Fresh? Not So...

After last summer's near-death experience with a car air-freshener, it should come as no surprise to you that I'm not really fond of scented anything.  Even before that, I've always found most fragrances overwhelming. 

Cinnamon brooms at Publix? Sorry Scott, you'll have to do that corner of the store yourself.

Powdered carpet cleaner? I'll just avoid that room for a few days.

I even remember trying to hold my breath in the "stinky aisle" of cleaning products as a kid. (of course, I also remember freezing to death in the freezer aisles. it's possible the only part of the store I did like was the free cookie part!)

And as in other areas of my life, I try to avoid scented female necessities.  Occasionally some find their way into my possession (generally after a package style change), and they become the rainy day "just in case" stash.

Right now, I'm doing an in-home survey of garbage bags.  The ones I got are scented, and I laughed the day they arrived and told Scott they sent us tampon-scented garbage bags.  (I can't complain too much - I dumped raw chicken innards in the bag on Sunday and haven't smelled them yet)

Today I found myself at work without my usual rainy day stash.  I ran to the store and then found myself back at work with the wrong thing.  I told Scott later that I accidentally bought garbage bag scented tampons!

No lie, it's the exact same smell!  C'mon, even if you don't use scented products I know you know the smell I'm talking about.  And even if you like that smell in your purse (or, you know, elsewhere...) I can't imagine thinking, "this is what I'd like to smell in my kitchen."  The reverse, I suppose, is also true. "I'd like to walk around smelling like scented garbage bags for a week."  I don't think so.

Who are the people who create these scents? Who approves them? Who decides what the proper applications are for a given scent? Someone out there has a resume with the line "fragrance developer, Tampax Company," and some day I hope to meet this person and ask them why they settled on a scent that's equally at home in the bathroom and the kitchen.

Yes, these are the things that amuse me.  Sad but true.