Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Nosy Interview: Maria Parrott-Ryan


  Maria and her fish friend somehow manage to breathe in the Monsters of IC 1396, © Geert Barensten & Jorick Vink 

Maria and I met during a study abroad semester in London, and have gone on to smell one another in more time zones than most married couples. Things occur to her from time to time at The Mepper.
 
What do you smell like?
It depends on the season. In the cold months my skin gets really dry, so I probably smell like whatever lotion I'm slathering on at all hours of the day. I don't like to buy the really heavily-scented ones, so my smell is (god I hope) pleasant, but subdued. Really, I think the primary ingredient of most lotions I use is water, so maybe I smell like water, which I maintain (and yes, I have had arguments about this) doesn't actually have a smell at all, but takes on the smell of many other things, like salt or chlorine or rusty pipes or musty wells or duck butt. 

When it's hot I still wear lotion, but the heat usually manages to render it powerless against my own natural body smells. The result is what I imagine one would smell like after receiving a gentle, full-body pat-down by a large man working one of the cheese curd stalls at the Madison Farmer's Market on a hot, humid day—a cheesy-palm-sweat smell, if you will.

What do you like to smell?
I love to cook risotto mostly for the moment after you dump the cup of white wine over the oil, onions, garlic, and rice that are simmering away. The great thing about risotto is that you have to stir pretty frequently, so you have a good excuse to stand over the pot and just inhale the warm, boozy smell for a while.

I love any rare smell that can take me back to a specific place. I like to smell that whiff of manure I get when driving past the farms on the way to my parent's place in Iowa. The smell of film developing fluid takes me to the back room of the newspaper office in my tiny Iowa hometown. My grandpa was the editor-in-chief, and my dad worked there, too. Sometimes I would visit them both at work, and I'd hang out drinking bottles of Cokes in the break room, which was right next to the dark room. That smell permeated the place so much that the Coke tasted like it was laced with developer. I felt pretty good at those moments, being allowed to hang out with the adults while they did their adult things. That's a smell I'll probably only smell a couple more times in my life, if at all, now that dark rooms are on the way out. Maybe I should see if Kodak is trying to unload any old bottles of film--I'd hoard them in my basement and occasionally pop open a bottle for a quick sniff, just to make sure I don't forget about the back room of the newspaper office.

By far my favorite smell is autumn, which luckily I get to smell every year in the Midwest. Those rotting leaves do something to me. That smell always makes me think something is about to happen. If I were to ever find a secret door to a magical realm, I would almost certainly find it in autumn. If by some cosmic mistake I happened upon one in summer or winter, you know what? I don't know if I'd walk through.

11 comments:

Preets said...

"Musty wells or duck butt." A great title, and I feel like I can smell duck butt right now: anal, wormy river water.

And the last paragraph! I'm intrigued by the idea that in different places, different weathers/seasons (and the smells of different seasons) hold that promise of something big about to happen. There was a great essay by Sadie Jones on Powell's.com about how a long, hot summer is the main source of background tension in so many English novels, and I think in tropical places the feeling of imminent rain has the same effect on the psyche as rotting leaves have on Maria's. I wonder why autumn and its smells affect some people that way -- is it because the September beginning of the school year and all its attendant possibilities are hardwired into American brains?

Sara Gustafson said...

love this...miss you both.

nosy girl said...

Sara, I miss you too! Are you still wearing Angel now and then these days? Or are you mostly smelling that sweet Audra?

Preeta--you make a nice connection. Despite having spent minimal time in tropical places when rain was imminent, I can still imagine just what you mean. I wonder if, anywhere on earth, a clear spring day gives the sense that a door to some otherworldly realm might open up.

Unknown said...

kate spade outlet
nfl jerseys
moncler coats
oakley outlet
vibram fivefingers
celine outlet online
lebron shoes
los angeles lakers jerseys
tiffany jewelry
chanel outlet
ray-ban sunglasses
jordan shoes
adidas wings
oakley
cheap nfl jerseys
air jordan 11
valentino shoes
chanel handbags
michael kors outlet
cheap mlb jerseys
lululemon outlet, http://www.yogapants.us.com
cheap uggs, http://www.uggboot.com.co
ray ban
coach outlet
herve leger
true religion outlet, http://www.truereligionjeansoutlet.com
new york giants jerseys
chanel 2.55
ray ban sunglasses, http://www.ray-bansunglassess.in.net
yoga pants, http://www.yogapants.us.com
hermes outlet
san antonio spurs jerseys
marc jacobs outlet
ed hardy clothing
hermes belt
replica handbags
achang 0814

xumeiqing said...

20160907meiqing
reebok uk
ray bans
michael kors outlet
coach outlet store online clearances
nba jerseys
nike air max
true religion outlet
ugg outlet
ray ban sunglasses
louis vuitton outlet online
michael kors outlet
the north face
uggs outlet
ugg outlet
pandora charms
tiffany and co
toms outlet
pandora outlet
adidas nmd runner
vans shoes
ralph lauren outlet
louboutin outlet
nike air max shoes
coach outlet
uggs sale
coach factory outlet
michael kors outlet online
ugg outlet
cheap oakley sunglasses
ugg boots
michael kors handbags
adidas nmd r1
louis vuitton outlet
hollister clothing
christian louboutin shoes
rolex submariner
babyliss pro

raybanoutlet001 said...

michael kors outlet store
nike outlet
red valentino
bills jerseys
michael kors handbags
salvatore ferragamo
ghd flat iron
jordan shoes
raiders jerseys
fitflops

khairy said...

شركة تنظيف مساجد بنجران
شركة تنظيف سجاد بنجران
شركة تنظيف خزانات بنجران
شركة تنظيف وصيانة مسابح بنجران
شركة تنظيف الاثاث بنجران

penjual kopi said...

Agen s128 ialah situs sabung ayam online jadi satu diantara penyuplai layanan taruhan ayam s128 di indonesia.

S128cash - Judi Online | Poker Online | Sabung Ayam | s128 | Sbobet

s128

https://sabungayamcash.webs.com/apps/blog/show/46924779-agen-judi-sabung-ayam-s128-online

sabung ayam

https://sabungayam.video.blog/2019/07/06/agen-judi-sabung-ayam-s128-online/

sabung ayam

http://sabungayamcash.bravesites.com/entries/general/agen-judi-sabung-ayam-s128-online-

ayam sabung

s128

hajar said...


شركة نقل عفش
اهم شركات مكافحة حشرات بالخبر كذلك معرض اهم شركة مكافحة حشرات بالدمام والخبر والجبيل والخبر والاحساء والقطيف كذلك شركة رش حشرات بالدمام ومكافحة الحشرات بالخبر
شركة مكافحة حشرات بالدمام
شركة تنظيف خزانات بجدة الجوهرة من افضل شركات تنظيف الخزانات بجدة حيث ان تنظيف خزانات بجدة يحتاج الى مهارة فى كيفية غسيل وتنظيف الخزانات الكبيرة والصغيرة بجدة على ايدى متخصصين فى تنظيف الخزانات بجدة
شركة تنظيف خزانات بجدة
شركة كشف تسربات المياه بالدمام
شركة نقل عفش واثاث

hajar said...


شركة نقل عفش بالطائف
شركة نقل عفش بمكة
شركة نقل عفش بينبع
شركة نقل عفش بالخرج
شركة نقل عفش ببريدة

hajar said...



شركة نقل عفش بخميس مشيط
شركة نقل عفش بالقصيم
شركة نقل عفش بتبوك
شركة نقل عفش بابها
شركة نقل عفش بنجران
شركة نقل عفش بحائل

Post a Comment