Smells like Mad Science - and Jagers! Girl Genius Scents at ZOMG Smells

"Doctor's Bag" of vials at ZOMG Smells

     While I have known about the existence of ZOMGSmells for years, through their advertisements on the Girl Genius web site, it is so much fun that I needed to share what I found.

     The biggest attraction, for me, was their line of Girl Genius scents. Among the GG scent collection are: The Baron, Madboy, Pirate Queen, Jager #1, Jager #2, and Jager #3.  Gee, I wonder to whom they are referring, ha ha, but I sure hope Jagers smell better than they sometimes look! (BTW, I absolutely adore Jagermonsters, und hy know eet iz hard to schmell nize after heeting tings vit odder tings.  The scents sound delicious.  I mean, ferocious!

     Quack medicine cologne, anyone?  In addition to the GG scents, the ladies of ZOMG have created a collection of scents based on vintage patent medicine recipes, Dr. ZOMG's Cure-Alls.  Learn the history behind some of the potions, salves, tonics, and liniments that were hawked as cure-alls both on street corners and sold in pharmacies, some of which are still available today in slightly altered forms.  For example, Dr. Zomg's Superlative Polytonic Mirabalm is based on the recipe for Coca-Cola syrup, minus the cocaine, but with an additive to make the mixture tingle on the skin!

"Doctor Zomg's Cure-Alls do not actually cure all. They don't cure ANYTHING, other than not smelling nifty. But they *are* based on recipes for actual patent medicines, which likewise didn't cure anything. So we figure we're in good company there!"

Hmmm.... Who says shopping cannot be informative?

     I mentioned the Tesla scent in a previous post, and while thinking along those lines, why not try the Higgs-Boson scent? "We promised we'd make Higgs Boson available permanently when the particle itself was satisfactorily demonstrated to actually exist, and as of July 4, 2012, it looks like that's exactly what's happened. Here's to Dr. Peter Higgs, CERN, and the scientific method! Our toast: a blend simultaneously heavy and sprightly, with mace (for atom-smashing) and strong engineer tea over a rock-solid theoretical base, by which we mean patchouli, vetiver, and ATLAS cedar."

     If you are undecided or just want to try all of the scents in a particular collection, you can order a "squee set," which contains 1ml vials of the collection, or order a set of 5ml bottles. They sell dozens of more individual scents, all themed, as well as soaps with the aforementioned scents incorporated.

     The descriptions of the scents always make me salivate a little, which means they are describing it well! When I go to the site, it is about all I can do to not order one of everything. I would like to hear from you if you have ordered and/or experienced some of their scent formulations.  Eenjoy de schoppink!

Happy Birthday, Nikola Tesla!

     Since the steampunk community so often refers to the gentleman, I wanted to find out more about the esteemed Nikola Tesla besides information about the always-dramatic (and fun!) Tesla Coil.

     Tesla was born on the 10th of July, 1856 in Croatia. After working in Europe on telegraphs and loudspeaker technology until 1884, he moved to the United States to work with Thomas Edison on direct current generators. Tesla reworked Edison's design to make it more efficient, for which Edison refused to pay him the agreed-upon amount, and Tesla resigned from the company.
     In 1886, he started his own company in New York City, and invented many technologies that are familiar today, such as A/C current electricity, spark plugs (patented as "electric igniter"), and radio remote controlled vehicles.
      Tesla had an eidetic memory. "While a person with photographic memory will precisely recall visual information, a person with eidetic memory is not limited to merely visual recall – theoretically they can recall other aspects of the event including sensory information that is visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory, as well as other dimensions."(from Wikipedia)  He often would not draw his inventions much or at all before beginning construction; instead, he would visualize every aspect of them as needed throughout the process. The descriptions of his visions also seem to match how synesthetes describe their way of looking at the world.
    Other facts about Nikola Tesla: along with his native tongue he also spoke Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Latin; he liked animals, especially pigeons, which he fed every day; he developed extreme OCD early in life, a disease which at that time was seen as partial insanity; later in life, he became vegetarian for both ethical and medical reasons, eating only honey, bread and vegetables.
     In the 1890's, became friends with Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain). On an unrelated note, Tesla believed that his celibacy aided his scientific progress.  Despite his sacrifice, Tesla never won the Nobel Prize (he was nominated in 1915 along with Edison, and neither won, supposedly because of their bitter dispute over the superiority of alternating vs. direct current). Tesla held more than 278 patents when he died on 7 January 1943 at age 86 alone at the New Yorker Hotel, $20,000 in debt.

Some modern tributes to Tesla/things named for him:

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Nikola Tesla Award (an award given for an outstanding contribution to the generation or utilization of electric power.)
the rock band Tesla
Tesla Motors, which makes electric cars
a crater on the moon
an asteroid
a street corner in Manhattan
a USPS stamp in 1983
the Nikola Tesla Museum
ZOMG Scents Tesla cologne

I hope you have enjoyed learning more about this fascinating historical figure!

Tempting Teas! $5 Off Adagio Tea Orders

Greetings, all!

    Let me just get this confession out of the way: I adore tea. Any kind, any origin.

     When I was diagnosed with a medical condition that prohibited me from drinking tea, I was devastated. Give up my morning cup? That will not do!  But I had to, or keep having some quite painful issues, so I wiped away the tears and threw away my beloved tea. That was several years ago.


     Recently, my frustration and longing for a nice cup of tea led me to Adagio Teas, and I browsed their site for hours.  I chose a few varieties that I thought might lend themselves to some experimentation, to see if there is just one kind of concoction that resembles tea that I can drink without repercussions.  I placed an order for several samples, and they sent me a discount code to give to others.


     So, if it is of interest, please use this code and get $5 off of an order from Adagio.  They have a good variety of teas, herbal and otherwise, and the sample portions go for between $2-9, so you can try out ones that interest you without breaking the budget!

     Yummy treat! Here is a $5 gift certificate to Adagio Teas: 7665144551. Expires in 24 hours. http://www.adagio.com

Do enjoy!

P.S. from 6/14/12 - I have to say that I am impressed with the company. I placed my order two days ago, and am now drinking what I ordered! The tea samples arrived in sturdy, well-marked, resealable bags; each one is color coded, as well, for white tea, black tea, herbal, etc. On each package is the ideal brewing temperature and time.  Oh, and so far, the tea is delicious!

For Sale: Gears and Singed Feathers Preserved in Two Miniature Resin-Filled Glass Bottles

Singed Feathers in Clear Glass Bottle

Feathers and Brass Watch Gear in Bottle

     Greetings, everyone!
      Due to one thing and another, I have not yet made these bottles into jewelry, so instead of tearing them apart and possibly ruining the pieces, I have decided to offer them for sale as curiosities. (I discovered how to make a relatively easy and functional hanging loop after I permanently affixed the corks into these bottles, and said technique must be done before adding the corks and before the resin hardens.)
      These bottles represent simple, first-time experiments with the materials, and should in no way be taken as the end-all of my feather/resin/bottle efforts.  As usual, I have come up with more a few more ideas, and must simply try them!

     (Want to know more about the materials I used? Read about other pieces which also utilized the Red Lory feathers (and tell more about the bird from whom they came) in this previous post.

Laundry, Mores, and Murder: Tales from Victorian London

    What better way to acquaint oneself with both the mundane and the extreme happenings of daily life in Victorian London, than by reading what actual Londoners wrote about it?

     I recently downloaded the free sample of Daily Life in Victorian London: An Extraordinary Anthology, compiled by Lee Jackson. As I began to read with a mostly open mind, I still found myself dismayed that I felt surprised at what shocked the people of that era. (Very conflicting emotions, there.)  Many of the sections are articles submitted to newspapers and other periodicals of the time period.  As the author comments, it is perhaps presumptuous to call this anthology "extraordinary," yet it certainly sheds light on the mores and idiosyncrasies of the day.

     Lee Jackson's truly informative web site, The Dictionary of Victorian London, led me to the book.  There you will also find sketches, photographs, and an encyclopedia of Victorian London divided by subject matter.  One could spend weeks reading through the material he has gathered there! Jackson has published many books on various topics regarding Victorian London.  Most can be had as a digital download for $2-3 apiece. His most recent book might possibly nod to the television show "Dirty Jobs": Dust, Mud, Soot and Soil: The Worst Jobs in Victorian London. Fascinating!  I recommend and will certainly read more by this preserver of Victorian history.

"Remnant" Part 3, Brutal from Birth

Scene from Penny Dreadful Productions' "Remnant, Brutal from Birth"

For those following the dramatic, costume-laden vignettes produced by Penny Dreadful Productions, 

the third installment is here!

(I viewed it a couple of weeks ago, but did not post about it, my apologies!)

Please read my original post on these movies.  There you will find the back story, as well as links to Penny Dreadful Productions and other related subjects, including photos that I took at Anachrocon 2012 of the actual actors and armor from the series.

Enjoy!