew I didn't do well with not having my own space - but I don't even have the luxury of a common area. All of my belongings are relegated to my little bedroom and impossibly small bathroom. I can't wait to move out of here.

August 15th

What am I doing with my week? Why did my housemates have to come home? Why can't they just live in Florida or Tennessee forever?

Maybe someday in the future I will take a personal day and spend it with my cat. Because I am an adult.

More perfume reviews upcoming. Tomorrow probably.

August 14th

What a slow day! But I’ve been productive at least. Laundry, cleaning, that sort of thing.

I don’t really know what I’m doing this week.

August 13th

Eau des Merveilles Bleue by Hermes
Marine notes, woody notes, patchouli

I've been meaning to try this since it came out, and I finally had the chance. I'm not really an aquatic fragrance kind of gal - there are very few in that genre that I enjoy. But I love the Merveilles line, so here we are.

First off, the initial whiff was distinctly of the Merveilles family of scents. I don't really know how that's possible, but it was instantly recognizable. Then, of course, it deviates into an oceanic scent. This scent isn't overly complicated; it has very few notes and is mostly linear. It's not one of those scents where the notes all come together to create this really unique or unexpected smell; if you know what the notes in this smell like, you can probably already tell if you're going to like it. For me, the dominating feature was the marine aspect. It was that very nondescript calone sort of smell, though not as artificial as some. However, I didn't find it to be particularly salty or sea breeze-y. And then the woody notes, which were only semi-present, were the same in that they were quite generic. Not any wood you could name, like cedar or sandalwood. Just a sort of woody aroma.

I realize this doesn't sound promising, but I actually don't mind this scent. It's not a "love" for me, but then again, few oceanic or aquatic scents are. Also, I'd like to point out that despite being marketed to women, this is absolutely unisex. I think this is one of those scents that I would enjoy more on someone else than myself - it's pleasant enough on me, but it's just not for me.

August 12th

Eau de Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford
Coconut, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, neroli, tuberose

This is a delightful scent, very much one of those "summer-in-a-bottle" affairs. It's bright, citrusy, floral, and beachy. It has that suntan lotion accord that is essentially synonymous with beachy summer scents, and it executes it well. Compared with the original Soleil Blanc, this is definitely lighter and brighter. It's less creamy, and it feels a bit more sparkly. That being said, the longevity isn't as good as the original. Now, that's not too much of a problem for me since spraying this throughout the day serves as as a good pick-me-up, but I can understand why it's a drawback for most. Overall though, I'm very pleased with this one.

Grape Pearls by House of Oud
Grape, rose, vanilla, coffee, blueberry

I got a sample of this because the gorgeous bottle and unique notes really intrigued me. Unfortunately, I can't say I'm in love. The opening is...a lot. It's a cacophonous mix of rose, coffee, blueberry and grape where every note seems to be competing with the others instead of harmonizing. The grape and berries are full and sticky-sweet where the coffee and rose are dry and almost harsh. And then...all of that just disappears, and what's left is a vanillic rose. That's it. Where the other notes went, I do not know. (Or care to know, I guess - it was better as a vanillic rose anyway.)

August 11th

Hi all! Sorry for being a lazy blogger lately. Yesterday was a long day. Then I had a headache all morning and into the afternoon today.

But I did have some good pizza today. And now I want to try and convince Brad to watch a movie with me even though it’s 11 PM. We’ll see how that goes.

August 10th

I am SO TIRED. Lots of driving. Then a wedding. Then more driving. Now sleep.

August 9th

I’m not having a good night anymore. I just wanna go walk Ace.

August 8th

Ooh girl, I am sleepy. Suddenly. Where did these sleepies come from?

Tomorrow is my Friday! Yay!

August 7th

Ya girl is gonna try to go to bed early tonight. Fingers crossed y'all. My neck is already sore from something, but maybe this will somehow help.

This is a slow week. Which is weird, because it's only a four day work week for me. Maybe it's because I'm not sleeping well, and the weather is kind of all over the place too.

Solution: kitty cuddles

August 6th

I’ve gotten bad about sleeping in. I don’t sleep well at night. And then I hit snooze a bunch. This is not a good habit. It makes me tired at work.

So...what do I do this week? I wanna see the new Christopher Robin movie.

August 5th

God, what a weekend. Dancing and drinking and going out with coworkers. How very unlike me. Also I'm super tired. Like very tired. And my house is very warm.

Am I ready for this work week? Uhh no. This weekend flew by. I guess I do have a long weekend coming up, but it's not free by any means. I'm going to a wedding!

August 4th

Out with coworkers. First drink in years. Whoooo. I’m being good though. Lots of water and coke. Also holy shit alcohol tastes strong.

August 3rd

TGIF, my dudes. I've got plans this weekend! Haircut tomorrow, but more excitingly, a bachelorette party! Well, I say exciting. Also not at all because it's with coworkers that are into drinking and my sober ass is over here Googling how to look like I'm drinking when I'm really not...because while I know I shouldn't worry about what people think of me not drinking, I still do. But don't worry y'all, I'm not gonna be getting wasted. I'm smarter than that. I'm not going to put my health on the line just so my coworkers think I'm cool.

August 2nd

Oh hey, time to watch 45 minutes of Danganronpa before bed. That's a good idea, right?

I'm so ready for Friday, and by extension, the weekend. Even though I don't really get to sleep in much Saturday. Oh well.

August 1st

Kicking ass and taking names in Pokémon Shuffle, you know how it goes.

This has been a long week already. Today was a slow day. And I'm out of milk.