Andy's 2003 Christmas List

Item	Description
Hard cover books	Used it better than new. Some "classic" books would be nice, for whatever definition of "classic" you can come up with. Silmarillion and Hobbit by Tolkien (not new!) Design Paradigms: Case Histories of Error and Judgment in Engineering by Dr. Henry Petroski The Art of Computer Programming: ???? by Donald Knuth. Any versions / volumes of these books (there is a series) Dr. Seuss Books The Little Prince by St. Exupery (sic) CDC? and others by William Steig Bloom County, Far Side, Calvin & Hobbes -- even if not hardcover (but used is better than new) ....................... Already have The Ultimate LEGO Book
Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why by Peter Post	link at amazon.com
Fountain pen	The Cross Townsend Fountain Pen Medalist (Lustrous Chrome with 23 Karat Gold Plated Appointments) would fit out my collection of Cross Townsend items (already have the ballpoint pen and the pencil). Of course, any nice used fountain pen would be cool. I feel that since I write so infrequently, I might as well make it a special occasion whenever I do. I've been experimenting with some cheaper fountain pens, and I like them. Not too extreme a nib (point where the ink hits the paper) -- a fine or medium should do alright.
Automatic, mechanical watch	A watch that has no electronic / electrical components. Not "quartz movement," but "17 jewels" (or better). This means that it is not solar powered and does not have a capacitor that is charged by a wrist-motion powered generator. I'm talking a purely mechanical watch, powered by a spring. The spring is wound by wrist motion in automatic watches. The spring is would by hand in a purely mechanical watch. It would be very nice to have one with date (1-31), day (Monday-Sunday), and an alarm on it. Seiko apparently still makes this kind of watch at a reasonable price (~$100). They also make an extremely cool kind of watch that appears to charge a capacitor, and stops moving the hands after a couple days of inactivity ... but can reset the hands to the correct time up to 4 years after putting the watch down! (Auto Relay) A used one is just as good as (if not better than) a new one. I figure that pawn shops and online are good places to look. Likely the only stuff out there anymore is rather expensive.
Bookcase(s)	Lots of depth, glass doors. So I can fit plenty inside and can see it and can keep the dust off. If they have glass shelves, I'll put my Lego's in them!
Wardrobe	Insufficient room in the closet and dresser.
Filing cabinets	To sort bills and paperwork. And I'll need the hanging files, too.
Sunglasses (and case)	Polarized. Something to keep sunglasses in would be good too -- it's harder to scratch them when they're in a coat pocket.
Ski goggles	Polarized. For those couple (few, one?) times a year that I get to enjoy some winter sports. Especially important with contacts.
Ultrasonic fogger	The kind of "fogger" that you put in your desk fountain to spill a mist around the edges.
Holograms	For mounting on the wall. Some interesting things to decorate the walls. I already have the one with the two mice: one MS mouse and one furry mouse on a keyboard.
Luggage	A carry-on would be nice. A hard-side piece just a bit larger than a carry-on would be nice. I already have a backpack, the large duffle bag, and a large-ish hard-side.
LEGO	Always a good idea! I already bought the "Wind-up" set for myself. Also got the large X-Wing and put that together. I have two kinds of RC Lego cars, too. Already have Mindstorms 1.5 and the programmable R2-D2. Already have both "mini" Star-Wars sets and the new Advent calendar. Also bought the set of picture frames. Already have The Ultimate LEGO Book Used is as good as new. E-bay is a worthwhile source -- large (lbs) lots are a nice way to get a good variety of parts. Bionicle is a no-no. Technic sets are good, as are space, town, and castle. The Lego keychains are cool, and the one I have now is not in the best of shape. Oh, and some containers to organize existing pieces would be good, too!
Sega Dreamcast games	Video games (CD-like) for the discontinued Sega Dreamcast console. You can only get used games (except at ToysRus). I already have enough controllers, rumble packs, and memory modules. Could use a gun and keyboard if you happen across those. I should provide a list of games that I already have... 18 wheeler, armada, chicken run, crazy taxi, crazy taxi 2, dead or alive 2, demolition racer, dino crisis, dynamite cop, evil dead, f1 world grand prix, giga wing 2, gauntlet legends, half-life, heavy metal, house of the dead 2, legacy of kain, looney tunes space race, metropolis street racer, midway's hits 1, ms. pacman, nba 2002, nfl blitz 2001, pro pinball trilogy, power stone, project justice, qbert, quake III, record of lodoss war, resident evil 3, resident eveil code:veronica, re-volt, rez, san francisco rush 2049, sega GT, silent scope, skies of arcadia, sonic adventure, sonic shuffle, soul calibur, space channel 5, spawn, spiderman, star wars jedi power, star wars racer, super runabout, tomb raider chronicles, tony hawk pro skater, unreal tournament, wacky races, wild metal, world series baseball 2002, worms world party
Nintendo 64 games	Video games (cartridges) for the discontinued Nintendo 64 game console. I should provide a list of the ones I already have.
Sony Playstation 1 games	Games (CD) for the Sony Playstation. I should provide a list of the ones I already have.
Tools!	Load up ye-olde-toolbox. Wrenches are in order, I think. Files come in handy every once-in-a-while (for my toenails!!). Vise-grips. Small level.
Wind-up cymbals-playing monkey.	No batteries. (I already have one that uses batteries.) Clockwork guy that makes noise by bashing two pieces of metal together. This is to be my "Code Monkey" for taking care of simple programming tasks for me.
Tupperware	Storage items. Serving / mixing bowls.
Knives	I'm talking serious kitchen implements. For dismembering livestock, carrots, tomatoes, onions, etc. No serated blades (except for on a bread knife). "Full tang" German steel might be the only way to go.
Flannel sheets	To fit the nice big queen-sized bed that doesn't let me get up in the morning.
Wind-up items (no batteries!)	Alarm clocks, desk clocks, toys ... Something to play with when the power goes out and the laptop battery is dead. :-) A "build-it-yourself" kit would be interesting. (Goes along with the theme of "old-style" stuff: fountain pen, automatic/mechanical watch, etc.) A "no-batteries" camera would be really nice! Manual focus, advance, shutter. Maybe it'd be OK to have a small battery to power a light-meter...
Looney Tunes	Shirts, ties, DVDs, etc. Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Daffy Duck ... Classic cartoon.
Recycled circuit board items	I already have a decent sized clipboard source source source (Google search for "recycled circuit board."
Levitron	A magnetic levitation top. Available from other places than just online. It's been out for a few years. source WOW a bunch of cool stuff!!
Magazine subscriptions	Scientific American, Nature. Not Popular Science or Popular Mechanics (they just don't do it for me anymore ... no articles to read.)
Hmmm, these are interesting	check it out for yourself...
Muppets	All things Muppet are wonderful. I already have the set of DVDs.
Surprise me!	If there's something that catches your eye and you think it might make me happy, there's a good chance that at the least it'll make me think of you whenever I see it! Try here, or here, maybe here, here, here, here, here
Metronome	A mechanical metronome (wind up on the back/bottom). The thing that keeps a beat while you're playing music. Sits on top of the piano and goes, "tick, tick, tick" as the stick (with a moveable weight) moves back and forth.
Bedding: blankets / comforter	Wool blankets -- do they have to be dry cleaned? I suppose that I might need something to go between the wool and the cotton sheets. Another cotton blanket, I guess. Down (not many feathers) comforter (Remember, it's a queen size bed)
Whetstone	For sharpening knives.
Mommy's list	Slow cooking book for entertaining(k-mart) more partics' later re: this one Dish clothes with mesh on the back PhilCollins CD Serious Hits Live Trnas-Siberian Orch (can't remember which I like best tho'-I'll get back to U) Foot bath My feet look like they belong to an old person The title of the cookbook is fix-it and forget it ckbk for entertaining, it has to say for entertaining. Holiday turtleneck shirts, better if they have snowmen, snowflakes etc. so I can stretch the wearing season Christmas puzzle to add to my collection Chillable red wine