Wish List - 2006 "Year of the Blog" Edition

Every year my family members exchange wish lists at Christmastime so that, as we buy gifts for each other, we will buy things people will actually want. As opposed to, for example, buying socks and hoping for the best ("hope you like purple!"). Plus, this allows our family the chance to avoid the dreaded day-after-Christmas rush to the returns department at local retailers.

For those interested, here's my list separated into two categories: things I like (which make great gifts any time of the year, and include lower-priced items), and things I want (including the not-so-lower-priced items). Enjoy!

Things I like (in no particular order...)

1. macadamia nuts
2. gift cards to any of these restaurants: Johnny Carino's, Mongolian BBQ, Outback Steakhouse, Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, Culvers
3. be taken to: Old Country Buffett, Ponderosa, Mongolian BBQ, Wok In Wok Out
4. gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. gift card to Best Buy
6. yogurt-coated pretzels
7. cheese curls (puffy, not crunchy... any brand is fine)
8. large chocolate shakes from McD's (please, no substitutes)
9. see a movie at the theater... preferrably a movie I'd enjoy :)
10. my wife's homemade lasagna, but also with pepperoni (yum!)
11. blank CD-R and DVD-R discs (you would not believe how quickly I use these up!)
12. Starbucks pre-ground French roast coffee (I prefer not to grind coffee beans myself, but will if necessary)

Things I Want (in no particular order...)

1. an MP3 player... any brand or model is okay as long as it can play MP3 files (duh!) and having a display on it would be nice but isn't necessary... if you'd like a specific idea on what I'd like, check out the SanDisk Sansa m240 1GB MP3 player at Best Buy's web site... it's got an LCD display, FM radio, 1GB flash memory, USB interface, and uses one AAA battery (all the features I'm looking for) and currently on sale with free shipping!
2. snow globe
3. Dilbert TV series on DVD
4. Sledge Hammer! TV series (both seasons) on DVD
5. Sony PSP
6. time to watch LOTR in one day
7. time to watch Star Wars in one day (though a different day, of course)
8. convince Outback Steakhouse to build a restaurant in Holland (my wife would like this one, too)
9. magazine subscriptions: Christian Research Journal, CPU, Linux Format (from the UK!)
10. Sony PS3... preferrably the 60 GB version
11. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe Four-Disc Extended Edition... goes on sale 12/12/06
12. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 2-disc special edition... if you get it this week at Best Buy, you'll be able to get it on sale ($10 off!) AND you'll get an exclusive-to-Best Buy bonus disc (oh yeah, I'd want that disc, too)... don't forget, I have a birthday coming up, too! :)

Be sure to re-check this post in the days leading up to Christmas, as I will change between now and then. Merry Christmas!