1) Quietly sobbing into packs of frozen peas. I had my wisdom teeth removed last Tuesday, and almost immediately developed a dry socket. Dry sockets are a post-surgical complication that several female Internet commenters have described as “more painful than childbirth”. I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty inclined to agree with them.
2) Doing job interviews for things that I can’t tell you about yet. BUT I TOTALLY WANT TO.
3) Playing Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing is an adorable video game in which you’re the mayor of a town of semi-humanoid animals. No matter how unemployed I am, in Animal Crossing I’m a capable and highly respected legislator.
4) Not wearing perfume. Anything too sweet makes my tooth pain worse, and “too sweet” is pretty much the defining characteristic of my perfume collection. A few exceptions have been Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay, with its delicious interplay of tart and savory, and For Strange Women Coffee Extract, the sweetest graduation present from The Unseen Censer. Isn’t “For Strange Women” the absolute perfect name for an indie perfume brand?
5) Buying too much nail polish. These two, Butter London Chimney Sweep and All Hail The Queen, are from a recent Nordstrom Buy 2 Get 1 sale. I flipped my everything when I saw that Sephora currently has a mini of Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday as a beauty insider reward. So of course I had to get a bottle of Urban Decay Addiction to qualify for it!
I’ve been gone at least 20 Blog Years, so tell me everything new in your lives and your perfume collections. I miss you all and can’t wait until my teeth stop betraying me.
SCENTS OF SELF 
For Strange Women is WONDERFUL – I think my favorite is Decadence & Debauchery, or possibly Moss & Ivy….
And Jill is the nicest person!
I’ve never had the pleasure of trying any others! So nice to know that the perfumes measure up to the (perfect) name.
Very much hoping that your teeth stop betrying you soon, Ari. (hugs)
Thank you, James! I feel almost human again today for the first time in two weeks!
Good news! May you feel even more human tomorrow.
Oh Ari. Dental matters just give me the deep-down willies. Your plight makes me want to bake you cookies. Cookies ARE the cure, you know. Oh me, oh my. You poor thing. Just remember that this, too, shall pass.
Ari, I have had more than my share of dental nightmares so I totally know what you’re going through and I hope that you feel better soon. Tooth pain is one of the worst things ever.
Tooth pain is the worst, hope you feel better soon. Keeping my fingers crossed for success in your interviews. What colors of nail polish have you bought recently?
Thank you so much, Tatiana! I think my favorite new polish is this really unique indigo color from Butter London called Giddy Kipper. But I lost it almost as soon as I bought it! I blame the cat.
I am currently perfumeless 😦 Had to leave my home and everything in it, got nothing but my gorgeous children and the clothes we were wearing, but I will rebuild! Onwards and upwards!
Shannan, do you mind if I email you at the address linked to your comment? I may not be able to do much about your incredibly difficult current circumstances, but the least I can do is make sure that you don’t have to go through it perfume-less.
Ari,
Have had to change my email (and my name!) I’ll put my new email in the section below that says (Address never made public) ? I could use my mum’s perfume but they’re all powdery florals that just give me a headache!
Shan why are you doing this i am about to have a nervous breakdown i love you and our boys so much i have been nothing but nice since the argument for the boy sake but you treat me like a piece of dirt you talked when i payed all the bills and sent money and now nothing again pls stop treating me like this
i do have feelings to pls do it for the boys as well and come home and get everything you have the lot 4 yourself and the boys i wouldn,t take anything from you guy i love you so much pls
Why are you treating me like this Shan?? let the boys speak to me pls you left after 18 years on an argument and havent even got the decency to talk to me you and your mother are pathetic and now you wont fix seths phone card so he can speak to me you should stop playing mind games i Still love you so much pls just let seth contact me i miss you all so much pls come home
Love Chris xoxoxo
Sorry about the teeth, I too have been in the land of tooth pain more than once! Wishing you a speedy recovery!
Very curious about For Strange Women!
Thank you, Annina, and me too! This Coffee Extract was probably the closest thing to real coffee that I’ve ever smelled, so I’m really impressed.
Ari, you will survive the teeth. Good luck in your job search. I just started a new job myself a couple weeks ago and I am trying to survive the learning curve and a humid heatwave. New nail polish is always cheering.
❤
Congratulations on the new job, Rosie! And thank you for the good wishes!
ugh, so sorry about your teeth! Hope you get to feeling better soon, and land that perfect job!
I’ve had a relatively relaxing month and am gearing up for students to be back and class back in session in about a week and a half… eep!
I still owe you some Dark Passage… I will get it in the mail on Monday or Tuesday, I promise!
Poor you, Ari.
I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 18 and, thankfully, never heard of or experienced “dry socket”, which sounds so awful that I’m not even going to look it up!
Good luck both with recovering and with job-hunting.
cheerio, Anna in Edinburgh
DO NOT GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH IT. Can’t emphasize this enough!
Many sympathies sent your way for the teeth. Ouch. Here’s what I’ve been doing: 1) Getting my gallbladder out. Not as much pain as you, because of the T3s (thank goodness for drugs) but sore and sleepy. Yay for my flunkies who fetch me things 2) Researching sage perfumes. I’ve never been interested before, but all of a sudden I’m in the mood to smell herbal 3) Gorging on the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. Mindless and silly, perfect for post-op recovery
Feel better soon, my poor surgery buddy! I think that the only sage perfume I’ve tried is L’Artisan Caligna, which I thought was very pretty, but too expensive.
I’m glad you’re finally feeling better. Video games are a nicely absorbing distraction, aren’t they? Good luck with the job search.
Oh, sorry to hear about your dry sockets. It is a painful – and oddly emotional time post-surgery – so hang on in there, taking your mind off things with feats of virtual legislating and eye catching nail colour! You will prevail and catch the eye of an employer by and by…;-)