It must be the cold weather or something...

I was driving home from Des Moines last night, and my thoughts were running in the same direction as Richard's, even to the "I can still smell him on my skin". I always thought that being able to smell someone after parting from them was one of those cheesy conceits of romance novels -- or else the guy was a gorilla with truly bad hygeine (which I assure you Richard is NOT).

Pheromones are real, because I can identify Richard's scent without being able to describe what he smells LIKE, other than "Richardness". For those who can't identify with this, find a little bit of that precious substance known as ambergris (or the somewhat-close substitute, "ambergris fragrance oil", carried by Frontier Cooperative Herbs). Uncap this and smell. The substance does not so much have a distinct smell as a elusive velvety sensation that evokes memory. The bare hint of indole which provides the musky note to the scent of fresh lilacs and jasmine gives a similar sensation.