People complain all the time about what to buy me for presents for Christmas, etc. Truth be told, I'm hard to buy for. I understand this. So, in order to help everybody out, I've put together a list of things that I'd really like. Get me something on this list, I'm guaranteed to like it.
I am a difficult person to buy presents for, they always say.
I'm a gamer, a computer geek, an introvert non-sports player. Not a mainstream person. So some people don't know what to buy for me. Or perhaps it's that I never see many of my relatives: it's hard to buy things for somebody's house, if you've never seen their house.
Anyway. This is my attempt to mitigate the problem, by putting up a list of the sorts of things I like. You can buy me something from this list, or buy me something related (or, of course, buy me nothing at all: this isn't a ploy for presents -- just trying to make people's lives easier if they already want to buy me something.
I'll remove things off this list if I receive them.
Onward, to the list!
The A.I. Gang series by Bruce Coville -- These books are out of print, but you can find info on them at Bruce Coville's official website. The three books in the series are (1) Operation Sherlock (which I own), (2) Robot Trouble, and (3) Forever Begins Tomorrow. The first book has stuck with me for years since I read it, and I'd love to read the other two.
Giraffes -- I have this thing about giraffes. I currently own more than 30 giraffes, some wooden, some stuffed, some big, some small. I'm always in the market for more. In particular, I've been looking for some time for giraffe-print fabric. Not cheetah or leopard, but giraffes: I want fabric that is spotted like the hide of a giraffe. It's different. I've never found it. giraffe-print fun-fur would be even better, but I despair of ever finding it. You'd think this would be available, but I've never seen it, despite much looking.
Binoculars -- A nice set of binoculars would be fun: ever since my friend JP and I and a bunch of friends went out to see a comet, and JP had binoculars, I've wanted a pair.
Gadgets and Toys -- particularly toys and gadgets that you can fiddle with for long periods of time. Those little "perpetual-motion" machines like the ones with the hanging balls are neat. I dislike puzzles of the sort where there are some twisted pieces of metal that you have to try to put together or take apart. Or anything requiring skill. :) Gadgets relying on or demonstrating some scientific principle are usually good ones.
Construction kits -- remember Meccano, or Lego? I love those things, always have. In particular, construction kits that have motors and buttons and switches: things that you can build robot-like things with. Almost nothing's more fun. :)
Model rockets -- I've never owned one, but have always wanted one. One of those model rocket kits with the chemical engines that they sell in hobby stores. Perfect gift!
Models -- model cars, spaceships: things you glue together and paint. Warhammer stuff is good, as is any sort of plastic model kits you can find.
Remote controlled vehicles -- particularly the higher-end ones (although cheap ones are fun, too!). I play around with electronics sometimes, and remote controlled cars are fun bases for things.
Blades and swords -- For display. I like swords: I own a very few, but would like more.
Wearable technology -- watches with integrated GPS, portable computers, anything that you carry around with you that does some neat computer or tech thing: I think things like that are cool.
Fantasy art -- Nothing cheezy, but I like crystal dragons (and fantasy miniatures of all sorts), quality framed pictures of fantasy scenes (my grandmother sent me a glorious cross-stich of a dragon and a castle one year). If somebody could commission some fantasy art containing giraffes, I'd be ecstatic. :)
Rare and exotic spices -- I like to cook, and when I cook, I like to cook things I've never eaten before. Plus, I collect spices. Spices from other countries that very few people have heard of, these sorts of things: I like.
A nice globe -- of display quality. I'd like a globe that would seem to fit in a richly appointed study. An antique globe, if it were attractive, would be ideal. Or something that looked and felt antique.
An enormous pepper grinder -- I got a really cool pepper grinder from my grandparents a few years ago, and it has shown me the true love one can have of kitchen implements. I've always looked with avarice upon those enormous (18+ inches long) wooden pepper grinders used in restaraunts. I think they're neat.
Fancy Chess Set -- I keep seeing these nice fancy chess sets, with carved wooden or ivory pieces, or pieces from fantasy themes (or historic ones, like viking sets, etc). I'd love one.
Frank Lloyd Wright -- Anything designed and/or built by this famous architect. I'm impressed by this work.
Dice -- Not normal ones (although they're nice too), but antique ones, wierd ones, ones with odd numbers of sides, things that work to generate random numbers that aren't dice, etc. I like dice. I currently have no Los Vegas-style dice (the large clear ones with sharp edges and painted pips), and would like some.
The Bombay Company -- nearly anything from The Bombay Company. I drool whenever I go in there.
Expansionist Britain -- for that matter, think expansionist britain, the great explorers, deepest darkest africa, the pursuit of knowledge, the formation of the National Geographic Society... I like stuff from that period (or things that suggest it, like the Bombay Company's merchandise.
Age of Enlightenment -- machines. Steam engines, mechanical calculating engines, brass fixtures and moving parts, hot air balloons. Models (particularly working models) would be fun.
Japanese Art -- Buddhas, dragons, ornate woodwork, things from Japan. A Japanese sword would be quite fun (albeit expensive).
Armor -- great helms, gauntlets, ... one thing I've been looking for but never found is a chainmail glove. Butchers use them, but I've never found out where they get them from.
Pelts and animal bits -- sheepskins, cowhides, a bear skull... things like that, I like.
Gargoyles -- They're nifty!
Hourglasses -- I love hourglasses, particularly nice ones. I have none. :)
Household stuff -- Blankets and sheets (king sized), towels and facecloths -- all the household linens, you can never have too many of, and we're always running short.
Survival/camping equipment -- I like going into these stores and looking around... tents, coleman stoves, nice compasses, GPS devices, candle lanterns, first aid kits... we camp sometimes, things like that are fun.
Chemical heat packs -- Those things intended to warm your hands when you break them. I want some. I can't find them anywhere.
Model ships -- the ones you build yourself, with hundreds of boards, etc. I started to scratch-build one... they're fun!
Clockwork -- I like things that are complicated, and whose workings are exposed. At work, we have an electric stapler with a clear case ... it's got all these brightly-colored gears. I think it's nifty.
Music -- CD's are always good: check out this list for a bunch of CDs that I think I'd like.
That's all I can think of for now. More things added when I think of them.
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