Took my yearly pilgrimage to St. Vincent’s today, to gather up items for the White Elephant gift exchange at the family reunion over the weekend. I always feel vaguely guilty somehow buying things there that are destined for gag gifts. But the place is rich with possibilities, let’s face it.
I purchased:
1. A wall hanging consisting of a sort of Kabuki/mime mask surrounded by beads, with a frilly fan spread out behind it.
2. The Better Homes & Gardens “Cooking with Cheese” cookbook from 1966.
3. An LP of “Barbara Mandrell’s Greatest Hits,” with a photo of Babs seductively posing in a mostly-unzipped fur parka.
Of course, I felt less guilty when the guy in front of me in the checkout line bought one item, a single golf ball for 11 cents, and used a penny from the “Take a Penny” jar to help pay for it.
Before I read the first part my eyes went to the list of things you bought, and stopped in horror at the kabuki mime mask. I was so relieved when I read the part explaining why you were buying it.
This woman I used to work with had those things all over her office. At one point I was supposed to start sharing an office with her but I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t take the thought of those things staring at me.