Covid-19

related: at the height of Hawaii's toilet paper crisis, a number of my work colleagues and some former students who were now commissioned and on the island came over to my house for dinner. I specifically told them "no hostess gifts." Just come over and eat dinner and chill. We have plenty of flowers already, and all the food we need for dinner, and more bottles of wine than I could ever drink.

One of my former students refused to listen and brought a gift anyway. Normally that annoys me, because it's failure to follow simple instructions and it's embarrassing to everyone else who did what I told them and didn't bring anything.

However, his gift was two rolls of like triple-ply Charmin and a tube of Clorox cleaning wipes.

He meant it as a joke, but living with three women and being down to my last half roll of TP, I was quite grateful for his casual disregard of my instructions :)

You guys are posh over there if you're giving hostess gifts. We show up with a box of piss or a couple of bottles for the group and off we go. Who needs flowers? You want flowers go outside.
 
Can you grow flowers in an igloo can you?

Not grow but definitely keep them alive for a while.

If built right, an igloo can create a difference of about 40oC between its interior and the external environment just through the use of body heat. In a study conducted by Rich Holihan and his colleagues, it was found that inside an igloo, near the bodies of the people, the temperature was around 36oC (310K). In the air surrounding the people, the temperature dropped to almost 16oC (290K), and at the far end near the walls of the igloo, the temperature was around 1oC (275K). Also, if there are more people inside the igloo, it gets even warmer. Even though 16oC or 1oC isn’t a “cozy” temperature, considering that the temperature of arctic terrains can reach a staggering -40oC to -50oC, an igloo does a great job of regulating the temperature. Thus, for people living in sub-zero temperatures, an igloo makes for a toasty abode.

How Does An Igloo Keep You Warm?
 
You guys are posh over there if you're giving hostess gifts. We show up with a box of piss or a couple of bottles for the group and off we go. Who needs flowers? You want flowers go outside.

As a general courtesy you would present flowers to the CO'S wife (or daughter if the CO was divorced or a widower). And you'd give him a bottle of booze.
 
Oh great cool thanks.
Flowers and booze are typical, but depending on the individual and your relationship with him/her, there is a wide range of things you could bring. For example, if your host is Mormon (or an alcoholic) perhaps you don't bring that bottle of good Israeli red over to their house. Also, sometimes hosts of large gatherings coordinate what guests should bring (you bring the chips, you bring the plates, etc.) for bigger, less formal gatherings and in those cases hostess gifts are not really necessary either.

In addition to not wanting to clutter up my liquor cabinet with more bottles of wine that I will never drink, I also remember kind of agonizing over what I should bring to a senior officer's house, especially when I was younger and didn't have a lot of money and didn't fully understand how these things work. Telling people specifically not to bring anything over saves them time and money, and maybe a little anxiety, and reduces my clutter Win-win.

If they're friends of mine, though, all bets are off. If any of you clowns show up at my house, you better bring The Glenlivet with you. ;)
 
You guys are posh over there if you're giving hostess gifts. We show up with a box of piss or a couple of bottles for the group and off we go. Who needs flowers? You want flowers go outside.

In Navy officer school we had a 3 day class on etiquette. Three. Days. I imagine all the branches are similar.

I managed to get a pic of one class.

Yonke.jpg
 
In Navy officer school we had a 3 day class on etiquette. Three. Days. I imagine all the branches are similar.

I managed to get a pic of one class.

View attachment 40450
That's some next-level stuff right there. I don't remember that in ROTC or the Basic Course.

At West Point there is a fulltime position for Cadet Hostess. One of her many functions is to teach etiquette and manners to the cadets. They also have high-end whiskey taskings and wine taskings. I went to one the last time I was stationed here. You know, to supervise. Yeah, that's it. To supervise. ;)
 
That's some next-level stuff right there. I don't remember that in ROTC or the Basic Course.

At West Point there is a fulltime position for Cadet Hostess. One of her many functions is to teach etiquette and manners to the cadets. They also have high-end whiskey taskings and wine taskings. I went to one the last time I was stationed here. You know, to supervise. Yeah, that's it. To supervise. ;)

One must simply supervise these events; and what kind of leader are you if you do not lead from the front??

It was pretty amusing. That lady, Mrs. Yonke, had a dripping southern accent, very sarcastic and witty, and used impeccable English. We had a handful of functions in which to practice, all at the O club at Pensacola. The whole 'course' was a nice break from the regular ol' Navy BS, but most interestingly showed insight into that good ol' Navy caste system of yesteryear.
 
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