Elliott C. Back: In Aere Aedificare

Today I had the pleasure of a man dressed in a black skirt introduce me to a men’s cologne which combined vanilla, amber, and musk to attract a maximum number of ladies. My reason for being at Macy’s was actually to acquire a pair of shoes that a lady could appreciate, so I let him stop me and spray his expensive french cologne over various limbs.

It was then that I realized that a musk-based cologne simply simulates the odor produced by a sweaty male body. Wikipedia writes on the topic:

Musk is the name originally given to a perfume obtained from the strong-smelling substance secreted by a gland in the abdomen of the male musk deer, and hence applied to other animals, and also to plants, possessing a similar odor.

It was at that point that I wondered why–besides the hot euro-salesmen in black skirts–would anyone buy the stuff. Personally, I prefer a much more subtle scent.

My habit seems to be to enjoy a glass of wine before I roll into bed, with a book. Right now I’m reading a book in which the author appears in character as himself, which is quite distressing. Even worse, he writes about his fictional character as him through the hindsight of fame, but before he (in this world) became famous. The final straw is that he suggests that works of fiction are real narratives dictating life and events in other worlds. This distresses my free will, and so I sip Pouilly Fuisse.

The other night I made myself a martini for the first time. It was a bit strong, but not at all half bad, and I think I’ll try improving on the theme tonight:

Here’s a recipe, so you can make your own Martini:

Ingredients:
6 Parts Gin
1 Part Extra Dry Vermouth
2 Green Olives

Instructions:

Chill a martini glass until cold. Pour gin, vermouth into a drink shaker packed with ice. Shake until condensation forms on the outside of the shaker, then strain and pour into the martini glass. Garnish with olives (can be frozen), and enjoy the mixed drink! Since the dryness of the martini depends on the amount of vermouth you add, some sources suggest swirling a dash of vermouth in the chilled glass, pouring it off into the sink, and then mixing the gin and ice, pouring into the vermouth-coated glass, and garnishing again with olives.

Moving to a new place has a lot of hidden expenses:

$260 for miscellanious shipping expenses. I mailed myself 15 boxes at an average cost of $17.33 a box. Most of the contents were books, and assuming an average weight of 12 lb / box, I learned later I could have sent them media mail at $13 / 30 lb. That would have cost me a mere $78.

$80 for Amazon prime membership. I wanted to purchase some basic supplies from Amazon, because I don’t yet have a car and can only carry so much home. A prime membership for free, fast shippin will be cheaper in the long run than paying for shipping, and more convenient.

$35 for a taxi from the airport to my house. I can’t avoid this one.

$700 for a queen bed frame, box spring, and mattress. As far as furniture goes, I wanted a nice frame and got one. Also, the firm I purchased the bed from does free delivery to my home, and installation. It’s a win/win since I need to buy some kind of bed. The only way I could have saved would be a cheaper raised matress without a box spring, which reduce the cost by about half, but result in an aesthetically unpleasing sleep and bedroom experience.

$165 for bedding, including two pillows, sheets, pillowcases, and a comforter. The comforter weighs in at over 50% of the cost of the bedding, and was the cheapest I could find.

$289 for pots, pans, place settings for four, silverware, glasses, a toaster, and a cutting board and 2 small knives. I really did buy the cheapest pots I could, but the silverware, glasses, and everything else sold high.

The lesson of all of it, I suppose, is that one should be careful when they move to preserve their belongings. For example, unless I have more than two kids, I shouldn’t need to buy too many more place settings in the future. And, moving would be cheaper and easier in the future by simply renting a cheap truck, packing it up, and driving to wherever I’ll be living next.

Skins mobile is offering a unique protective casing for portable devices like iPods, MP3 players, Razors, and other mobile devices. The latex skins protect your portable electronic device from water, dirt, mud, paint, sweat, blood, dust, sand, cement, and snow. The protective case works just like a condom, only “the latex used is seventeen times stronger than regular latex and can be stretched seven times its own length.”

While the idea of protecting my valuable cellphone, digital camera, or mp3 player from scratches, dust, and liquids is high on my list of things to do, I would rather promote abstinence. Just don’t drop them in water, spray them with blood, throw them in the snow, or roll them in cement in the first place!