Having been sick with the flu for a few days, I watched the latest Bond film, Spectre, and the very first one, Dr. No. Spoilers follow.
I’ve been a Bond film since as long as I can remember; my mom liked them so I got taken along. I watched the movies, then read the books (often *quite* a bit different from the movies) and watched more movies. The last film, Spectre, has a bizarre brother subplot, with Blofeld and Bond being raised as brothers in their youth. I mean, really? Daddy issues? It also has the fellow who played Moriarty in the new Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch, as the bad guy intelligence bureaucrat. (does having a really large forehead mean you are evil?). The first, Dr. No, has James Bond, an unrepentant killer who has a finely honed sense of humor, a wicked intellect and no problem in killing people if they are a problem, with no tedious psychological subtext. Hmm, no wonder I like Sherlock. When I was watching Luke Cage, they also did a brothers battling thing. I wasn’t thrilled. It seems like a bit of a deus ex machina when it comes to ginning up conflict.
We’ve also ordered, and received, a new shipment of perfumes from Black Phoenix Alchemy and their subsidiary(?) Black Phoenix Trading Post. WE got some of their room/linen sprays, ostensibly for creating atmosphere while playing an RPG around a table. They are so much more fun than some scented candle (though I do love woodwick,, many different kinds now, candles since they pop and crackle like a wood fire.) WE first got the Exotic Bazaar, which is warm spices.
A current favorite is Saloon No. 10, which is leather, smoke, sweat and whiskey. We also got the wererat infested sewer spray which is, well, disappointing if you want a sewer. It’s green and mossy, a rather clean sewer and very well groomed wererats. I am thinking of suggesting a mix of mildewed canvas, diesel, leather, sweat and tobacco, thanks to what my spouse would come home smelling like after going off on his two week summer camp for the US Army.
For the perfumes, we got some elder gods, Cthullu and Nyarlethotep, both rather refreshing smelling, more of an idealized ocean and not eau d’aquarium. My spouse got a larger bottle of The Antikythera Mechanism, a lovely scent on a man.
Basically, if you are a nerd who is looking for good themed scents, and other nifty and rather gothic things, Black Phoenix is your place. The “imp” bottles are those tiny glass vials one used to get perfume samples in at a fancy department store. We do use our slowly, and the scents do change a bit. We haven’t found that to be a problem. Just new things to explore!
We also tried Genessee Brewing’s Winter Warmer. Pennsylvania has changed its beer laws again and now more places can sell singles and six-packs. The Winter Warmer is that, with around 9% alcohol. It is a very excellent winter beer, not too sweet in an attempt to hide the alcohol, and not weirdly hopped for a dark beer. This was one of the ones they initially brewed in their pilot brewing area in their very nifty restaurant and museum. If you are in Rochester, do definitely give it a visit and also see the very cool High Falls.
Club Schadenfreude 