My my my… we haven’t been this early since 2006!

The only reason I’m posting so early is because Shelly recently (ie, yesterdy) asked me what I want for Christmas.  And although she bemoaned the traditionally high-roller nature of the items on this list, I calmly reminder her that all of these lists have featured items as cheap as a pair of socks.  And some even cheaper (again, 2006… not so good of a year?)

I also can’t believe that there was no list for 2009???  Very odd, that one.  Perhaps the arrival of a son was gift enough 🙂

Anyhow, time to reflect on things that have dropped off the list because they’ve been acquired by yours truly:

• Canon EOS Rebel DSLR.  Yup, took the plunge and picked this up after it was on sale for $210 off.  Shelly thought it would have been a good idea to wait for Boxing Day sales, but in my books you can’t argue a 23% discount.  That, and having realized that Mr. Man (ie, the aforementioned son) is growing by leaps and bounds, I no longer wanted to let good photo opportunities pass by.
• New laptop.  This news isn’t so new, but it was on the 2008 list.  Completeness, you know?

Okay, on to the good stuff!

(as always, this list is subject to change)

From previous lists, and in no particular order:

• An electric toothbrush, with induction recharging.  Yes, I’m still using Mr. Whiny
• Dress socks, assorted colors (including black) (no brown either, I picked these up recently – I guess that leaves blue..?)
• White undershirts and vests
• Winter scarf/scarves: black, grey, blue, brown… RECEIVED!!!
• Casual and/or dress belts; last time I checked ye olde waist is in the 32-34 range

Staples:

• Clothing (ask Shelly, she knows more about this than I do apparently).
• Kicks (ie, sneaks… you know sneakers.  Again, ask Shelly.  Size 11 1/2 or 12).

New for 2010:

• a 55mm-200+mm Canon EF-mount IS zoom lens.  This would have to fit a Canon EOS Rebel T1i (hence the EF mount).
• A camera bag with shoulder strap, capable of holding an SLR camera w/ attached lens, plus one additional lens.  Nothing too huge, just large enough for the mentioned items – plus the obligatory (slim-) pockets for stuff like memory cards.
  [Edit: This is nice, in form if not in price]
• Door-frame-mounted chin-up/exercise bar.  Shelly has a good idea what this is all about, so you bettah axe somebody.
• A storage shed (!) for the backyard.  Hey, why not.  It would get used, trust me.
• An Apple iPad.  Oh my goodness, did I just say that?  It’s not so much that I want an iPad – rather, it’s that I want a touch-optimized tablet.  The Win7-based bad boys are too $$$ and lame.  The Android guys are either too small (7″ and smaller) or have resistive touchscreens (blyech) or are running some 1.x variant of Android (too old).  Perhaps Google will have released Chromium OS by Christmas time, in which case a 10″ Chromium tablet with a capacitive touchscreen and WiFi (no 3G) would be purrfect.  ***NOTE*** – I’ve changed my mind on the 7″ Android tablet, after having done some reading on the Samsung Galaxy Tab.  I like it so much (in reviews) that I’d burn my Rogers Hardware Upgrade on it.  So ya, holla at ya boy if this gift fits your bill.
  I’ve since decided that a tablet will not work – but the HTC Desire Z certainly would! Unfortunately Rogers sucks large grapes re: worthwhile Android phones so I guess I’ll be holding on to my HUP for a little longer.  Somebody on the Interwebs suggested HUP’ing to an iPhone4 and selling it, which would then offset the cost of a no-contract Desire Z from Bell – but apparently i4’s aren’t selling so well…?  I dunno… if you have a Bell hardware upgrade that you have no use for, well, consider gift-wrapping it and sending it my way – I’ll slap some Benjamins on that bad boy and everybody’s happy! RECEIVED!!!
• Some 1TB USB2.0 external hard drives, and a PCI USB 2.0 card.  I’ve given up on the TeraStation NAS, and I need the PCI card since my home server only supports USB 1.1. RECEIVED(1)!!!
• An electric finish nailer (not pneumatic!).  Ideally, one that’s versatile enough for hardwood flooring as well as baseboards.  Otherwise, one that’s suitable for trim and general woodworking projects.  These things are plenty handy, I wish I had one.  A used unit from the Home Depot rental store would be just fine (hint – talk to somebody at a Home Depot rental store to get the 411 on these things)