The joys of boredom : philosophizing about it

Essence of a dream, that is Extrait de songe, was the very poetic name of a limited edition “clean”perfume for summer 2005 by L’artisan Parfumeur. The latter lost a legal battle over the coveted name with Annick Goutal who had the name Songes (=dreams) copyrighted for her own, completely different, composition. Hence the lovely Extrait de Songe became extinct.
However many people say it smells quite close to another older L’artisan offering, one of the Moodswings coffret, Lazy Mood.
This got me thinking.

Laziness, boredom, dullness….all of these words bring to mind the languorous days of a really hot summer, when one isn’t energized enough to actively do anything except sleep. We had a long bout of this recently and am afraid we will get it again soon enough.
When I am talking hot, I am not talking Canada “hot”. Nor Germany “hot”. These are euphemisms. Like calling Daniel Craig James Bond. These are mere bleeps on the radar of hotness, never managing to register with me. (It’s actually my preferred weather: if only we had 28 degree Celsius half the year long...)
I am talking 39-40 degrees hell hot, all red and fiery; when your own skin is becoming revolting to you and you want to tear it apart with one swift gesture like an overzealous Russian waxer with steroid-enhanced arms; when hair sticks on your forehead inviting you to turn into a travesty of a skinhead; when sticky liquid oozes off your pores just by sitting around doing nothing.
Yes, you’ve guessed it: I hate those moments with a passion.
The “noon devil” of the hermits of Egypt, which draws out every speck of physical and mental vitality, is my personal nemesis.
However it is a small comfort that Extrait de songe exists for providing the illusion of a clean, cool, white cotton sheet that can be wrapped all around one and provide some solace from the scorching sun.

Sloth according to Kirkegaard is the source of all evil. Wordsworth described it as “wild dullness”. It is considered one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.
Hamlet refers to the world as “tiresome, plain and dull” which probably explains why he never lifts a hand to actually do anything except talk.
Samuel Butler says that boredom is a kind of spiritual failure, since the person who lets himself to emote it is more despicable than boredom itself.

But is it so bad, really? I wonder…
Billy Collins, the poet, calls boredom paradise itself. “It’s the blessed absence of things that the world offers as interesting such as fashion, media, and other people, whom Sartre –let’s not forget- characterized as hell.”
Anton Chekhov also idealized boredom in many of his plays, like in Uncle Vania and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” remains without a doubt the manifesto of dullness, featuring characters that await for that bastard Godot who never makes an appearance and which proves boredom can be pro-active after all, because many had stood up and left the theatre from what I recall :-))
The New York author Richard Greenburg even wrote a book (titled “Take me out”) after a bout of boredom during one especially dull summer, during which he watched baseball matches on TV. Luckily I am not that desperate.
Brenda Way, choreographer, likes to sit and think when stuck in a jammed highway. She believes it aids her involuntary voyage to creativity by using her unconscious powers at those precise moments.

Made by  nose Olivia Giacobetti, who is famous for her light compositions that are like Winslow Homer paintings, Extrait de Songe seems very fit for such moments. Featuring an airy formula, beginning with linden like the flower water used to sprinkle Mediterranean cookies with, segueing on to hay- like (lots of coumarin?) and woody notes, it finishes off with a kiss of white musk like newly washed bedclothes envelopping your showered body.

Whatever your camp is, Extrait de Songe manages to smell like it is the best thing to exonerate the bad and amplify the good aspects of boredom. And for that, I honestly weep for its demise.

Inspired by a euro2day comment. Pic got sent to me by email, so no creditable source available.

We love your wording in this blog. Are you in UK?
Sissi () - 31 07 06

Thank you dear for the kind words. Actually I am not in UK and neither is english my native tongue…I am in Greece
perfumeshrine - 31 07 06

That’s a bit rough on poor Daniel Craig! Granted he’s not the ideal Bond but hmm…

God, I know the heat of which you speak. Though I believe it gets slightly hotter in Greece (though the Australian desert may be equally searing). Last summer we had was sheer hell, 40+ degrees in Melbourne?! Virtually unheard of!
Snarkattack - 19 08 06

I just came across your site while searching for a review on Stella in Two Peony and Amber scents. I was in Saks Department store today and tried the Peony. I’m writing a quick review on QVC’s Beauty forum and I always like to include links to some interesting sites. You have a great blog! I fell head over heels in love with Greece when I was there with a girfriend about 10 years ago. I can’t believe I haven’t made it back to Santorini which still owns my heart! I’m sure that the gorgeous 6 foot tall Greek dancer that I met had nothing whatsoever to do with my passion for the island! I’d love to hear more about where you live. Feel free to email me any time! :) Nancy
Nancy () - 20 10 06

Thank you Nancy for the great compliments and linking my site.
What can I say? Love the place myself and have a slice of my own gorgeous greek
Hope you come back sometime, since you liked it so much.
perfumeshrine - 20 10 06

I definitely will come back! I’ve seen several replies on the Q boards to the link so I hope more women will drop by to say hello as well.

You might enjoy the QVC Beauty forum yourself! If you go to QVC.com’s homepage and then go to the bottom, there is a community forum. If you click on that, you can join in. They have forums for clothes, beauty, movies, books, jewelry, all kinds of things. Some of it is talk about QVC products but most of it is just general beauty and fragrance talk! I’d love to see you over there! Feel free to email me if you have any questions about it. Thanks again for such an entertaining site! :) Nancy
Nancy () - 22 10 06

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