September 11: "Blue Kit": Desk Lamp, Magnetic Board, Notepad and Pen

Tuesday, September 11, 2012 - Posted by 366 White Elephants at 11:33 PM
Given to Rachel from Jen.
It's a blue, blue, blue, blue white elephant gift
Are you familiar with nature vs. nurture?  That is to say what degree a person is affected by genes or environment.  What my family is trying to figure out is where my napkin hoarding habit came from.  When I go to Starbucks, for instance, I'll take my coffee and five napkins with me.  Subsequently, I'll put those napkins in my pocket or my work bag, (but never my car for some reason).  My work bag is chocked full of restaurant napkins, so much so that if my notebooks were made of glass, I'd have no problem dropping my bag on the ground because of the extra padding.

Just so you don't think I'm ca-razy, I blow my nose year-round.  Pollen? Claritin clear?  87% humidity? It makes no difference.  My nasal passages are generally moving free and easy.  Hooray for me!

Where the argument comes in is that my dad's a napkin hoarder as well.  I'm not sure what exactly he uses his napkins for, but I don't really see him blow his nose nor is he particular messy at the dinner table.  His pockets are stuffed with them.  They're all over his car, crammed neatly in the armrest, glove compartment, etc.  The real debate is not where my habit came from, but how we can get the help we need to overcome it.

Anyway, this is a self-described "blue" office kit (per Jen's description) for Rachel.

Waiters try to encourage hurried
consumption of the salad course
Rachel
-Profession: Manager, Postdoctoral Affairs

-Favorite academic degree: PhD

-In your opinion, should any vessels historically retracing the Titanic voyage ban the serving of iceberg lettuce on their ships?:  No.  I don't believe in banning anything.  I'm anti-banning.

-Combining your interest in reading and job at a University, what fictional literary figure would you give an honorary degree to and why?:  Probably Hamlet for his love of velvet and royal fashion sense.  It would be an honorary Associate's Degree from a textile school.

-Where is the next place they'll be able to put more cheese on a pizza?: In pepperoni-wrapped cheeses as toppings.