The New York Times games seem to be favoring us perfumistas again this week, at least those of us who play Connections. The word ambergris jumped out at me, and it didn’t take long to spot its companions!

If I were to nitpick, I would say they are common perfume notes, as the raw materials are now mostly rare and expensive. However, this is an organization that still does not acknowledge “vanillin” and “lavandin” as words in the Spelling Bee, so I’ll take the small win of perfumery being included at all.

Luck seems to have turned to smile upon me as well, in terms of international shipping. Before I tell the happy ending (all things considered), let me sum up the sequence of events:

July 19: I placed an order from a store in Spain and selected the free shipping option, and it was was shipped 4 days later by UPS. After a week stuck at customs in Portugal, it was suddenly returned to Spain with no explanation. (Upon release, I was sent a link to pay the US customs duty and UPS brokerage fees. I paid it, hoping somehow they could redirect the package back to me, but no such luck. Several interactions by phone and email and a couple of weeks later, I was able to get a refund on the basis that the package never entered the US.)

August 2: The sender created a new shipping label, but I noticed my apartment number was entered wrong by one digit, so the sender voided that one and a new shipment was made 3 days later. Again, the package was stuck at customs in Portugal for several days. Worried it would get returned again, I contacted the sender, who contacted customs, who told them a piece of paperwork was needed that UPS had deemed unnecessary. That was sorted out, but unfortunately the delivery came while I was away on vacation and despite both the sender and me contacting UPS to arrange rescheduling, they arbitrarily went ahead with 3 consecutive fruitless delivery attempts and immediately returned the package on August 28. The return journey was rough, too—delays due to flight issues in Germany followed by over a week in customs purgatory in Spain, the country where the shipment originated! When it finally reached the sorting center less than an hour’s drive away from the store, UPS tracking showed this update: “We’ve incorrectly sorted this package which may cause a delay.”

(In the meantime, I received a paper invoice for the customs duty and UPS brokerage fees, as I had ignored the link this time. I called customer service and was told that if I disputed it because the package was not delivered to me, they would transfer the charge to the sender. Long story short, I paid it.)

September 25: As this would be the third round of efforts, we agreed that I would pay the cost of shipping, which I did by wire transfer the day before. The package was sent by regular post office (Correos in Spain/USPS in the US), and I am relieved to finally say… it arrived today, October 3!

I am boycotting UPS as far as humanly feasible.

Somewhat surprisingly, my emotions were suspended after I received the item. I had gone through such a roller coaster of anticipation and frustrated disappointment that I think I exhausted all my feelings during the futile parts—the customer service roulette, the obsessive refreshing of the tracking page, the searching online for similar experiences and resolutions of others… I’m writing this now just to close the loop and add to the steaming pile of anecdotes about the incompetence and insufferableness of UPS.

My scent of the day was a sample of Butterlily Damselfly by 4160Tuesdays, billed as a “floral aquatic” perfume. Notes are oak trees, cut grass, fresh water, hay bales, beeswax, and warm skin. The aquatic part is most prominent at the beginning, which initially puts me off a bit, but the fragrance soon warms into something greener and woodier, made richer and cozier with the hay and beeswax notes. It’s the enjoyment of a lake and its flora and fauna without having to give up staying dry.