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Wonderful!

Great article, but that one paragraph made me think you were about to stab Josh!

This is the best piece of writing I've read on Hooksexup in a long time. Thoughtful, sexy, and will make me appreciate my wine a lot more now.

How odd and fascinating, I think, sitting here with a delicious hot cup of coffee in front of me. Still, her anxiety seems intense, perhaps stemming from something more than just olfactory malfunction.

great piece. something i never even considered! i wonder if other senses become heightened. isn't smell also the strongest connection to memory?

Dear Hooksexup: We want more of Katie Wudel! As a fellow scentless sufferer, I find myself yearning to experience the "ocean salt, limes, coconut, grapefruit, violets." Cruel! I just know I'm going to be the mother of chain-smoking children who go undetected...

Love this piece! And I agree with Bwr: I'm sitting here with a fresh cup of coffee, raw sugar on the foam, and wonder would I love it as much if I couldn't smell? (Or, am I just addicted to caffeine?). Such gorgeous writing.

I'm neurotic about dating and my schnoz works just fine! Wish i had a better excuse. :)

Ha. this is great writing. thank the good lord...

Best piece on Hooksexup of late. Was seriously giving up on you guys, thought it was just a bunch of 16 year old boys and twitter dick jokes. This was wonderful: interesting, clever, sexy, well written. Thank you.

oh god i loved this. this is why i haven't given up on Hooksexup yet. because once in awhile you guys throw me a bone, like this gorgeous piece.

Bravo! Lovely.

This really made me think and appreciate my senses; it's so easy to take them for granted. Of course if I never experienced smell would I miss it? Perhaps I'd miss it more if I had it and lost it. This sure made me think!

Love this piece. The ending especially -- amazing! More of this writer please.

I really enjoyed this piece...my best friend suffers from anosmia as well, so it was doubly interesting. The writer is incredibly talented, and, dare I say, very cute.

I dated an anosmic girl once, it was an experience. She found out about it as a child when she almost let the gas stove in her house explode. When I told her that sex had a smell, she almost had a heart attack, like she might have been blowing her own spot for years without knowing it.

Your Latina roommate is lusty, sensual, sensuous, and a literal man eater who likes animalistic sex. Oh boy. Where do I begin?

I am a partial anosmic! No one ever believes me that it's a real thing.

Katie - I can relate. I have "onset anosmia", as my naturopath calls it. I lost my sense of smell through years of the most aggressive allergies known to man. My blood allergen levels are about 350x higher than the highest that most "severe" cases show. Anyway, I too know what it's like to live without being able to smell. It drives people crazy when they want to cook me dinner or something and I can't enjoy the part they are enjoying (I love salty food, they are crazy for the aromas). But the benefits have been plentiful. I worked in a manufacturing plant once and a fish-processing plant opened up next door. Everyone else was asking the boss to call the EPA and I was totally oblivious. Granted, I have to do my best guesswork when it comes to hygiene, but at least I have a few great friends that will tell me the truth when I ask... :)

I think I am the opposite of an anosmic. I have an intense olfactory sense and it really bothers me. It has actually lead to end relationships because people are too smelly. This was a very beautiful article.

great piece. i have some of the same neuroses and a functioning olfactory Hooksexup, so it ain't just you, darlin.

what a fantastic read. whoever edited this should get a raise.

That was very well-written and poignant; a reminder not to take anything for granted. I will say that just as people born blind compensate and live well, so do you, Katie, probably more than people around you acknowledge.

Beautifully written, fantastic descriptions of the anxiety and neuroses that are only heightened by anosmia.

A fabulous bit of writing. Thank you Hooksexup and thank you Katie!

beautiful! Super interesting and lovely to read.

Gorgeous. A robust read. Truly wonderful.

you need to say f*ck it every now and again. When you realise you can't consider All possible eventualities, realise nothing is entirely under your control. Think of the fear for a little while, and let it excite you, elevating adrenalin levels. Then take a deep breath and just do it, say f*ck it, get on with it and see what happens. You might not be able to control everything, but by doing something, at least you have completed an action. I have problems getting on with things, but it stems from my executive decision making problems because I have ADHD. So Go, live your life! (oh and watch The Notepad, the scene at the crossroads ;) )

very nice! i love my bf's smell and the scent of his cologne-- makes me wanna grab him and make love with him passionately. i agree, sometimes sense of smell is animalistic.

enjoyed reading it! thanks!

wow, this is really something I could never think of. It blows my mind.

really great writing. hope we see more of her.

Wow. Good writing. Sad story. I'm a noncasual smell gourmand - I love inhaling the scent of every good-looking girl that passes by. I notice the distinctive odors of friends, and find it reassuring. My roommate recently enlightened me to auguring the health of a dog by smelling its ears - they smell faintly sweet when in good health. So sad to think you miss this.

PS - have you considered seeing a therapist about your anxiety levels? Your tend to overanalyze might be a symptom of GAD.

I think it is and is not the schnoz. I think it's about being in a body that is so unconventional that our experience of the world is fundamentally different from everyone else's — and we're constantly aware of that, checking in, comparing. For me the difference is physical — I was born essentially quadriplegic, with full senses but virtually no strength. And I have struggled with nearly identical anxieties. Ideally, we get to a place where we accept the difference, celebrate it, stop comparing. Then the anxiety will ease.

"For every action I perform, I always have a novel-length monologue about it in my head."... This internal debate is not about smell, but anxiety. It's part of a personality that for some reason lacks confidence. It's an debate that I'm sure many of us have had. As for smell, I lost mine for a week once. When it came back the intensity and scents were improperly calibrated for a few days. Luckily everything went back to normal. Scent is a big part of my life. It identifies places and times; people and their stuff. I'm still amazed when I come upon a new scent. I'm probably not going to discover a new color or a fantastic new sound, but from time to time there are those new and unique smells that introduce themselves.

I totally relate to your roommate. I love the way men smell. I breath deeply and take it all in...

ohh, i don't know what I would do if I couldn't smell, I LOOOVE the smell of my boyfriend, it's one of the little things that makes me love him.

Look for the benefits. You've never had to suffer from the rudeness of perfumed people. I've gotten a migraine at the movies from sitting next to someone scented. Those fancy restaurant meals? The most delicious flavors can be tainted by the cologne wearing person at the next table. You're missing your sense of smell. But you'd be surprised how many people who can smell, lack sensitivity when it comes to forcing their scent on others. Ask anyone with migraines, asthma, or going through chemotherapy how sickening these smells can be. Meditation could help you enjoy sex more. Instead of thinking about all the senses, try focusing on just one to the exclusion of all others. For instance, concentrate on touch alone and tune out all the others. You might find this is an easier way to lose yourself in the act, and quiet your anxieties.

Heartbreaking and hilarious--or maybe the other way around. My favorite line: "Am I too neurotic, or is it the schnoz?" You COULD give Woody Allen a run for his money.