Tuesday, September 23, 2008

These are a few of my Favorite Smells

I love smells. A good smell can give you an instant natural high, and totally change your attitude & state of mind. In a very special edition of the Power 12, here are my top 12 favorite smells listed in inverse order.


12.) Gasoline, and Car Exhaust
      What is it about this smell that makes it so good? I can't figure it out, but it is just inherently good. When I was a kid, I used to enjoy sticking my nose right next to the tailpipe of a running car just to suck in the wonderful smell of exhaust. Apparently that can kill you, but at least it's pleasant-smelling.

11.) Sauteing onion & green pepper in butter
      I do this whenever I'm preparing my favorite spanish rice dish. Just do it sometime & add it to any dish: one green pepper & one onion (chopped up, of course) in one melted stick of butter in a frying pan over a stove. You don't even have to eat it -- it just smells great!

10.) Florist Shoppes
      I love the fresh smell of stepping into a florist shoppe. But beyond the smell, it just feels good for a guy to step into this place to buy flowers for his woman. Florist shoppes have the affirming smell of, "I'm about to make a special lady REALLY happy in a minute!" :)

9.) New car smell
      This is sort of a stalwart of favorite smells lists, and it deserves to be listed here.

8.) New book smell
      There's nothing else like opening up a brand new book & inhaling that inspiring smell. It's a bold scent that silently screams, "You're about to receive a lot of new knowledge and get SMARTER!"

7.) Cinnamon Brooms
      Publix grocery stores here in Florida carry these things every fall. You buy a couple & place them strategically in your house, and the sweet smell of cinnamon will permeate through air. Pure serenity.

6.) Girls' Hair
      Ahhhhh, the sweet & fruity smell of a recently shampooed head of female hair. It's intoxicating! One of the most frustratingly tantalizing smells that exists for a single dude trying to stay pure.

5.) Barbeque Joints
      Is there any walk that is more exciting than the walk from the car to the door of your favorite BBQ joint? Okay, maybe the walk to the ballpark -- that one's more exciting. But with that great scent of expertly-grilled meat wafting through the air, it's just an exhilirating smell.

4.) French Vanilla Candles
      That's right -- I like to burn candles. I'm a dude, and I stink, and I'd like to smell something more pleasant than my own smelly behind from time to time. As for french vanilla, it's just the best candle smell. Bottom line: I've never spent money on a french vanilla candle & regretted it.

3.) Fresh Laundry
      I think we could probably all agree on this one.

2.) The Scent of a Ballpark
      I need to clarify here. I'm not talking about the kind of mammoth structures that I visited on my Pilgrimage. I'm talking about your average, ordinary set of ball fields: whether softball, little league baseball, high school ball, etc. Places where you can actually catch the scent of the dirt, and the pine tar, and the gloves. There's just something about the smell of a good ballpark that just fires me up.

1.) Crisp Fall Day
      This is simply the best smell there is. It brings me to LIFE! It is the scent of relief & refreshing after a long, oppressive summer. And the best is that FIRST fall day where there is no humidity and you just can't get enough deep breaths. It is almost always my very favorite day of the year. It's a fundamentally depression-proof day!

If you're friends with me, chances are you've heard me talk about this. I was on the phone yesterday with some college friends of mine from 8 or 9 years ago (Justin & Kristen), and they were excitedly relating to me about how they had their first fall day a few days ago. They opened up all the windows in their house & they said that they thought of me. I'm so jealous. I can't wait to have mine. :)


What are your favorite smells?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Wow, this is one of my favorite posts!

first off, car exhaust is not exactly a natural high. and face to the tailpipe??? Epic win. ;)

Florist shops. Yes. They smell like opportunity.

New books smell great! Used books... well it depends on who used them.

New car smell... no brainer.

Girls' hair. Um. Yeah. It's enough to drive me bonkers too. And actually it has done so on more than one occasion. :O

French vanilla; I'm ashamed to say it but I agree with you. Actually it kind of reminds me of the girls' hair thing so that might be why...

Fresh laundry. What's that?

Fall days are nice.

-----------------
Now, for the ones you forgot.

The smell that comes right before a big storm. Awesome.

Lumber. I love the smell of the lumber section in any hardware store. Especially when it's just been cut.

Puppies. They just smell nice.

Little babies (when they're not smelling horrible).

Fresh popcorn.

Brewing coffee (it still tastes terrible).

I love the smell of a nice guitar. Especially if it's made of mahogany or cedar. My brother makes fun of me for using smell as a criterion when I'm shopping for acoustics.

And now for your next trick... I think you should do the worst 12 smells.

Anonymous said...

by the way... I just cracked open my brand new copy of Ron Paul's The Revolution: A Manifesto. It smells like freedom.

(just couldn't resist. ;)

III said...

For your reading pleasure... a short transcript of two single guys saying creepy things...


Floydius says:
i really wish i could just bury my face in some girl's hair right now

Floydius says:
thanks a lot

Philip says:
oh man, I totally feel you on burying my nostrils in a girls' head

Philip says:
tantalizing is the right word

Floydius says:
yes that is a very good word for it

Philip says:
so hard to pull back when you encounter a girl who just got out of the shower

Philip says:
I just want to act like a dog sniffing a stranger

-----------

Oh, it got much worse. And that, ladies & gentlemen, probably goes a long way toward explaining why neither Lloyd or I have wives.

Sara said...

...Creeps. Or you would be if it was not for the fact that I enjoy burrowing into Leslie's armpits for the delicious deodorant smell.

Exhaust smells even better on a 15-degree morning. I don't know why, but it does. :)

I think you and I have talked about all of the other ones (except the girls' hair... that could be awkward for me). I know exACTly what smell you're talking about with the baseball field. Mmmmmmm. This is really weird, but I used to chew on one of the ties on my softball glove, and the delicious taste of leather and dirt was amazing. Soccer fields have the same effect on me, smell-wise. I love going out to a field and realizing that it smells like soccer season. :)

One more comment: Yankee Candles are the absolute BEST. You should definitely invest in some, if you haven't already.

III said...

Armpits?! That's just nassssssty.

Yeah, Yankee candles are a regular favorite of mine, but they are expensive. I suppose Macintosh Apple is my favorite flavor among the Yankee candle selections. And lately, I've really been into the Glade Scented Oil candles.

Jordan, I just left the door WIDE open for you now...

Jordan said...

Car exhaust? Are you remotely serious. "Gee, I hope we have a smog alert today." YUCK!

You left off popcorn... come on!

WHERE IS BACON! Dude... the best smell ever is missing from your list! You know your favorite warm candle scent, but have no clue about bacon...


You are the gayest dude ever on the internet.

Anonymous said...

I remember when I was in first grade, and I would sometimes intentionally walk behind the school bus, just to smell that wonderful aroma. Of course, I thought it was strange that I liked it, and it may well be, but at least I have company now.

But of all the smells in the word, there's nothing like a good campfire! I love it, particularly when it's a little cool outside. And the best part is that it gets in your clothes, and you get to smell it for days and days.

Florist? It's been a little too long since I smelled that one...

III said...

Boy, we're a sorry pack of single dudes. :) Been a while since I've really enjoyed that florist smell myself, Dan...

Unknown said...

bbq. no contest.