An Ode to the Olfactory

I like to smell.

No, not me personally. I like to smell things. I think it's my favorite sense behind seeing and hearing.

I'm like Gus from Psych. I've got a super sniffer. Or so I like to think. Anyway, what's the point? The point is I've been thinking about scents that remind me of people/places/things and thought hey now why not write some of this shit on down? So here it is.

Vanilla hand lotion-It reminds me of second semester freshmen year of college. Why? I'm not entirely sure. I think I must have used it a lot then or something. But every time I smell it I think of sitting at my desk in my dorm room.

Bounce dryer sheets-Once again college. Why? I'd use them to freshen things up a bit. You know how stale dorm rooms can get. I'd put one in the trash when it started to get ripe instead of doing something crazy like take it out. Plus I kept them in a drawer with my towels so every time I had to get a towel or wash cloth or something I'd open it on up and smell that lovely smell. Then when we moved into an apartment it was the same deal. Put a few in the trash to spritz it up some.

Ginger creams- The smell of those suckers makes me think of my Grandma S. There's also a certain smell of their house that I can't describe but can recognize in a nano second.

Cigarettes, coffee and cats- My other grandma. It might seem like an unpleasant combination or just unpleasant but it wasn't.

Cardboard and rotisserie chicken- The grocery store.

Dishwasher soap, roast and cookies-Ah the smell of home! Ok so I don't really know what home smells like since I live here but those three things I know makes me think of it. Even when I was in school I'd come home after a month and not be able to pick up on its scent.

Lighter fluid- The parking lots at Miller Park. I smell that and am instantly sent tailgating in my mind.

Pencils and paper- Smells like writing! It does. Take a whiff of a number two (oh that could mean poo...but that's not the number two I'm talking about) and it'll smell like taking notes.

Gum- Smells like my car. Doesn't matter what flavor. My car smells like whatever gum I leave in there. And newsprint.

Dreft laundry soap- Little Miss Thang. She also smells like her bath soap but I don't know wtf it is. She's got the baby scent!

I'm sure there are more but now that I have decided to sit down and write it I can't remember them all. Dang. I hate it when that happens.