OK, I'll tell you guys and gals this: I, at this point, am too lazy to look up the textbook definitions of these terms exactly, but from what i can muster within my brain:
Connoiseur: I'm not a connoiseur of scent. I sometimes have a hard time discerning notes, accords, and all the like. I usually draw comparisons on scents based on common knowledge and usually speak on descriptions in layman's terms, sometimes going as far as using ".....Frag "Y" reminds me of Frag "X" in terms of sweetness but less fruity." Connoiseurs usually don't speak so blandly.
Aficionado: Mmm....this term is a little closer to describing me. But it's not the term I'd use in front of others. It's not a BAD term.....it just comes off as being a little bit too lofty a word to be used by a person who has been told by strangers that he is reminiscent of someone found crafting a motorcycle in the Orange County Choppers garage. I mean, seriously....would you walk up to Paul Tuttle Sr. and call him a "motorcycle aficionado?" Honestly......I think he would at very least chuckle at this if not laugh out loud.
Addict: Ask a heroin addict or a heavy alcoholic to go without a fix or a drink (respectively) for five days and you can just about guarantee they would either not make it or strain themselves to the point of physical or emotional harm. I have voluntarily gone ten (10) days without wearing any fragrance whatsoever and have made it just fine. I did this just to "cleanse my pallette" in a matter of speaking. Or, as I would say: Just to get my bearings straight. I think that had I done this, but all the while been sniffing at bottles and feeling giddy or queasy, then I guess I'd consider myself addicted. But the passion and magnetism is much more subdued.
So, in conclusion........I offer that I am...........
A Fragrance Enthusiast!!
I happily glom this term from my buddy Jeff. For many years now, he has owned and ridden motorcycles. All different makes and types. From Harleys to Kawasakis, road bikes, race bikes, touring motorcycles, motocross, enduros....you name it, he's probably owned or extensively ridden any one of them. He's not brand specific. He doesn't care about image. He dresses to ride the motorcycle and be protected should something happen. He doesn't own and ride a motorcycle to fill out his being. He does so because it's part of his being and he enjoys riding. Therefore, folks will say to him: "Oh, Jeff, I din't know you were a biker!!" He politely replies, "No. I'm not a biker. I'm a Motorcycle Enthusiast!"
Well........I guess I can be a Fragrance Enthusiast AND a sniffer!!!
