Forth Eorlingas!
Peter Jackson's nearly seven-hour film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is not lacking in pathetic, symbol-laden scenes and epic carnage - whether it be at the foot of Mount Doom or later before the walls of Helm's Deep and the gates of Minas Tirith. However, my personal goosebumps scene is in the t...
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When They Plow Me Under the Grass
Camphor (chemically known as 'Campher') is an essential oil originally derived from the bark and resin of certain evergreen trees native to Asia and is not one of the more common perfume aromas. For centuries, it has been used to treat colds, muscle, and nerve ailments, acting as an antispasmodic and expectorant - the...
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Joyce
Almost two weeks ago, I met Joyce. We were the only ones on the flight from Chicago to Los Angeles with an empty seat between us - and during boarding, we had silently vowed with our glances that the very large man in the sleeveless shirt, who usually manages to plop down into such free middle seats at the last minute...
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When They Plow Me Under the Grass
Camphor (chemically known as 'Campher') is an essential oil originally derived from the bark and resin of certain evergreen trees native to Asia and is not one of the more common perfume aromas. For centuries, it has been used to treat colds, muscle, and nerve ailments, acting as an antispasmodic and expectorant - the...
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At Master Hora's Table
As a food and pleasure item, I find honey wonderful - from light bright acacia to velvety opaque clover to deep dark forest honey. I like to bring back local honey as souvenirs from my travels, and English honey - best on still warm, butter-soaked crumpets (these are somewhat spongy yeast cakes that are often sold pre-...
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'So? Are You Having Fun?'
asks Heidi at least once per episode when she - a completely hyperactive Cheshire cat on dope and with the annoying energy of a Duracell bunny - enters the room where the 'Meeedchen' are grouped on sofas (probably waiting for hours) for her (to arrive). And one always wonders: 'What else could they possibly say other t...
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At Master Hora's Table
As a food and pleasure item, I find honey wonderful - from light bright acacia to velvety opaque clover to deep dark forest honey. I like to bring back local honey as souvenirs from my travels, and English honey - best on still warm, butter-soaked crumpets (these are somewhat spongy yeast cakes that are often sold pre-...
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A Sunday Afternoon in the Garden
We sat in the back garden on iron chairs - some of them slightly rusted, with cushions made of Toile de Jouy. And because there were so many of us, someone had also added a few formerly white wicker chairs. The strawberry cake and cream had been eaten, the coffee in the porcelain pot with the chipped spout, which had m...
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How very interesting
In (British) English, "how very interesting" usually means that one finds what has just been said so irrelevant or inappropriate that it is hardly worth responding to. Despite its seemingly polite formulation, the expression is rarely used genuinely politely in everyday life - and it certainly does not encourage the ot...
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Yayoi and Me
With many perfumes - not all, but at least most of the ones I own - a more or less vivid association accompanies the scent - equally an idea of how I personally categorize the fragrance, what it means to me, ultimately: what I wanted it for. I have scents to sit with friends in the golden evening sun on the shore of a...
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The Most Beautiful Perfume Name in the World
Recently, I met a - no longer young - colleague in the office late in the evening, who usually goes home quite early. She didn’t seem to be in a particularly good mood - as often happens when you wanted to be somewhere else long ago - and eventually confessed to me that she had actually been 'on a date' for the past tw...
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Not one, not two, but three reviews...
...there are from me about Taormina Orange, Tom Ford's latest Private Blend. And since this cannot be done here - rightly so - I will summarize them all in this one. Don't worry, I will keep it brief. Review number one is aimed at those who are not yet familiar with Tom Ford Private Blends. Whose perfume portfolio is s...
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