Friday, December 12, 2003


unlikely birthday celebration; blame it on the bossa nova

i wouldn't have expected it, but there it is: a nice celebration of bks iyengar's 85th birthday at the community center in . . . bahrain. this alone speaks volumes for the universal appeal and acceptance of yoga.

and i know a lot of people are going to find this very cute. it might make a sweet present for the younger yogini on your list. . .

and speaking of yoga gifts, both yogis and yoginis might appreciate this new line of yoga-inspired silver jewelry, called kamala, which means "lotus flower." the bracelet seems male-appropriate. . .

myself, i began this morning with a cafetiére of gillies carioca blend. it's an especially sweet coffee.

don schoenholt says his inspiration for this blend was a trip he took to brazil as a child. this blend is a little bit of amber that captures his memory of a bossa nova brazil, the taste and scent impressions of a languid and elegant time. . .

finally, i've given in and acceded to winter, my least favorite season. this means i return to what to my mind is one of the most passionate and intense perfumes, l'heure bleu. it's a perfume with soul, a scent that fulfills chanel's dictum to "herald your arrival and prolong your departure."

i wear the eau de parfum because the true parfum is incredibly lasting. too lasting -- it can survive dry cleaning. this means that even if you are restrained and use it lightly in good taste, it quickly builds up in your hair, your clothes, your sheets. it can become overwhelming, which not everyone appreciates.

once long ago, i saw someone who disliked this classic and thought to wean me off it by giving me -- ack! -- a bottle of estée lauder's pleasures.

clearly he was no baudelaire: "my soul travels on the smell of perfume like the souls of other men on music." and as we know, mme. du barry noted that to change your perfume is a crime against your friends and family. not to mention oneself!

needless to say, he didn't last long. . . i think i left his so-called "pleasures" in a car.

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