On My Quest for a Good Cologne I Had to Stop & Ask For Directions

After reading a few books on the topic of smell (Like NY Times Scent Critic Chandler Burr’s The Perfect Scent & The Emperor of Scent, also Luca Turin’s wickedly funny scent manifesto Perfumes: The A-Z Guide) I’ve been a lookout for great cologne. Hopefully one I can call my go-to scent. Easy enough, right? Um, …

Grateful for the Teen Who Makes Cookies & Shares A Few with Me

There’s this teenager who, without fail, always gives me several cookies in a box on holidays. She makes them herself. While the cookies are super yummy, and my sweet tooth is ohh so satisfied biting into them, there’s something more about the gesture repeating itself over and over, becoming a tradition of sorts that warms …

Passive Aggressive Response to the Kid Kicking the Back of My Seat While Flying To Hollywood

My flight to Hollywood has me sitting a row in front of a mom and her two youngsters. Her hands are full as both children appear to be under the age of 6. If I guess their ages, I’d put them at 6 and 4. The four year old was seated directly behind me. I …

A Nice Get-Away Buried in the Heart of LA: The Farmer’s Market

Spent a few hours walking around the farmer’s market located at The Grove in Los Angeles. Loaded with baubles appealing to just about everyone: salted caramels, fresh strawberries & produce, fresh fish, post cards, herbs, cactus plants, raw steaks, and hats.  I decide to eat dinner here. Again, there’s something for everyone along the aisles …

Thankful to the Lady that Made Me Mittens From A Coat & Sweater

Iknow a lady that wouldn’t call herself one, but I do, I call her an artist. She has a knack for keeping and creating items loaded with nostalgic memories. Her house is filled with trinkets and mementos, even mundane things that each have a little story or association from her life. We all do it, …

Pick a Scent for a Movie Character & My Surprise at Colognes Carrying Their Creator’s Signature

Makes perfect sense to me now (and probably anyone who thinks about it for a moment). I was surprised though that all of the niche colognes I am sampling seem to have the indelible mark of their creator carved into the molecules of the scent. Which becomes noticeable once you smell several of any one …

Pecans Roasting on An Oven Rack… My Attempt At Chocolate Turtles with a Twist: Cayenne Pepper

No chestnuts roasting here just yet. Spiced pecans, yes. I am trying a twist with my home-made chocolate turtles this year by using spiced pecans instead simply using raw ones. The spiced pecans have a tiny kick because of the addition of Cayenne pepper. I suppose I could name these “Snapping Turtles” 🙂 I am …

An Actor’s Decemeber Weekend Comforts = A Good Read, Heavy Blanket, & a Warm Scented Cologne

Following my challenging trip of filming out east last week, it’s a welcome distraction to receive an order of cologne from independent Portland based perfumer Slumberhouse and to have a great book to read over the weekend. The scent I ordered from Slumberhouse is called Rume. A spicy rendition that brings to mind the visits …