Read Linda Barry's "Common Scents" (Presence page 445) and write a 200-word note in which you recall the smell of someone else's house. Was it good, bad? What made it good or bad? You can read "Common Scents" in color at Salon.com.
i believe that both of my grandparents houses have distinctive smells and although they are somewhat similar, they are quite different. well i walk into my mothers parents house, i can instantly smell a powder, musky smell. their house has smelled like this every time that i have gone over ever since i was a child. i don't think they spray anything or try to make it smell that way particularly, i just believe that it is the scent of that specific house. this is not at all a bad smell, i think it adds a significance to the house. whenever i get a hint of that smell somewhere else i instantly think of them, which i think is wonderful. my fathers grandparents house, has the same sort of musky smell, i think it has to do with the fact that both houses are so old. but since my grandfather is a handy man, the house has a strong fragrance of wood. he is always making cabinets and tables and chairs for my grandmother. like my other grandparents house, i do not think that this is a bad smell. it is the smell of freshly made wooden items that are gifts to the women that he loves.
I really like this read a lot because everyone can relate to it, because everyone’s house has a distinct small. When i walk into one of my friend’s house it always smells like his dogs, his mom’s perfume, and just random foods always fill the air. You think, that combined all those smells would smell bad, but they do not. It’s like they combine in such a way that makes them smell good. I think i just like the smell of this person’s house, because I am always there, and I have gotten used to it. As for my own house, I really don't think it has a smell. But when i leave my house for a certain amount of time and come back that’s when i smell it. I love when I do that because it smells really good. I love the smell of my mom’s cooking and it might sound weird but i also love the scent of her cleaning supplies.
Every single house i go to has a deferent smell to it unless they smoke inside then those houses all smell the same. The house that smelled the worse that i ever walked in were grandparents house. well it was not really the whole house it was just the living room and their room. This is funny to because everytime me and my cousin went to visit we always wished they were in the kitchen. If they werent in the kitchen then we had to cover up our nose because the living room and bedroom smelled like feet and corn chips. My grandmother would blame it on my grandfather because the smell came from his feet and sneakers. It was the worse sometimes we came out coughing and laughing at the same time thats how bad it was. I dont even think air freshener would take care of the smell. Whats worse is that my grandfather would deny and and blame it on the dog or cats because they had pets. So we would not only come out with a bad smell but also with fur all over us. That was in our early days now it doesnt smell as bad because we got him some foot powder and theres nomore pets.
I don't really think my house has a certain smell, I think it always smells different, but that just me. ON the other hand, the house that has the most distinctive smell would probably be my grandparents house. My grandparents house would always have one of two different odors. My grandpa owns an auto body shop, so some days when I would go there it would either smell like car paint, gasoline, or oil. Those were the days that I did not end up staying that long. Other times it would smell really good because my grandma would usually be cooking some sort of food. My grandma makes really good desserts, so when she was cooking it would always make the house a lot better than if my grandpa was walking around smelling like a shop. So it was either I would not stay long because the smell would get to me, or I would end up staying a long time because I was probably eating the food that my grandmother had just baked.
“Some of the smells were uncomplicated, like the cat pee smell of the house next door. The lady had fourteen cats. It was hard to stay and visit. She sometimes burned incense, which also smelled like cat pee.” This smell was very bad, because everything smells like cat pee. I hate the smell of cat pee, but it reminds me of people I know. There was this lady that my mom worked with that had eleven cats in her house. They were her babies and it did not smell like pee when I walked into her house. This story was nasty and how the peanut brittle had fur on it. I can imagine the furniture most be filled with cat hair. It was really funny when the author drew and wrote about the cat pee incense. Also, the author wrote and drew the tropical passion aroma therapy cat box. I like how the author put this story in because it grabs your attention. This smell grabbed me and made me want to read more. I can relate to this smell, because I have a kitten at my house and her litter pan stinks. My parents even made a little room for her, so that she could have some privacy and to keep the smell contained. There is hair all over everything because she likes to climb. This was the most disgusting story.
I liked this reading a lot. I used to do the same thing as a child and the same thing often times today. The idea that someone can smell everyone else but themselves has always fascinated me. The one smell that I always hated the most was when I had to go to the old folk’s home and visit my great grandmother. The home always smelled like decaying flesh and pee covered up with cheap pine scented bleach. Ugh, it was the worst. I think my favorite part of it all was when he learned what his house actually smelled like. I would always ask my friends when I was little what I smelled like and the response that I would always get was, “Nicole, you smell like you”. This response would always get me nowhere. What I thought added to hilarity of the whole comic was the grandmother. All of her made up words confused me and let my mind wander to make up new words to take its place, which I thought was a clever move artistically. I also liked the last thought that the author leaves with, said by the main character about how if there was an air freshener that was scented like his house he would buy it.
Every single time I walk into someone’s home or business the first thing I always notice is the scent. Every place no matter what has a different scent to it. The place that I’ve been to that I think has the most unique smell was my ex-girlfriend’s house. Every time I walk into her home it’s like you’re walking into an open field of flowers. The smell is so overwhelming; it just hits your senses immediately. It’s funny though because she also had a fish tank and three dogs but it seemed no matter what was going on in the house you could always smell the fresh flowers. On the other hand my best friend’s house had the worse scent in the world. Whenever I would go over it would smell like dirt or if someone had just cane from playing in the mud. It was weird because he didn’t have any little brothers or anything and I’m sure his mom or dad weren’t playing in the dirt. I mean I wasn’t going to stop going over just because of the smell I just bought him a big bottle of fabreze and told him not to take it personally. So whenever I go somewhere the first thing I do is take a wif and smell all the different smells there are some good some nasty you never know.
The commen scents comic was different which was why I liked it so much. How they discribed houses were so well put. I remember the same thing going to a friends house for the first time. sometimes the house would smell amazing, some would actually smell like cat pee. Also my house never smells like anything to me, but does to others. I think that this was a good easy read. It reminded me of a childrens book and I miss books with pictures on every page. It was nice to have for once. Definenty something I would suggest to other students to read!
That was an interesting story that I read. I was very confused what her grandmother was even trying to say. She was either a southerner or from a different country. I do understand how it feels to walk into someone's house though and smell their house. Their have been houses that I've been to that smell horrible. I've been to a house with cats before and all you can smell is the cat box it's so gross. My boyfriend's house has a cat and their cat box is in the bathroom and it smells terrible. I don't understand the title for it though. It went from talking about the smell of houses to her grandmother. My grandmothers house or any old person's house I have been to smell really gross and funky. It's just that old people smell people get when they are in their 80's or higher. I think it is rather gross and don't like being in old people's houses because of it. I guess it is something you have to read a few times to really understand fully and grasp. It was a little comical though. Overall it wasn't so bad of a read and was interesting. The words her grandmother used were quite interesting as well, but I figured them out for the most part.
i believe that both of my grandparents houses have distinctive smells and although they are somewhat similar, they are quite different. well i walk into my mothers parents house, i can instantly smell a powder, musky smell. their house has smelled like this every time that i have gone over ever since i was a child. i don't think they spray anything or try to make it smell that way particularly, i just believe that it is the scent of that specific house. this is not at all a bad smell, i think it adds a significance to the house. whenever i get a hint of that smell somewhere else i instantly think of them, which i think is wonderful.
ReplyDeletemy fathers grandparents house, has the same sort of musky smell, i think it has to do with the fact that both houses are so old. but since my grandfather is a handy man, the house has a strong fragrance of wood. he is always making cabinets and tables and chairs for my grandmother. like my other grandparents house, i do not think that this is a bad smell. it is the smell of freshly made wooden items that are gifts to the women that he loves.
I really like this read a lot because everyone can relate to it, because everyone’s house has a distinct small. When i walk into one of my friend’s house it always smells like his dogs, his mom’s perfume, and just random foods always fill the air. You think, that combined all those smells would smell bad, but they do not. It’s like they combine in such a way that makes them smell good. I think i just like the smell of this person’s house, because I am always there, and I have gotten used to it. As for my own house, I really don't think it has a smell. But when i leave my house for a certain amount of time and come back that’s when i smell it. I love when I do that because it smells really good. I love the smell of my mom’s cooking and it might sound weird but i also love the scent of her cleaning supplies.
ReplyDeleteEvery single house i go to has a deferent smell to it unless they smoke inside then those houses all smell the same. The house that smelled the worse that i ever walked in were grandparents house. well it was not really the whole house it was just the living room and their room. This is funny to because everytime me and my cousin went to visit we always wished they were in the kitchen. If they werent in the kitchen then we had to cover up our nose because the living room and bedroom smelled like feet and corn chips. My grandmother would blame it on my grandfather because the smell came from his feet and sneakers. It was the worse sometimes we came out coughing and laughing at the same time thats how bad it was. I dont even think air freshener would take care of the smell. Whats worse is that my grandfather would deny and and blame it on the dog or cats because they had pets. So we would not only come out with a bad smell but also with fur all over us. That was in our early days now it doesnt smell as bad because we got him some foot powder and theres nomore pets.
ReplyDeleteI don't really think my house has a certain smell, I think it always smells different, but that just me. ON the other hand, the house that has the most distinctive smell would probably be my grandparents house. My grandparents house would always have one of two different odors. My grandpa owns an auto body shop, so some days when I would go there it would either smell like car paint, gasoline, or oil. Those were the days that I did not end up staying that long. Other times it would smell really good because my grandma would usually be cooking some sort of food. My grandma makes really good desserts, so when she was cooking it would always make the house a lot better than if my grandpa was walking around smelling like a shop. So it was either I would not stay long because the smell would get to me, or I would end up staying a long time because I was probably eating the food that my grandmother had just baked.
ReplyDelete“Some of the smells were uncomplicated, like the cat pee smell of the house next door. The lady had fourteen cats. It was hard to stay and visit. She sometimes burned incense, which also smelled like cat pee.” This smell was very bad, because everything smells like cat pee. I hate the smell of cat pee, but it reminds me of people I know. There was this lady that my mom worked with that had eleven cats in her house. They were her babies and it did not smell like pee when I walked into her house. This story was nasty and how the peanut brittle had fur on it. I can imagine the furniture most be filled with cat hair. It was really funny when the author drew and wrote about the cat pee incense. Also, the author wrote and drew the tropical passion aroma therapy cat box. I like how the author put this story in because it grabs your attention. This smell grabbed me and made me want to read more. I can relate to this smell, because I have a kitten at my house and her litter pan stinks. My parents even made a little room for her, so that she could have some privacy and to keep the smell contained. There is hair all over everything because she likes to climb. This was the most disgusting story.
ReplyDeleteI liked this reading a lot. I used to do the same thing as a child and the same thing often times today. The idea that someone can smell everyone else but themselves has always fascinated me. The one smell that I always hated the most was when I had to go to the old folk’s home and visit my great grandmother. The home always smelled like decaying flesh and pee covered up with cheap pine scented bleach. Ugh, it was the worst. I think my favorite part of it all was when he learned what his house actually smelled like. I would always ask my friends when I was little what I smelled like and the response that I would always get was, “Nicole, you smell like you”. This response would always get me nowhere. What I thought added to hilarity of the whole comic was the grandmother. All of her made up words confused me and let my mind wander to make up new words to take its place, which I thought was a clever move artistically. I also liked the last thought that the author leaves with, said by the main character about how if there was an air freshener that was scented like his house he would buy it.
ReplyDeleteEvery single time I walk into someone’s home or business the first thing I always notice is the scent. Every place no matter what has a different scent to it. The place that I’ve been to that I think has the most unique smell was my ex-girlfriend’s house. Every time I walk into her home it’s like you’re walking into an open field of flowers. The smell is so overwhelming; it just hits your senses immediately. It’s funny though because she also had a fish tank and three dogs but it seemed no matter what was going on in the house you could always smell the fresh flowers. On the other hand my best friend’s house had the worse scent in the world. Whenever I would go over it would smell like dirt or if someone had just cane from playing in the mud. It was weird because he didn’t have any little brothers or anything and I’m sure his mom or dad weren’t playing in the dirt. I mean I wasn’t going to stop going over just because of the smell I just bought him a big bottle of fabreze and told him not to take it personally. So whenever I go somewhere the first thing I do is take a wif and smell all the different smells there are some good some nasty you never know.
ReplyDeleteThe commen scents comic was different which was why I liked it so much. How they discribed houses were so well put. I remember the same thing going to a friends house for the first time. sometimes the house would smell amazing, some would actually smell like cat pee. Also my house never smells like anything to me, but does to others. I think that this was a good easy read. It reminded me of a childrens book and I miss books with pictures on every page. It was nice to have for once. Definenty something I would suggest to other students to read!
ReplyDeleteThat was an interesting story that I read. I was very confused what her grandmother was even trying to say. She was either a southerner or from a different country. I do understand how it feels to walk into someone's house though and smell their house. Their have been houses that I've been to that smell horrible. I've been to a house with cats before and all you can smell is the cat box it's so gross. My boyfriend's house has a cat and their cat box is in the bathroom and it smells terrible. I don't understand the title for it though. It went from talking about the smell of houses to her grandmother. My grandmothers house or any old person's house I have been to smell really gross and funky. It's just that old people smell people get when they are in their 80's or higher. I think it is rather gross and don't like being in old people's houses because of it. I guess it is something you have to read a few times to really understand fully and grasp. It was a little comical though. Overall it wasn't so bad of a read and was interesting. The words her grandmother used were quite interesting as well, but I figured them out for the most part.
ReplyDelete