A Winter Obsession

I concluded my temporary job today. It went very well, I must say. It was nice to be around and catch up with old friends, make a new one, and the work was familiar and sort of reassuring.

No idea where I'll end up from here, but I'm beginning to make peace with and even like the feeling of having an open-ended and unpredictable future. I've talked to several people lately about possible opportunities and it's all kind of exciting. Surprisingly so, even in this little town.

As I alluded to in my last post, my temporary assignment made some retail therapy possible. I convinced myself I needed some new clothes (AHEM--I had a coupon, okay?) and promised myself that I wasn't going near the crack cocaine store at the mall which is, for me, Bath and Body Works.

I did very well staying away the first night, but when I realized I had inadvertently been given the wrong shade of foundation at the Clinique counter, I had to go back. Back a second night to make an exchange.

I cracked. Cracked like a dry twig.

Like the junkie I am, I did the old I'm-only-gonna-get-hand-soap-'cause-it's-on-major-sale-and-I'm-down-to-my-last-three-bottles-but-I-need-more-in-case-of-nuclear-holocaust.

As my Mom would say, "Yah, sure."

People. B&BW has once again launched their holiday fragrances. The line again includes a scent that was marketed last year only in candle form that was billed as "Alpine Winter". This year they are just calling it "Winter". Either way? It's the same fragrance and it is, hands down, the most delicious winter Christmas scent ever developed on the planet and I know a thing or two about fragrance.

Thankfully, it is now available in oil form, which is by far the cheapest and most effective way to achieve scent in your home. I can get twice the fragrance from one oil burner I can get from three or four candles. B&BW has some delicious smelling stuff (Sensual Amber), and they have their duds (Midnight Pomegranate), but "Winter" is a home run way out of the park. It smells like balsam, and Christmas tree and snow and..something sparkly and spicy. I predict it won't last, so I encourage you to stock up now. The good news is that the oil burners are on sale, so you can save a little there.

At first I thought it wasn't, but the"Winter" scented oil is available on the website here. They describe the fragrance as "a combination of shimmering pine, crisp bayleaf and red cinnamon".

Of course, I'm not burning my Winter scented oil until after Thanksgiving...wouldn't dream of it! I wouldn't be burning it, for instance, right now or anything.

Otherwise, if you haven't already, check out our press in the Boston Globe.

Lastly, in response to a video my Dad e-mailed me recently, an oldie of the Carol Burnett Show featuring the crack-up antics of Tim Conway and Harvey Korman, I'm posting a video for him (but I think it's one everyone can enjoy):