Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Special Guest Wednesday


This week, I'm proud to feature Kyah Girl.

Kyah Girl defines Perfumista.
PERFUMISTA, n. per-fume-east-ah

One possessed of a passion for all things scented. The perfumista is neither female, nor male, young nor old.

The perfumista studies the art and science of fragrance and devotes themselves to learning notes and ingredients as well as fragrance history and lore. The typical human senses odor via the cluster of receptors at the back of the nose that connect directly to the brain. This way, scent is perceived before the brain has received a signal from the nervous system. Part of our inborn survival mechanism. The perfumista perceives scents as usual but the perceptions are accompanied by a jolt of pure sensation, usually pleasure.

From the scent of grasses and woods to flowers, synthetic and natural oils, animal, mineral, and aqueous; all fragrances are of interest to the perfumista. Yes, even things that smell bad!

Most commonly, the perfumistas congregate in virtual communities to share their knowledge and to share their joy in scent. Many perfumistas maintain educational blogs in order to share their knowledge.

Perfumistas are known to periodically congregate in large cities for an event known as a 'Sniffapalooza', an orgy of fragrance exploration.

About Kyah Girl: Kyah girl writes Mother Hen's Place in which she recently surveyed blog posts about bowel movements, recounted her dog, Casper's urination habits, and reviewed her daughter's tonsilectomy. Clearly, this is a woman with range. Oh, and before that she "revealed" the contents of her handbag. Yeah, right. Nary a stray mento.

She's a wife, mother of two, mistress to Casper The Friendly Dog and a friend of Logo and Mireille (a FOLM) with whom she shares an interest in perfume. A Canadian but not noticeably a communist, she blogs as a means of staying in touch with friends around the world, by which I mean in the U.S. (there are friends in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand as well.) Her posts are humorous and interesting and Kyah Girl's worth getting to know. Kyah Girl took her blogname from Kyah, a beloved dog who passed away not long before Kyah Girl started blogging. That was all I needed to know to call Kyah Girl friend..

How to be a future guest on this site: Just send an email to dpascover at mac dot com. On a future Wednesday, after posting that week's guest, I'll send you an email with a word to define. You'll be expected to return your definition along with a graphic representing either your definition or yourself by the following Saturday. The only rules are no profanity and no novels, please. And whatever I make up at the last minute.

53 comments:

Minka said...

1st!

Minka said...

Oh...and believe you me I will add Iceland to that list of blogging buddies. I smell a trace of fun, culture and caring over at her site.
I have to be off now and check her out...no point in lingering here is there?!

Well done, Kyah Girl, with the special Wednesday Guest appearance.

Miz BoheMia said...

Ooooh! With me comes Denmark, Iran, Spain and of course, San Francisco! Wooohoooo!!!

Monika! You can also add Germany to yours! YES YOU MUST!

Perfumista... does my only using Zaharoff count? Delish I tell you, DELISH! Kyahgirl, your definition was divine!

Dawgy Doug, your taste in females, of whatever species they may be, is impeccable!

Sar said...

Nicely done Kyhagirl! That's a lot of perfumes & colognes ya got there my friend.

Perfumista: The heavenly scent of lilacs on Easter Sunday.

Minka said...

Ok...Iceland, Germany (EAST!!!) and 1/4th Spanish comes from my side. If we all go back long enough I am sure we can almost cover the world :)

Kyahgirl said...

Hello Doug, thanks again for letting me post here.

Ladies!!! woo-hoo-I would love to add your parts of the world to my little universe.

Minka and Miz B-I've wanted to meet more Europeans.

Sar-thanks! my collection is actually quite modest compared to some of the perfumistas I know. I have restraint. *ahem*, yes, restraint.

I have to get my little angels off to school and myself to work. I'll check back later. :-)

wv-rvvwyjth: must be Welsh. No vowels!

Doug The Una said...

Minka, du bist zuerst, als typisch. Yeah, Kyahgirl's good folks.

Miz B, you internationalize nicely. And I certainly do.

Nice pun, Sar. That's becoming your specialty.

Thank you, Kyah Girl. Enjoy the fun.

Minka said...

Well Doug, I am intending to leave 10 comments, for each day that I will miss being here. So don´t expect too much quality, but there will be quantity.
I was just wondering if there were kleptomaniac perfumistas?

~Daydreamer~ said...

Just saying hi :D How's it going, Doug?

Anonymous said...

Nice to meet you kyah girl - you are my first perfumista.

Doug The Una said...

Minka, let me have 'em!

Welcome, Star First Baseman! an FOK, I take it?

Well, howdy, Marwa! It's always good to see you here. I'm well, thanks.

Then it's about time, Ms. Alice.

zydeco fish said...

Well done.

dddragon said...

Since I'm married to the anti-perfumista, I have nothing to say. Or scent.

The amoeba said...

Kyah, nice work. And this is coming from an anti-perfumista. An anti-colognemann, even.

COLOGNEMANN, n. German guy from the Rhineland who won't admit to using perfume. And is hacked off at the English speakers who can't spell Köln.

About that "biologist" thing, Doug:

BIOLOGIST, n. Student of buying. Almost always male; constrasted, and usually in deadly combat, with the SHOPPOLOGIST, overwhelmingly female.

Anonymous said...

Yay! Not only a Canadian definition but an Albertan one. Whoo! Yeah! Even if you're from the wrong city. Sigh. Oh well. ;)

Way to up your "Eh" factor, Doug!

I think those who shower in perfume/cologne should be shot. Or at least made to sit in a small box so they too can feel the full effect of their sassy scent. The first one in the box is one of our sales reps. It's just wrong for a guy to small like Avon Skin-So-Soft. It's probably some guy's cologne (that turned...30 years ago) but that's what he smells like and it's enough to make a girl's eyes water. Wrong. Just...wrong.

Doug The Una said...

Welcome, shiftclick! Yeah, Kyah's a classy dame.

And welcome to you, Zydeco Fish.

Dddragon, nothing to smell is a sweet scent.

O Ceallaigh, it'll be sad for me when you have more clever definitions on this site than I do. Biologist, n. Pupil of the speechless, lecturer to the deaf.

Cowgirl, as much as it kills me to put this in print, I miss the lilacs of the Midwest although this time of year when I was a child our front lawn always smelled like a quilting bee on an airplane.

Jenna, I'll thank you not to shoot my guests, even the canucks.

Logophile said...

YAY!!
Kyahgirl, I am so pleased to come over here and see you today!
This is fabulous, I do so love me some Kyahgirl, and Ariella is a big Casper fan.
She also does some very good body hair blogging and books too.
Oh yes, the woman has range!

The amoeba said...

I can't help it Doug, this site is just, well, stimulating.

And no, I'm not married to dddragon. Or if I am I don't know about it.

The "delete" function didn't do what I wished it to. Can't edit these things [grr].

TLP said...

I can't think of "scents" without thinking of C'est Chic. Sockso

Nicely done post.

Kyahgirl said...

Well, well, well; looks like we're having a bit of a party here!!

Hi Star, daydreamer, :-)

cooper-I'm so proud to be your first.

shiftclick-slowly you're ferreting out all my secrets.

zydeco fish-I figure a librarian is going to feel right at home here in 'Wordville'.

dddragon-non-scents is ok! but you obviously know a lot about poo, based on your comment at my place-'nuff said!

o-ceallaigh - thanks

Cowgirl-hi! I totally agree with you. I may like fragrance but you won't smell me 10 minutes before I arrive somewhere. I'm leary of wafting.

Jenna-*waves* I can almost see you from here. send your sales rep to me, I'll straighten him out.

logo- thanks. &hearts to you and Ariella

Doug-I don't think Jenna meant she was going to shoot ME, but thanks for protecting me anyway :-)

TLP-Sockso!! I hope mireille drops by. I miss her since she's been so busy.


You all have made me feel very welcome. Thanks for that.
Laura

Anonymous said...

Kyahgirl is also a perfume evangelist. I am currently awaiting a box of samples from her.

Yay for Kyahgirl!

Doug The Una said...

Logo, any friend of yours (FOL) is a friend of mine.

O Ceallaigh, if you're Dddragon's husband it would be under an assumed name. Did you ever go by "Nod?"

You know, TLP, Mireille's word was going to be "Parfumerie" if her guest spot hadn't fallen between Christmas and New Year.

Laura, good guest hosting. One of us should email Mireille that you're on.

And welcome to Whinger. Do you take in the Aussie sense? If so, what took you so long to get here?

The Village Idiot said...

Perfumista --- sweet smelling breeze from the east

Kyahgirl said...

Doug-I just sent Mireille a note :-)

Whinger-nice to see you. Do you know that you and Doug are in the relatively same area of the world? Its a small old world eh?

Hello VI-it would be, yes, coming from the east, and somewhat north! Maybe we should change it to perfume-noreast-a :-)

The Village Idiot said...

Oh and as long as we are covering the world, you get Switzerland, Germany, and Africa with me

CozyMama said...

very cool!!! I love this stuff!!!

Ariel the Thief said...

hi, Le Parfumista! do I see Patrick Süskind's novel The Parfum in your picture? I liked that novel.

it's funny with smell. the smell of cow shed, pigsty and shitty chicken yard brings me back to childhood summers, I love those smells. the smell of an empty glass of beer gives me naughty thoughts. I wonder how those parfumistas share smells through the Net... :-)

Kyahgirl said...

VI-thanks, you're helping me with my goal for world domination!

Jodes-great.

ariel-yes, I have that novel.

And yes, scents really evoke memories. Partly due to the way we process them in our brain. Perfumista's share scents through blogging (I have a few links on my sidebar under 'Mostly Perfume') and we also mail perfume around the world to each other. seriously.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could figure out how to share it through our computers?

related; I heard of a phone company that has little spritzer that releases a scent when your cell phone rings.

And the barnyard smells? oh yeah. I love the smell of a horse's neck and even road apples, for that very reason. Takes me right back to my childhood.

The amoeba said...

Doug -

Did you ever go by "Nod?"

Well, the only name I always disavow is "Late for dinner". But I'm unaware of anyone calling me "Nod". Or "Winkin'", "Blinkin'", or "Puff".

Whinger -

Why, you're practically across the street! (Berkeley) Why did I just see that "For Sale" sign go up ... ? And I'll whinge right along with ya. Have you lived in the Empire, or did you just get sick of your buds making puns on "w(h)ine list" at fancy restaurants?

Anonymous said...

Doug - I do not take in the Aussie sense, which explains the length in getting here. :)

o ceallaigh - Whinging is the best. I've never lived in the Empire, but I am a lover of language, and appreciated the subtle difference between "to whine" and "to whinge." It's MUCH more fun to whinge.

Minka said...

I think it is about time for my 5th comment today. I am at work as we speak and the scents around here don´t need a perfumista to annalyze the different ingredients :)
Ariel your display picture has changed...what is it?

Anonymous said...

Jenna: still trying to figure out where Doug saw the threat...of me. ME!! Sigh. (Shrugs then skips off because I have the attention span of, well, me)

Jamie Dawn said...

Kyah, I already know you, but it is good to see you as Doug's featured guest.
I bet after your sinus surgery and getting those turbinates under control and that septum straight, your sense of smell will be even more acute. What joy!
Courtney has not been able to smell things for the past three years, and now she can smell again. Isn't that super??!! Three cheers for open sinuses!!
Smelling stuff is usually a good thing, but I can't get excited over foul odors. That must mean I am not a perfumista.
My hubby used to have a dog named Kyanna. She was special to him.

Oh... hi Doug.

Ariel the Thief said...

Kyah, mailing parfumes sounds fun. and in the end... what else what can do? :-)

just cropped the old pic and deleted the previous, Monika, had I thought over it's gonna result in a sign like "We have closed, next post office is at...", I wouldn't have touched that.

Kyahgirl said...

Minka-hi again- just 5 to go now :-)

Jenna-I'll help you out, you said that people that shower in scent should be shot. I'm safe, that't not me, but I think Doug thought you were going to shoot me. That would be bad for the Guest Wednesday business!

JD-thanks :-) I'm actually going to have to sheepishly admit that I threatened the ENT with a horrible fate if he did something to damage my sense of smell. He assures me that it will be even better after the surgery. That will be amazing because its already pretty good.
Kyanna is a nice name.
I don't get excited over foul odors but can spend time discussing them. Seriously, you should read the Cacao reviews we did. IT stank-the perfumistas had a heyday :-)

Hi Doug-sorry, just moving in and taking over your blog. Something I forgot to mention about perfumistas? we can talk your ear off when it comes to perfume!!

The Village Idiot said...

now..if someone made a laquer thinner cologne....

And that is quite a collection Kyah..took a while for it to sink in that ..uh. hey...maybe I am looking at her collection and not some pic off the web...

then again, I could be wrong..its been known to happen

Kyahgirl said...

Cowgirl-you're a woman after my own heart!

Hi again VI. (would you rather be called 'idiot' or Vi?)
Yes, that's my collection. I've whittled it down to about 40 bottles, 40 decants (subsamples of other people's bottles - usually 5-25 mL), and about 100 samples. I keep trying to get it down to less but I have all this perfume karma built up and people keep sending me things :-)

If you look up on the wall in the background you can see Kyah, standing in the River, overseeing everything :-)

lacquer thinner cologne-there is something called 'Montale Skin' that smell like laquer thinner or nail polish remover (to me). Honestly, you can find anything if you look for it.

mireille said...

K-girl ... the Special Guest! I'm here to testify that you smell good, that you have a scientific mind that does scientific work, that you are a fellow doglover and that I'm glad Doug let us both into his blog. He had his doubts. For one thing, this perfume thing ... isn't it kind of ... femme? I mean, it's hard to make caustic humor about smelling good. But efforts will be made.

Nonetheless, as testimony to his generous spirit, here we are.

I wonder if Doug uses Axe or Tag?

♥ k-girl ♥
♥ doug ♥
XOXO

Minka said...

Number 6 coming right up!
My favourite perfumes at the mometn are:
1) Naomi Cmapell - Sunset
2) Gucci - Envy Me

I´ll hit Duty Free at the airport in a coupel of hours ;)

Karen said...

perfumista = something a girl can't be without.

Kyahgirl, you ROCK!!

Kyahgirl said...

*swoops in to give mireille a big hug*
Hi :-)

Yeah, that Doug, he's a real thrill seeker, letting both of us on his blog hahahaha.

Oh dear, I hope he doesn't use either of those scents. I could send him some Musc Ravageur. That's one of my faves and it smell great on a guy. He'd be pretty darn sure that he'll never run into another man wearing it :-)

♥ ♥ Thanks for coming to visit-I know how busy you are. ♥ ♥

Minka-comment number 6, nice. You are devoted to this aren't you? Can't believe you're still commenting while on the way to the airport!
Gucci Envy Me is nice. I'm not familiar with Sunset though. Have a safe trip.

Kyahgirl said...

Oh Karen- I missed you!!
thanks for coming. You'll never be without a perfumista now, you know where to find me :-)

Minka said...

Number 7: ok, things are packed!
Four hour countdown has begun...

a) air ticket-check
b) passport-check
c) Euros-check
d) Visa-check

I think I can survive with that. OH, and I bought a new digital camera so I´ll be able to share pics and stuff!

Kyah Girl, I would also like to add that you have been a wonderful host today.
I also packed my perfume :)

Logophile said...

Oh Oh Oh
Look!!
Mireille stopped by!!
YAY!
I am snickering thinking of doug in Axe, too funny.

Kyahgirl, I lived in Greece and Italy, if you want to count them, even though they are not technically mine, I will let you.

Doug The Una said...

Villiage Idiot, four to go.

V.I., I hope Laura wants'em.

Hey, Jodes! Welcome back. Did you bring the tiara?

Wow, Ariel! 10 points for being observant. Good eye. What's the new avatar. I can't even see that.

Laura, I love it. Does Casper want to play with Willie and Walela? Put your feet up.

O Ceallaigh, just a couple forms of I.D. and we can wrap this up.

Whinge away, Whinger. Nice to meet you regardless.

Minka, pretty good for a fifth comment. Yeah, Ariel, what is it?

Jenna, I guess everyone's pretty safe then. Did you see that?

Howdy, J.D. Don't mind me.

Ariel, I hope that explanation helped Monika. Which photo? What? Post Office? C.O.D.?

Cowgirl, neatsfoot oil on an old saddle is good even to the unevolved, like me.

V.I., I suspect if someone made a lacquer thinner cologne you'd already be wearing it.

ZOCKSO!!! I needed Laura to get you back. Tag or Axe? It depends if I'm branding or chopping, I guess. Here, just for you: Perfume, n. The feminine alternative to the crowbar, suitable for coercion or abuse.

Minka, better keep commenting then if you're going to make 10 like you promised.

Karen, welcome back. It's good to see you again.

a4g, I'm not sure fire and perfume mix. Sounds like he got his just dessert.

Minka, we'll look forward to pictures of your perfume when you get back. Safe travels.

Actonbell, every one says that at my place.

Logo, I still don't get it. Guess it's my turn.

Minka said...

Keep your pants on...I´ll manage my 10 comments :)
Have you started the book yet? If so...did the opening scene remind you of anything? If it did, wasn´t it just hillarious?
"I can do next Tuesday" make sme laugh just thinking about it!

Doug The Una said...

Macbeth, is that my brain teaser?

Minka said...

Dougie, teh Brain teaser is up!
How did you like the book so far?

mireille said...

oh wow! a present! *commits to memory: "Perfume, n. The feminine alternative to the crowbar, suitable for coercion or abuse."* MWAH! ♥ xoxo

Minka said...

I did it :)

Happy Easter everybody. A wonderful excuse to eat chocolate in plentitude. Go rabbit!

Kyahgirl said...

a4g-dogs are definitely a higher life form!

actonbell-thanks for visiting over at my place. it smells pretty good over there too

logo-I was just about felled by a guy doused in Axe at the post office the other day. hey, did you see Doug made us a new acronym? FOLM (friend of logo and mireille). I feel really important now :-)

minka-you are a woman to be reckoned with. way to go on achieving your goal of 10. go eat some chocolate now becasue I think you earned it.

thanks again Doug, I'm off to find some pictures of my Mom for her birthday post tomorrow.
G'night y'all :-)

Doug The Una said...

Haha, Minka, I think you left for the airport but I'm enjoying it. Of course, you won't know that until a week from Easter. I may change my mind by then, of course. And well done on finishing the decalogue.

xoxo yourself, Mireille. Thanks for haunting.

Thank you, Laura. A yeoman's job with a note of vanilla.

Minka said...

Thank you Kyha Girl...I'll dig in for the both of us!
Doug, I am glad you like it and don't you dare change your mind!
;)