Cycling And Olfactory Factor

The nose is a mighty powerful sense that we often take for granted. This morning Geraldine said, "Something stinks in this house." If you lived here you would immediately assume a dog or cat shit somewhere, but it turned out to be the green bin for food recyclables.

The smell of certain foods can electrify my brain into obsessing about that particular food. Sometimes I just have to have that food, eat it, and get it out of my system, and it all happened because I smelt it first. One whiff of sauteed garlic can make me salivate. When I ride around town the smell of food cooking is all around me. Cycle down to China Town and my nose tells my brain, "You need some beef chow fun, NOW." If you're cycling over by the Coliseum before a Raiders game the smell of BBQ wharfing from tailgaters is all around.

In Oaksterdam the sweet dank aroma of cannabis is everywhere, especially coming from cars. There's nothing like cruising around smoking a fat Sam.

When we went on our ride over the new bay bridge two weekends ago there is a sewage plant in that vicinity, and the smell of human waste mixed with the smell of salt water from the bay was unmistakable. It reminds me of the open sewage systems that empty directly to the Pacific Ocean in Mexico.

We all have a smell of our own, pheromones. It's our olfactory fingerprint. You can fall in love with the way someone smells. I know I love the way Geri smells. Sex organs have their own distinct scent which can be overpowering and extremely erotic. I guess that's why they say, "love enters through the nose." Check out the movie called Perfume, with Dustin Hoffman, way cool.

I had a dream where in I hugged my mother, and not only could I feel her, but I could smell her as well. She always wore a perfume called Shalimar, and that smell is unmistakably imprinted on my brain.

Being an old hippy I love the smell of patchouli oil. I have several different kinds around the house. I put a little dab on most days.  Geri got allergic reactions when I put it on, but she finally got use to it.

Think of how horrible food or wine would taste if we couldn't smell it. How would you know if a cheese was over the top? You would know after you put it into your mouth, but maybe you could avoid that unpleasant sensation if you could smelt it first.

I've said this a thousand times if I've said it once. If I could improve any one of my five senses it would be my nose. Man, if I had the nose of Tennessee coon hound I'd be the richest wine merchant in the world.

The smells of Oakland are one of my favorite things about riding my bike around town, unless I'm over by the sewage plant or behind a garbage truck.

That's it for today.

Peace,

Make Food/Not War

Food consumption;

Breakfast; granola, almond milk, raspberries, 1 banana

Lunch; nothing

In Between: 2 handful of cashews, energy bar, plumb

Dinner; carne asada quesadilla suiza and a large salad w/tomatoes, frisse, romaine, olive oil and fresh  lemon, grated carrot

Exercise; 6 miles walking, 1 hour biking