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Post by warrl on Apr 17, 2011 1:55:50 GMT
That's the drawback with being sarcastic or ironic in print; sarcasm depends on the tone of voice accompanying it. When the absurd statement is a link, it might be worth following the link to see what's going on. Although in this case you could plausibly either decide that my intent was to show how absurd the statement is, or decide that my intent was to show that it isn't absurd. (The statement in question is true, with the arguable exception of the adjective. I've seen enough independent claims that the headline "London Sizzles in the 70s" existed to believe that it probably did, which would indicate that to a typical Briton the adjective would be appropriate. Most people in the US would not agree though; that contrast is what I was going after.)
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Post by Pete-ohki on Apr 17, 2011 3:10:33 GMT
Hahaha, I know Basser is going to like this news. And huh, Rey actually LIKES how Annie smells. Maybe since he's a wolf it's like a feast for the senses if she reeks? Please your dogs, everybody, never take a shower! Maybe animals like a more natural, familiar smell of the forest than all the extremely strong perfumes we humans like to use I had been thinking that perhaps anyone who spends enough time in a forest would have a better appreciation of any natural odor including body odor than one who has only been in the city. I would think the longer you experience something, not only do you become accustomed to it, but you may also be able to discern different aspects of it. Also, I have read stories where the opposite perspective is possibly true; some country folk or forest dweller may find the city has a bad stench while we would probably dismiss the smells as mundane man-made products, various exhausts, and industrial fumes. Here is a possible analogy to think on; we have one word for snow with perhaps two to three perspectives on it: course, fine, and powder. Meanwhile, an Eskimo may have ten words for snow, and a Greenlander may have 49 words. (Ref: TAFKAC.org Folklore/Urban-Legends) I'd much rather smell natural scent than any perfume, assuming decent personal hygiene. In fact, I tend to be pretty uncompromising about it at dances, since being able to breathe freely is something that I value highly. One lady told me "All the other guys here like my perfume!", so I said "I guess they're all a lot nicer than I am." I imagine that one reaches a sort of equilibrium point, living out in the wild, where the natural odors one acquires dissipate as one goes along. Still, the occasional dip in a pond would be nice, at the very least. I hope we get some flashbacks to tell us some of what went on with Annie's stay in the forest, but regular baths may not have featured prominently. In the past, I too found most feminine perfumes too potent and overwhelming. Back then, I always wondered why women needed such strong perfumes. Later on, I came to the opinion that it seems to be more of personal preference; a woman would not be wearing a particular perfume unless she also likes it. Instead of choosing a perfume by how effective, women choose by which matches her personality or something similar. And let's not forget the original purpose of perfumes, which was to cover up body odor at a time when taking a bath more than once a year was a luxury. (I hear that June weddings and the bridal bouquet were also necessities to work around this annual bath practice.)
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Apr 17, 2011 12:35:34 GMT
Welcome to the forums, Pete-ohki and Jandalman! I had been thinking that perhaps anyone who spends enough time in a forest would have a better appreciation of any natural odor including body odor than one who has only been in the city. I would think the longer you experience something, not only do you become accustomed to it, but you may also be able to discern different aspects of it. Also, I have read stories where the opposite perspective is possibly true; some country folk or forest dweller may find the city has a bad stench while we would probably dismiss the smells as mundane man-made products, various exhausts, and industrial fumes. Agree, and I'll add one more: Whenever you travel to a foreign city where personal hygiene standards differ your nose will be in for culture shock. If they use more or different perfumes and deodorants then you are used to you will tend to find them distracting. If they use less then you will pick up on more body and residual food odor than you're used to. Random thought: smell of the forest primeval = leaf rot fungus Also: running around in bare feet only works in reasonably tame areas. Bare feet plus genuine wild minus magic = bloody slashed feet. In the past, I too found most feminine perfumes too potent and overwhelming. Back then, I always wondered why women needed such strong perfumes. Later on, I came to the opinion that it seems to be more of personal preference; a woman would not be wearing a particular perfume unless she also likes it. I have noticed an aspect of aggression in women's perfume. I first picked up on this in high school but it has carried over to the workplace, social settings and also (God help us) to small enclosed settings like trains and long elevator rides. What happens is that one woman notices another woman's perfume as being stronger than hers, and so reapplies her own perfume. The second woman perceives that her scent has been overpowered and then applies more of her perfume. Repeat until the innocent bystanders start opening windows or fleeing. A girl I asked about this in high school called it a "perfume war."
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Post by goldenknots on Apr 17, 2011 13:43:15 GMT
I have noticed an aspect of aggression in women's perfume. I first picked up on this in high school but it has carried over to the workplace, social settings and also (God help us) to small enclosed settings like trains and long elevator rides. What happens is that one woman notices another woman's perfume as being stronger than hers, and so reapplies her own perfume. The second woman perceives that her scent has been overpowered and then applies more of her perfume. Repeat until the innocent bystanders start opening windows or fleeing. A girl I asked about this in high school called it a "perfume war." What are they doing, sniffing each other? :) I know, I know, it is possible to smell someone's perfume more than four inches away, but only if they're wearing way too much of it. ::sigh::
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Post by imaginaryfriend on Apr 17, 2011 14:25:39 GMT
What are they doing, sniffing each other? :) I know, I know, it is possible to smell someone's perfume more than four inches away, but only if they're wearing way too much of it. ::sigh:: A few times I have seen them casually applying perfume to themselves away from their own work areas and suspiciously near where the enemy lives. In an elevator it is fast and nasty but it is over equally fast. Usually there's only time for 1.5 go-rounds. In a larger area like an office it takes place in slow motion because it takes time for the stuff to waft around, but it builds over time to much higher levels. Try sharing a cab with one of those women, or getting in an elevator and going down 40 floors at the end of the day.
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Post by hifranc on Apr 17, 2011 16:34:35 GMT
With regard to temperatures in Britain, I think the article (when talking about summer) is out of date. It's one of the signs of Global Warming. In the 80s it was the case that 21 deg C was a hot summer's day. Nowadays, it's not unusual to get above 25 deg C (and has been known to go above 30 deg C). Therefore, I feel that comparing current US temperatures to past British temperatures is not a fair comparison. Further evidence of Global Warming is that we used to get colder temperatures. Some notes from my teenage years: I used to walk the dog and virtually every day there was overnight frost from Oct/Nov to April. Nowadays, we hardly have frost and even this year, which was a relatively harsh winter, we had frost from about December to February/March (and that was only some nights not all). The article is right about how we approach winter. In 1986, I lived in a village and we were physically cut off by snow then. It drifted so much that it covered cars and was fairly deep before drifting. If you want current temperatures, see The Met Office website. Another thing to consider is that, because we live on an island, our weather is milder than continents. The sea acts as a moderating force. If you compare summer/winter temps (and even daily high/low temps) you'll find that, in general, you have a wider variation on a continent than you would an island. {edit}When using The Met Office website, bear in mind that our hottest months tend to be July to September.
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