As I sit here at work, I was really considering writing an entry about relationships. Why is the divorce rate so high in the country? Why do things get so complicated? Why do people almost always inevitably get very hurt? But then I realized that so-called "love" and relationships must be one of the most frequently discussed items in our country. Yet, all this talk, all this analysing, philosophizing, and psycologizing really hasn't fixed anything at all, has it? So, I'll just spare you from reading my two cents, which will invariably just add to the noise and do little to help things. Instead, I've decided to talk about something related, yet equally irrelevant on a practical level. Smells. It's so funny how people are very sensitive to smells. I wonder how much we've been conditioned to think, "this smells good, and that smells bad." I think a good way to tell how much bias we have due to conditioning is to watch and see how little children or babies react around a certain scent. My guess is that they'd not be nearly as repulsed as most of us around most smells. I think Americans tend to be particularly narrow in their preferences, whether that be with foods, smells, or experiences. It's kind of funny when you think about it: much of what is labeled as "good smell" is usually some sort of artificial store-bought scent- soaps, shampoos, air fresheners, detergent. In the end, smells that are strong or unfamiliar are quickly dismissed as "bad bad smell." Don't get me wrong, I love the clean smell of a freshly bathed female with nice perfume as much as the next guy. But I also think that as a society, we're a bit prudish when it comes to scents. Speaking of perfume. It's really funny how nostalgic perfume can be. Oddly enough, sitting here at work today, I suddenly smelled a perfume that an ex-girlfriend used to wear. In that instant, a very vivid impression and attraction came flooding into my heart. I'm not sure if I randomly imagined the smell into existence, or I actually smelled it. But it's so odd how that works. And it's strange how the sense of nostalgia can put a beautiful idealistic tint to the past. I emphasize the word sense for a reason. It's one thing to reminisce with friends, sit back and laugh and share about 80's music. But to experience nostalgia in the senses is really powerful and amazing. It transcends rational thought and goes straight into the world of past experience quite vividly. I wonder what that's all about? It's so interesting being a person.