so did i mention i give every month a theme? this started as exotic fruit week, which i enjoyed so much i extended to exotic fruit month in January. at the end of the month, i decided it would be good to use every month as an opportunity to pick some trivial subject i have been interested in but never properly explored. a month is a good amount of time. february was cologne month. that’s right, perfume for men. i was running low on cologne and needed to investigate before i bought a new one, so i figured what the hell. wikipedia has an enormous article on perfume, which i found kind of difficult to read. basically, the egyptians created it and the romans refined it. and today Calvin Klein makes it. and hundreds of other companies and people from Antonio Bandaras to Sean John.

through men’s magazines, free samples at department stores, and my friends and band-mates I smelled about 20 colognes in 30 days, and I have to say, that was more than enough. some of the fragrances i tried were:

Calvin Klein Euphoria - smells like my bandmates
Lacoste Style In Play - smells like my friend Thom
Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger - smells like tommy hilfiger
He Wood by DSQUARED2 - smells like wood
Spirit by Antonio Bandaras - found some for only 10 dollars! great for going bowling
Hugo Boss - warm and calm, i have worn this off and on for years.
Boss Hugo Boss
Armani Aqua Di Gio - my former cologne
Dolce & Gabbana The One - just right
L’homme Cologne by Yves Saint Laurent - very similar to The One
Unforgivable by Sean John - okay
London by Burberry - i really like this
Polo Black - ew
DKNY - i spilled a sample of this on my locker at school. now, it reminds me of oil paint.
Prada Infusion
Prada
Kenneth Cole Black - ew
Armani Code - ew
Burberry The Beat - too sharp

after taking a poll of women who happened to be around (and you should always differ to women in these kinds of matters) we agreed that a couple are just right: Dolce & Gabbana The One and L’homme Cologne by Yves Saint Laurent Those are my recommendations if you are looking to buy a men’s cologne. and don’t wear the same cologne as your friend, especially if you know your friend’s signature scent. i accidentally discovered that i do know what most of my friends are wearing through recall. i sprayed my friend Thom’s cologne on me. and all day i just kept thinking he was standing too close.

that wraps up last months exploration.
i am currently enjoying “classical music month”. more on that when the month is over. i am thinking if i have personal themes for all 12 months and stick to them every year, by the time i die i will know a great deal about exotic fruit, cologne, classical music, etc. yes, the overarching theme of the themes so far is luxury and romance. that’s just how i roll.

hoping to see you guys at the mad frog friday!