tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142622322024-03-14T03:50:41.696-05:00Lauren in the States!Life through my eyes, which I hope are growing wider every day.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.comBlogger273125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-72579916043098936242012-12-11T18:11:00.003-05:002012-12-11T18:11:40.203-05:00A Year in JapanIf you've enjoyed reading this blog, I ask that you consider reading the book that was FINALLY born of all this writing.
Available for NOOK at www.bn.com ($7.50), or in paperback per email request to ayearinjapan2005@gmail.com ($15, including shipping).
70 black & white pages of bliss - at least, it was bliss for me to write.
Thank you for reading. :) Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-41106435439084062982012-03-24T18:43:00.001-05:002012-03-24T18:46:26.516-05:00Lauren's 'Asian' Dressing
I whipped up this salad dressing last week and thought it was too good not to share.
Mix the vinegars and the oils in whatever proportion you like; the key is that the total vinegar to total oil ratio is 1:3. I just pour everything out into my tablespoon measure as I go along, so I know the end total will be 1:3.
In a ceramic bowl, mix:
-good-quality balsamic Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-70502808297518377652011-10-15T13:14:00.003-05:002011-10-15T13:20:14.008-05:00Ex FilesYes, I'm doing it: I'm writing a post about ex-boyfriends. I briefly considered how cliche and taboo this is, but let's face the facts: writing that risks nothing isn't interesting to write...much less, to read. Writing is about sitting alone, just you and a laptop or you and a notepad, and it feels isolating, even self-indulgent, because everything else around you fades away.&Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-83112132508927826552011-04-29T19:57:00.002-05:002011-04-29T20:12:12.967-05:00Now I Ain't Sayin' I A Sushi Chef......but I ain't messin' with my dinner!
Well, not sushi, really. Still deep in the throes of my missing-Japan-being-a-vegetarian-a-la-Julia-Child phase, I decided that instead of missing my favorite Japanese quick meal, I was just going to make it myself. Onigiri are what I like to think of as the Japanese version of a sandwich: quick, nutritious, easy; requires a few basic Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-7422700871081104482011-04-19T18:37:00.004-05:002011-04-19T19:19:42.524-05:00Carnivores, beware: this requires a strong stomach. ;)Lot of changes and emotions lately - fear and sadness over the loss and devastation in Japan; admiration for my family in the very Japanese-style kindness they extended by offering safe, radiation-free housing to my friends and their families; my elation over leaving a bad relationship; my 28th birthday and either an early mid-life crisis or a delayed quarter-life crisis; my realization that I Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-57074712039826756802011-02-28T19:33:00.001-05:002011-02-28T19:35:36.967-05:00Jockey Hollow"Warm" winter hike and mini photography experiment with Tom...it was great to get some fresh air.
Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-877996251292807372010-10-23T15:32:00.001-05:002010-10-23T15:32:56.016-05:00Gratitudehttp://zenhabits.net/why-living-a-life-of-gratitude-can-make-you-happy/Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-89050017787482165252010-09-24T18:22:00.007-05:002010-09-24T18:28:22.348-05:00Cranford, NJLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-54234912842690935692009-12-13T10:04:00.001-05:002009-12-13T10:05:59.818-05:00Felicitations, Isabelle!www.monsillage.comI love the birds!!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-34420315355842905642009-10-14T18:26:00.008-05:002011-02-17T16:08:06.471-05:00Working in Manhattan - Initial ImpressionsForget aromatherapy, because this goes way beyond that: there are some fragrance oils that unleash waves of emotions in me, and this is in large part how I identify them. Lime, grapefruit, wormwood oil...they all make me deleriously happy in slightly nuanced ways. I love that in some languages, the verb "to smell" is the same as the verb "to feel," because sometimes I can't tell the difference. Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-73636163672288535402009-10-10T18:53:00.001-05:002009-10-10T18:54:55.570-05:00Acceptancefrom my teacher, and from Native American philosophy ~Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation – some fact of my life – unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.Nothing, absolutely Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-1612361374171919702009-09-13T22:17:00.007-05:002009-09-13T22:36:53.868-05:00Tip-ToesI've known about my impending job training for a while, but as the day finally draws near (just two more weeks!!), the reality of it is actually starting to hit me: I'll be commuting to mid-town Manhattan to train & test my nose with one of the best perfumers out there, in one of the most widely-known and well-respected places of instruction in the fragrance industry. Training as a 'nose' in Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-28123690954170776082009-09-11T22:31:00.009-05:002009-09-11T23:28:00.752-05:00Yes, yes I do.I'm not quite sure why my car became such a vehicle for my identity - a marker of my roots. I bought it in North Carolina, with my parents, on a road that's remained nearly unchanged since I was 2 years old. (They did add a Lowe's). Shortly after I seized newly acquired cute little car, along with all my other important possessions, and hurled myself north into New Jersey. At one point I ended upLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-18607207599185459052009-04-13T19:50:00.006-05:002009-04-13T19:57:51.002-05:00Live & LearnRecently, a wise man said, "When otherwise sedentary objects become projectiles, it's time to stop." Or as he later quipped, "When shit starts to fly, it's time to say goodbye." I'm 26. This is an important lesson I learned when I was 25. It's a lesson I never thought I'd confront. But then I gathered my things, and walked out. Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-86249679707411481912009-01-04T14:12:00.004-05:002009-01-04T14:22:32.733-05:00"Resolutions," more or lessAs Christmas Eve was the only time I attended a church service in perhaps all of 2008, I decided to listen intently to the sermon. (No, the idea of a religion binge doesn't seem appropriate, but I thought I'd make the most of my time while I was there). This isn't an exact quote, but the minister shared some words from Rainer Maria Rilke that felt like they were meant for me:~ Be patient with allLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-35132165174525438542008-12-20T18:49:00.006-05:002008-12-20T19:15:04.281-05:00PaintingWhen he asked me if I could smell colors, I answered with a bored, eyelids-half-closed, "Yeah." Smelling colors can seem somewhat obvious -- rose can smell anywhere from blushing pink to blood red. Grassy notes smell bright green. Cinnamon, a reddish-brown. But I'd been putting these observations on the back burner ever since a perfumer got upset with my efforts to communicate in color. The Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-59067617082567762292008-12-13T11:40:00.010-05:002008-12-13T12:34:56.078-05:00Le plus c'est la meme chose...While the economy is a different story and no one really knows what will happen tomorrow, in the meantime I am really enjoying my job. I love using my nose, I love my company, and I am impressed by the people around me (their diversity, intelligence, experience, and warmth). The daily grind can be very stressful and fast-paced (sometimes I take a few moments to deliberately calm a racing heart), Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-41294810129405466252008-08-14T16:30:00.002-05:002008-08-14T16:53:05.710-05:00Smell & TasteI'm happy to report that I will be joining the ranks of mid-Atlantic commuters... by starting a new job! I'll be working in fragrance development / evaluation with a great company, and I'm really, REALLY excited about this opportunity. Planning to stock up on audiobooks to make the commute more entertaining. Recently I learned some interesting facts about smell and taste from Audiodigest's Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-19201625343681924642008-05-17T11:11:00.029-05:002008-05-17T12:13:54.686-05:00TemptationFirst, it was Bonne Bell lip gloss. In high school my best friend and I would amass our collections and revel in the flavor choices, like old misers running our knubby fingers through golden coins. Dr. Pepper, Strawberry Banana, Cotton Candy, Vanilla, Raspberry...we were shamelessly addicted to these candy-colored plastic tubes of lip flavors. We counted them, traded them, shared them, and Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-56270020367318607532008-05-17T11:02:00.004-05:002008-05-17T11:10:34.991-05:00"Perfume School"For everyone interested in studying perfumery, I'm happy to share with you what I know. The program I completed at ISIPCA (www.isipca.fr), called The Fragrance Academy, very sadly no longer exists. (It was a one-year program for non-French students in perfumery and evaluation). If you are not French but would still like to study fragrance, there is a 2-year program available to those with a Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-60629317439558556012008-02-10T15:52:00.000-05:002008-02-10T16:14:51.555-05:00Culture ShockThe US really is a jigsaw of various cultures. The landscape, the people, the food, the language, everything can change from place to place within the good ol' US of A. For me this is always easier to discuss than to experience. If you move to Japan, you expect major cultural differences. If you move to France, you expect more cigarette smoke (until very recently), slower movies, richer food. ButLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-71635258478104309752007-10-04T23:34:00.000-05:002007-10-04T23:57:39.906-05:00NJ, Part DeuxI have never seen more strip-malls, or more diners, in my life. Luckily I love me some coffee, pancakes, and eggs over easy. There is something charming, something strangely comforting, about all that stainless steel. Or maybe it's just the smell of bacon grease that brings me comfort. In my spare time before work I crafted some mini-adventures -- I checked out the Laurelwood Arboretum, which hasLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-30195985487544936322007-09-30T11:09:00.000-05:002007-09-30T11:12:45.243-05:00New Jersey WisdomWhen driving in New Jersey, where everyone has forgotten that you pass on the left and use a blinker to signal a lane change, there are only 3 rules:1. take lots of cash2. take lots of gas3. GO!!Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-11076251871744473022007-09-23T12:27:00.000-05:002007-09-23T12:35:36.057-05:00NewsYesterday my best friend from college got married. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, extremely well-planned, genuinely touching, and even better for a bridesmaid - fun. I had a blast with friends and family of the bride and groom, and the food was delicious. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Lee. Also, I have accepted a marketing position with a great fragrance company in New Jersey. It's oneLaurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14262232.post-74194990416514843912007-08-17T12:38:00.000-05:002007-08-17T12:39:19.398-05:00Dear LaurenIf you have questions about perfume, perfumed products, the fragrance industry, brands, anything -- please ask me in the comments. I'd love to test my knowledge and hopefully impart some as well! Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17523323697897184814noreply@blogger.com2