Scent of Woman (but without the woman)
This may sound weird but smells mean a lot to me. I don't mean to imply that I am some sort of human bloodhound but I have been blessed with a rather generous schnozz and I'm not one to be modest about my endowments. So this post is not so unusual, at least I don't think so.
I recently changed deodorants, finally having gone through the stockpile I'd amassed during one trip to my local warehouse bulk store. Yesterday was the first day I'd had to use the new stick, and after showering upon my arrival from home I applied it, got dressed and walked into the kitchen. As I stood there I had an eerie feeling, like a stranger was nearby. My roommate was sitting on the couch, tapping away at his computer, so it wasn't him. A glance out the window confirmed that it wasn't a neighbor.
As I moved around the apartment the feeling stuck with me and I soon realized that it was the new deodorant! I could faintly smell it, and it didn't smell like "me", or at least not the deodorant I usuall smell like. It's a curious thing that such an artificial smell can be so closely linked to one's notion of their own identity. This extends to everyone else as well - take my dad for instance. When I was a kid, my dad used Givenchy Homme Sauvage aftershave. To this day, I can't smell that scent without remembering my dad. When he gave me a bottle of it for myself a couple of years ago I found it really hard to have any on - after all, it was my dad.