“I Can Smell the Chemicals…”
28 September 2007 by EveHi, GifSters, sorry I haven’t posted anything in a long while. I’ve been around but a combination of work, computer access issues, and old-fashioned depression (not clinical, just that sort of “why bother?” attitude that can be so pernicious) have been keeping me kind of down – not to mention, of course, our ongoing struggle with the forces of reconstructionist/dominionist totalitarianism in this country.
So just for fun, I thought I’d leave you for the weekend with one of my all-time favorite pop songs – pure fluff, but a sticky hook to get you singing along (and maybe plant an ear worm or two!), and catchy rhythm for dancing. Plus, how many songs can you think of that praise science and/or scientific women to boot?
Boy, this brings back memories – do the Robot, everybody!
You can find the lyrics here.
By the way, I have rather odd scent preferences; I actually do like the smell of certain chemical agents. Gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and turpentine are big favorites, plus cordite and several kinds of smoke among others.
But my all-time favorite chemical smell is that of the most popular of bygone classroom intoxicants, duplicator fluid. One of my strongest grade school scent memories is sniffing those damp, purple-ink soaked, redolent printouts from the ditto machine, a.k.a. Mimeograph. Those of you too young to have enjoyed the fruits of this aromatic office artifact have definitely missed out!
28 September 2007, on 7:58 pm
Fresh purple ink - I’d love to smell that again! Fabulous. I remember when every kid in the class would pick up their handout and take a big long sniff before reading it. If the ink was low you could barely read the printing. Memories. (Wonder if it affected our brains?!)
And the song…one of my faves too.
Sometimes I really miss the 80s. Catchy songs and getting an ink-high in the classroom…what’s not to love?
28 September 2007, on 10:58 pm
Eve, dammit that song is now stuck in my brain and I will be singing it to myself for days!
I love the smell of photo developing chemicals I used in my days working in a darkroom when I was a graphic artist. That smell would “stick” itself into my nostrils, onto my clothes and everything. I also love the smell of oil paint.
29 September 2007, on 11:08 am
Ah, dittos. It was a nearly-reflexive act to sniff the dittos as soon as they were handed out. Everyone did it. Those who deny it are liars!
One of my favourite smells is Lysol — not the stupidly scented ones, either — the original Lysol. One of my favourite things to do is clean the bathroom because bathrooms need a lot of Lysol. Mmmmmmmmmm… I love the smell of Lysol in the morning. It smells like victory.
29 September 2007, on 1:18 pm
I’ve always liked the smell of gasoline since I was a kid.
It smells like…victory.
30 September 2007, on 11:02 am
Oh, yes! I too remember the old hand-cranked school printing presses. (In the UK, they went under the trade name “Banda”). And there’s something about the smell of engines and petrol that appeals to me, as well.
30 September 2007, on 2:49 pm
Smell the Chemicals…Pheremones (sp?) specifically.
Chemistry was my favorite Science class in High School, I always blew the curve, and I thought balancing equations was fun…conservation of matter, etc.
I took Biology in college as my required science because I was too chicken to try my hand at Chemistry at my university, which was a major engineering school. Math classes there were murder–I transferred most of my math courses in from community colleges I attended in the summer between semesters.
I might could’ve made something of myself in the Chemistry field (no pun intended), one of my regrets.
Thanks for sharing the video…I still have the 45 single of this song.
30 September 2007, on 11:31 pm
Gracias por compartir el vídeo, Eve.
1 October 2007, on 7:54 pm
A la orden, Zipi.
It’s now Monday night and I’m still singing this song both in my head and out loud, darn it!
2 October 2007, on 12:45 pm
Pine Sol, Gasoline, turpentine.
Favourite: underground parking garages. I dunno what it is….damp concrete? Oil soaked into damp concrete? Best. smell. ever.