Friday, August 29, 2008

Do you smell that? That smelly smell. That smelly smell that smells....smelly.

And if you can name the show that quote is from, and/or what it's referring to, I'll give you a big hug and kiss. Never mind...Daniel, you can't play. (I'll still give you a big hug and kiss, but it's not contingent on answering that!) If you can name it and you don't live in my house, I will give you a dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies. Promise!

So last night Daniel and I were talking. Ok. I was talking. He was trying to watch M*A*S*H. And for some weird reason I started talking about how smell takes me places. You know. They link me to a place, a time, a person. Here are a few examples...

1. Homemade bread...being inside a nice warm house when it's raining outside on a school day.
2. Moth balls...My mother in law.
3. Skunk...My bedroom in my parents basement at 4:30 am after Willie the dog came in from outside and ran around my room...couch, chair, bed, carpet...and got skunk smell all over. It was a really bad day. It was also my first "let's use the internet"day to find a cure for skunk smell.
4. Vanilla candles...Being pregnant and sick with Isaac.
5. Gasoline and rain...Being in the back of the Toyota station wagon with my sisters. Asleep. Going to the gas station to fill up, listening to rain drops hit the top of the car, then continue the trip.
6. Lysol...My mission...they always cleaned with Lysol. I don't clean with Lysol!
7. Mexican food...The real stuff...my mission and eating with the people.
8. Febreeze...Back to the skunk. I sprayed it on everything! I can only think skunk when I smell Febreeze.
9. Realm cologne...Daniel when we were dating and engaged. Sometimes I smell it on my brother. That's just weird!
10. Freesia body spray...The little shower in the little bathroom on the Carribean cruise I went on.

There are so many more, too. If I smell any of those things or a myriad of other things, I am sent back to the time and place and people and the most vivid memory associated with the smell. It gets really scary sometimes. Like when I would wait outside on the driveway for Isaac's bus to come and a neighbor boy would be walking home from school. He would stop to chat with me and when the breeze was just right, I could smell School. I would seriously want to puke. Like run in the house clutching my innards close to my spine as all the memories of school and teachers and desks and and and...I can't handle it. I'm glad my boys don't smell so strongly of that with a relatively new school.

That was painful to think about!

So I tell Daniel (back to last night) that I smell him and know his smell and it's a good and comforting smell. "So, hun, what do I smell like?" "Nothing" "Nothing?" "I don't associate smell with memories or feelings or anything." "How can that be? That's all smell is to me" "I'm weird." "Well that goes without saying." And we went on like that for a while.

It was when we were in bed and I had this epitome that I crossed the line. I say, "So that's why you don't have a problem cleaning up the throw up!!" He laughed briefly then said "I can still smell, Jennie. I just don't associate it with anything. Throw up smells gross and I don't like the smell of it. It just doesn't evoke a memory." Oh. Ok. He can still smell. I knew that. Puke doesn't evoke any memories for me either.

Does anyone else out there associate smell with memories or people or anything? does anyone just smell and not associate it to anything? Is there anyone who just can't smell? Let me know. Because I want to know if I'm weird or if Daniel is weird. Well. I know he's weird. But, you know, weird in the sense that he doesn't think anything special when he smells the lotion I wear on someone else. Maybe I'm weird.

And I'm serious about the smelly smell quote. Anyone know it? Tell me. Tell me...
And because I make more than 1 dozen cookies when I make cookies...email me, call me or stop me at the school to tell me, don't put the answer in the comments! I'll give cookies to one and all.

16 comments:

Mama Bear said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mama Bear said...

I know it! I know it...thanks Kylah! Anyway, I'm the same way with smells. Mostly the nasty ones though that take me back. For some reason the gross smells stand out for me in the vast halls of my memory.

Single Women Adopting Children said...

I am a huge "smell" freak! They evoke memories, lots of them like pine evokes memories of hanging out with my grandma in the summer who lived in the woods. But- I also have a way too sensitive nose - stinky things, stink more to me - I think. This is why it bugs me if teenagers are not consistent with their deodorant use, why coffee breath really bothers me (I've never dated anyone that drinks it), or why even in a nonsmoking room- I can tell if someone previously had smoked there. It's awful - but I love nice smelling things (like Rob and babies - I love the smell of newborns - I got to hold one yesterday).

Crissy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Crissy said...

Ooops! Sorry, I gave the answer without reading to the very end. I was really excited that I actually knew an answer to something like that.

Fun post Jennie :)

Sarah said...

I'm the same way. like the smell of Joey's leather jacket reminds me of when we first started dating. And certain lotions and perfumes trigger high school, etc. Your husband is weird!

Jen said...

I have smell "issues" also. I can no longer smell the smell of a real, honest to goodness, live Christmas tree. Waves of nausea will ensue. It's Cody's fault. Kinda. I was pregnant and sick with him and we had to take the tree down because I thought it smelled "rotten". I know, I'm weird.

Some other icky smells:
pickles
mustard
onions
sh-weaty little boys and big
boys
poo (from every species)

I'm not sure where that quote comes from, but I keep thinking it may have something to do with a certain annoying cartoon character.

Hollyween said...

K. I e-mailed you.

And I love smells too. I love the smell of Fall and of Christmas and of Spring. And I love the smell of fresh bread and food cooking. And John definitely has a smell that's comforting to me too. I love his smell. Hmmm, I wonder if he thinks I have a smell too. Now I have to ask him.

Thanks for posting about barf. Now I'm not the only one.

Laurie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Okay, sorry, I do not know what that quote is from. If it's not from the Office I really don't know many other quotes. I need to get out more!

And yes, I am just like you. Smells always trigger memories. Jer's poop reminds me of "huelgas" in the Dominican Republic. The people would go on strike and burn tires in the street and that smell has always stuck with me. Yuck! - Katie

Jennie said...

Katie--What are you feeding that baby!!!! And Sean already emailed me with the correct answer...so you'll get some cookies!

Chant with me...Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday....

Ken and Lori Banta Family said...

I agree about smells. Just today I was putting the Oreo cookies in the cookie jar and it instantly took me back to my grandma's house, standing in her hallway where she had a little white hutch where she put her cookies...wierd! I hate oreos but love the smell because of the memory! Puke and poop of any kind sends me over the edge. It's a good think Ken isn't bugged by it either!

Anonymous said...

Sean knows the answer to that???? HMMM... that's a little suspicious. I must go have a talk with him now. - Katie

Kristi said...

I love this post, it's got me thinking of all of the things I associate with certain smells, I feel a post coming on myself . . .however sadly I have no idea where the quote comes from.

Kim said...

Oh I wish I knew where the quote came from! It does sound familiar!

I do associate smells with places and people...but with me it's more about tastes. I love food and I love Thanksgiving and pie because of the memories associated with them. Guys aren't as emotionally attached to things as we are and that's probably why Dan thinks like that.

Unknown said...

anchovies...