The day started out to be… or at least should have been… fairly normal. I had setup a meeting with a vendor to go over some things with the team. I was running a little bit slow getting ready for work. I decided to stop and grab a sandwich on the way. I don’t know what was running through my head as I drove but I completely forgot about breakfast. I remembered as I pulled in the lot at work. “Looks like its a snack from the vending machine…” I thought, dejectedly. The day went ok… until our afternoon session.
As some of you know, I am allergic to perfumes. My reaction is totally dependent on the brand of perfume I am exposed to. Most of the time, I simply get stuffed up and my eyes get scratchy. There are certain types of perfumes/colognes that cause a more severe reaction with extreme headache, soar throat, stuffed sinuses and burning eyes. I can even taste these kinds of perfumes in the air. I have been out to dinner in a restaurant and had my meal ruined because it tastes like perfume. I haven’t had one of these reactions in quite some time. I thought maybe my allergies had changed or something. The session this afternoon with the executives would prove to me that I am still quite reactive.
Everyone took a potty break before the session, including the two sales reps. As we made our way back into the conference room, I began to taste it… That dreadful taste of men’s cologne. It wasn’t just light either. Whoever had it on had put it on thick. My eyes began to burn. My nose began to run. I ended up stepping out for a bottle of water just to keep from gagging on the taste of the air. I believe one of the sales reps had dowsedhimself while in the restroom. Ugggggh! The problem is that it takes hours for my system to clear of this kind of reaction. By the time the meeting was over, my head was throbbing and my throat was beginning to get sore. I came home feeling like I was coming down with a bad case of the flu. Allergy meds and a long nap have helped the headache but the sinuses are still fighting me.
I try not to complain when this happens because usually the offender can’t even tell they stink. Their sinuses are used to the smell. It often leads to more confrontation than it is worth. The really weird thing is… I like the smell of a lot of perfumes. I just can’t tolerate some… Others don’t even make my nose twitch.
So… If you happen to be one of those folks who wears perfume or cologne, please follow the directions and use it lightly. You never know when your favorite fragrance might be causing someone else a nightmare I don’t appreciate sitting in an Italian restaurant, eating an expensive meal and the power of your cloud over powers the taste of garlic in my pasta. Yes… It has happened. So much so, that I asked the waitress to either move them or move me (even though I’d been there for half my meal already). The odorous offender got all upset. We don’t need to smell you coming in the door when we are on the far side of the room. A shower with soap is much nicer than the stench you emit after swimming in your drum of toilet water.
Sorry for the rant but I hate having my evening plans ruined because someone was inconsiderate with their stinkum. Have a great and hopefully… less smelly day.
~Cappy