HS3

I finally caved. It was going to happen sooner or later. I ordered a Nikon D90 this week and it will arrive on Friday. I won’t have a good macro initially for close bottle shots, but hopefully soon (I’m selling loads of old film equipment right now… and my broken old dSLR sold for $125!). I switched to Nikon for a number of reasons, but from what I can tell, the D90 is the best in its class, even considering that it was released in August of 2008. My previous camera was a Minolta Maxxum 7D, so with the fold of that company, Sony took over and continued development of the camera division. I could have just as easily bought an Alpha A-550, but the picture quality just wasn’t up to the D90, not to mention the fact that it’s missing some serious functions like Depth of Field Preview and Program Shift. Once I sell all of my Maxxum/Alpha mounts (it’s sad to part ways with the Maxxum 7 film body, but what can ya do…), I’ll get a shiny new macro and get back to taking some fragrance porn.

That needs to happen soon though, since that pretty bottle of CdG Patchouli is arriving today. Once all of my camera shuffling over the past year is complete, I’ll be perfectly happy with a Hasselblad for medium format, D90 for digital, and an old Canon A-1 for 35mm. Now that’s some efficient camera exchanging (6 cameras to 3).

I ended up going back over there on Monday rather than Sunday. I ultimately got what I came for, but the experience was far from stellar. I came in and asked for the person I was told to ask for. He wasn’t there. I asked for Cari, the manager. After telling them my name, and a few minutes later, she came out. She explained I could either replace the bottle with an non-engraved version, or she could just give me some vials filled to make up for it – I told her that would be perfect. While I was standing there I glanced over to see the same Colombian SA that sold it to me in the first place. She had the gall to snap in an uppity way “you know, they ALL come that way.” I told her she was wrong and it had been used. She snapped back “uh, no it wasn’t.” I explained that the bottle didn’t have to be primed (not to mention the huge amount missing), so she was unequivocally wrong. She smirked and said whatever. I loudly told her she didn’t have to get snotty and I certainly didn’t come there to see her. That was enough to make her turn around. When the manager came back, I told her I didn’t appreciate her SA accusing me of lying to which I only received a grunt back and a “sorry.” Long story short – the service at the Guerlain boutique in Epcot sucks and that Colombian SA is incredibly rude. I can’t remember her name, but the next time I’m there I’ll be certain to remember it. I’m planning on getting a bottle of Moscou this spring, but I can guarantee I’ll be selecting my salesperson very carefully.

Unbelievable.

My second major in college was photography. I absolutely loved the darkroom, creative processing, and the beauty of medium format photography. For a few years after school, I stayed really into photography and developing even though the cost was outside of my income at the time and my space was not conducive to it. However, when I moved to Florida, it sort of got put on hold. It seems the extent of my photography now is just an outdated digital SLR that I use to take shots of fragrance bottles. I’ve been thinking about it and realized how much I miss it. I’ve decided to immerse myself back into that hobby.

I’d managed to amass a number of cameras over the years, 35mm to medium format, new to old. I’ve decided to sell off most of them that will earn more money (I won’t bother trying to sell a Kodak Brownie from the 50s for $20 for instance), and replace them all with a Hasselblad. I’ve always loved the images they can make, but never been able to buy one. If medium format film photography is something you’d like to get into at a great price, help me out by buying my cameras! I’ve got them all on ebay now. Click here to see them. I currently have a Bronica SQ-a, a Mamiya RZ67, and a Yashica Mat 124G for sale. I think I might sell a 35mm or two, and a few accessories, like a Minolta ring light later, but the first three will be a good start for me to justify buying a new camera to take out shooting. Drop me a note if you’d like to see some examples of photos taken with them!

I generally don’t have much experience with reformations. Usually, the version I have is the version I know and enjoy. I have bottles that have batch differences, but they’re generally differences that I might notice because I’m me and obsess over little things, but they’re generally not noticed by others.

Well, I’ve finally really encountered a real, true reformulation. And I love both versions. I recently ordered a 90ml bottle of Route de Vetiver from Perfume Country. I even emailed after the order to confirm that it was in fact the 90ml size, which I was assured it was. I couldn’t wait. It arrived, and much to my dismay, UPS had treated it with as much love and care as a used diaper. The bottle’s cap had been broken into two and the nozzle had popped off with it, losing almost a quarter of the liquid inside. I was heartbroken. I emailed the company and received a quick apology back. They did the paperwork to submit the loss claim to UPS and within the hour, they told me my replacement was on my way.

In the meantime, my handywork (and the help of superglue) put the first bottle back together and it was functioning and on my shelf.
Today, the replacement came. I quickly opened it, holding any satisfaction at bay until I had the undamaged bottle in my hand. This time it was double wrapped in bubblewrap and packed tight with foam peanuts. I opened the box and pulled the (WHAT?) 100ml bottle out. I couldn’t be upset since I’d repaired what was left of the first bottle and doubted I’d be finishing two bottle of the rich, earthy vetiver anytime soon. I sprayed it on my elbow just for the pleasure and thought, hmm, something’s different. I grabbed the other bottle and sprayed the other elbow. YES, they’re totally different! Like, one has gritty, earthy vetiver root and the other (newer) is a slightly soapy, floral vetiver. I can draw similarities, but they’re different enough that I wouldn’t balk at the idea if someone told me they were two scents from two companies. Fortunately, I’m really digging both. One is the rich, austere vetiver root, and the other is a more modern twist with a floral touch that give much more versatility. It’s like two great scents for the price of one.

They’re only in their first 20 minutes now, so I’ll probably add some better thoughts here later (and pics too!).

I’m wearing Diptyque Ofrésia today. My interpretation of it is a gorgeously lush, green floral that smells of crushed green stems, cool wet freesia, and sparkling citrus oils from the zest of rinds. Well, first thing this morning, a coworker came into my office and said “Hmm, it smells like cleaning supplies in here.” Of course, my retort of “No it doesn’t” was a shining example of my brilliant debate skills in action. At least he didn’t say it smelled like cleaning supplies were needed.
Now, I’m not too concerned that I smell like cleaning supplies today since this is a guy who offers pretty amusing comments like that on a regular basis. He doesn’t generally figure out that someone is wearing a fragrance and just assumes it’s something in the air. An example – a girl that works in the building wears something candied and chocolatey. If she’s in my office and he comes in, he’ll declare that something smells like cookies and looks around the room, possibly in search of a plate of baked goods that is never there.