Soon after she transitioned to this new scent, I noticed that my eyes would burn when we got into the car. I assumed the nasty city of Houston was certainly depositing something toxic into the air, so I kept quiet.

Eventually I came around to believe that I was indeed allergic to my mom. I was a teenager at this time, so such an explanation was fine by me. I could easily shout, �Allergic! Allergic! Leave my room before I have to call a doctor for treatment and cost you another co-pay!�

Somehow or another, I came to link the perfume to my allergic reaction, asking her to toss the cheap crap in exchange for a set of newer, nicer perfumes. All was well, and I was no longer allergic to my mom.

With the exception of this cheap brand of perfume, I also have a horrible reaction to Obsession. It doesn�t matter if it�s the men�s or the women�s variety, my mouth dries completely up and a heave. It�s a horrible, horrible scent, and it should be completely avoided at all costs. I have a similar reaction to Polo Sport, although it�s psychological and not physiological. Whatever the reason, I have the same reaction.

The other morning I got into the elevator and several others followed. One lady snaked her way through the closing doors, barely making it inside in time. Getting into the elevator as the doors are closing is a major faux pas in my office building. Because there are 24 elevators to get you where you need to be, forcing one to hold or reopen when another will be along in fewer than twenty seconds is just wrong. So this was the first strike against her.

She luckily observed elevator symmetry -- staying an equidistant amount of space between all people in the elevator. Had she broken this, I wouldn�t have been surprised after her initial etiquette break.

Soon after the elevator took off, her scent wafted over. My eyes immediately watered up, and my breathing was forced to a minimum. I could feel myself get light-headed just as I had to my mom�s Walgreen�s-happy aroma. I couldn�t get out of there soon enough, and I unfortunately had to wait until the 38th floor to breathe easily.

Despite holding my breath, the damage was already done: I had a horrible headache in my lower forehead for the rest of the day.

Earlier in the week I finished off a bottle of some random perfume I bought long ago in New York. It wasn�t expensive, but there were no adverse reactions. It was similar to my usual Estee Lauder Pleasures in that it was light and floral and inoffensive. Despite my skin not allowing perfume to stick for long, it was still a great feeling when I tossed the bottle into the trash and exclaimed, �One less thing to move!� (Seventeen days, and counting...)

After my major cleaning last night, tossing anything brings a smile to my face. I came across some perfume samples of some popular stuff and figured I should use that up too. I splashed a little of the expensive, good brand perfume onto my neck and wrists. Everything smelled fine to me.

However, it�s been a few hours, and my enormous headache is back.

But YAY for me! I may have to suffer until the scent completely washes out of my system, but I at least get to throw that little bottle away when I get home! �