I think my mother passed a strange gene down to me - it's the dreaded TAPE gene....

Opening any gifts from Mom especially around christmas time gets frustrating. She tapes things closed - not only tapes things but TAPES them. Whenever there is a present ready, my dad has his trusty pocket knife out because he knows. Knows what? you say? He knows that is is going to take some big time muscles with his pocket knife to get thru all of mom's tape! It's the family joke but it gets downright irritating if you are a ripper! Ya know, one of those people who love to rip into a package - damn the pretty paper.

So, somewhere along the line, I got the gene (or the obsession)and it is magnified by 1,000 to say the least. All of my swaps go out pretty much hermetically sealed for protection Whose protection? Well, I would venture to guess, protection of my mental health status! My bottles, for example start out with me trying my damndest to get the lid on as tight as possible. Plumbing thread tape is next to keep the leaks in place. Saran wrap is next, pulled tight and then taped into place - just on the off chance any oil would get past the thread tape and saran wrap. Then, said bottle is wrapped verically in bubble wrap (tape to hold it closed), the horizontally, then it is put into a liitle pouch I have taped together, with the imps and such going out.

Boxes? Now, here is where my obsessive hermetic seal really kicks in. I am so paranoid that the box is going to come open or the label is going to come off that I pretty much tape the whole damn box. I cannot help myself. It is against my nature to normally tape it due to rampant paranoia running thru mywee little mind. Paranoia that the box is going to fly open, or lids are going to leak. This mind set also comes in to play when wrapping presents also. One of my good friends got a care package from me that was vitually a box encased in tape. WEll, what if water got in? Or perfume tried to leak out? Anhow, she is the one who started the whole "hermetically sealed" thing.

Advice to future swappers and buyers, Have scissors on hand when my packages come in.