I've Moved

I was enticed to move my rants to wordpress.com. You can find me at my website or in my new blog home:

My website: www.cathryngrant.com
Rants: Cathryn G-rant
Flash Fiction: Flash Fiction for the Cocktail Hour

That Stinks!

The world assaults my nasal passages every day. I feel light-headed as the stink of fabric softener sheets wafts across a patch of grass and into my car window as I drive through the neighborhood, feel sickened as women doused in scent sit beside me in movie theaters and restaurants. I hate the acrid smell that's laced through most perfumes, colognes, body lotions, bar soaps, laundry detergents and air "fresheners".

Fill my nostrils with fresh cut grass, pine trees, eucalyptus pods, roses, a body of fresh or salty water, garlic simmering in oil, roasting beef, but stop invading my life through my nose with the bitter stench of perfumes that are supposed to smell "spring fresh", "outdoor clean" and other deceptive descriptors of synthetic smells that are nothing like their inspiration. I have no defense. If something gory appears, I can turn my head, if sounds grate on my nerves, I can pop in ear buds and listen to music. (Although small barking dogs and children shrieking well after dark might be worth another rant.) I can't defend myself from noxious odors that catch the breeze like a surfer catching a wave.
You get it - I hate strong smells. Obviously I can't rid the world of what other people find pleasing. But this leads to my real rant - they changed the scent of my leave-in hair conditioner. The shop clerk assured me - It's just new packaging. I took it home. I naively squirted it into my hand and stroked it through my hair without sniffing. It was disgusting. Perfume stunk up my bathroom and clung to my shoulders.

I'm a simple woman - I use shampoo, conditioner, a little firming lotion. I don't even know what "bodifying foam" is, or the difference between "spray gel" and "finishing freeze". A nice light fruit scent will do, I even find it pleasant. A hint of coconut is nice. This stuff was disgusting.

Part of the problem is I'm already the walking wounded from seeing my favorite style of jeans, my color of lip gloss, and the pens I like ripped off the market. Are my tastes marginal, or does every company anxious to put out something new and improved? I work in Marketing, I guess I should know the answer to that.

I'm on the hunt for a new product, if you know of anything with an "edible scent", let me know. Yes, they are called "edible" scents - a woman at the counter where I was moping that the only body lotion I enjoy was, yes, discontinued, told me that's what my scent preference is called. If it has a name, why can't more products fall into the category? They're hard to find, just start sniffing around.

~Cathryn