so we went to a party with a white elephant gift exchange.

and dave finds this nice little shed antler forma mule deer. the poor fucker who got it apparently had NO IDEA that deer shed their antlers every year and grew new ones it. he was so SHOCKED and freaked out by it. he was trying to be okay, thinking it was from a dead animal. making jokes about it and such. i was about to get shitty with him, until i realized that here was yet another animal rights reactionary who knew nothing about animals. *sigh* so i gave a short lesson on the reproductive and growth histories of deer.

 

hahaha awwwwwwe thats sooo cute

 

what does this have to do with a white elephant? don't they only give them as gifts in india?

 

here ya go fitzy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant_gift_exchange

 

silly people.

 

That guy probably thinks reindeer have antlers at Christmas too....just because he sees it in cartoons....

 

yep. i find myself totally shocked at how little people know about wildlife. he was a nice guy and all, but really ignorant. he was making jokes about borrowing my knife in case he needed to go cut off a matching antler. i told him he'd be better off with a bone saw. he didnt' get it. so i showed him the hardened spongy part at the pedicle fo the antler and proceeded to explain that in the spring that spongey part gets all soft and gets really itchy, so they rub them on everything until they can finally get it off him, then he grows in a bigger, prettier pair. he knew nothing of it. he'd been offended for years over antler chandeliers, and furniture stuff, thinking people were killing deer and elk to make furniture. first of all, i can't think of a single hunter who'd give up a fine antlers off his kill. that's just sacriligious. lol.

 

ah that sounds fun

 

umm......a party that gives out this as a gift exchange?

Pardon me but I would be as baffled as to why anyone would give this to me, let alone expect me to understand what the hang it was or involved.

Anyone ever hear of home baking, a bottle of scotch or any of the other things I have been given or given.......never a ........well you know.

 

Well, first of all, you don't know who will get your gift, there are games where you can take away a gift or trade. Secondly it is supposed to be something useless....a white elephant by definition is an item that costs more to upkeep that it is worth...

It is a party for fun, not practicality, so I guess you are SUPPOSED to be baffled...

 

bafflement is part of the game...

 

Well then I would of been game

Frig that is taking a bad hair day to a new level if I am supposed to get it without some help.

 

the best conservationists are hunters... they are trying to preserve the wilds so they have their sport...

 

absolutely so. nice.