The smell of success

There are so many great things about returning to the printing industry, particularly the company I work for. There's the thrill of working in an industry I love. There are the beautiful, beautiful books. There's the satisfaction of working with intelligent, sophisticated clients overseas. Then there's the smell.

That wonderful aroma of the presses, the ink, the paper. I don't know why, but that pungent chemical aroma satisfies my olfactory desires in a way no other aroma can. Is it because it brings back the memory of one of the jobs I loved the most? Is there some chemical in the aroma that releases a certain hormone like endorphin? Does anyone else feel the same way about this smell?

My favorite smells, beside the expected food and flowers, are the ocean, the rain, the smell of sagebrush growing in the mountains, the smell of chow dou fu in Mongkok, and the smell of the press. Maybe they should make a printing press scented room freshener. Then my world would be complete.