Building a Wish List
Tonight I have been tasked with putting together an Amazon Wish List full of affordable things that my family might choose from for my upcoming birthday. Before I start, it might be worth getting one thing absolutely clear – I’m not fishing for anybody to buy me anything. I’m also not going to tell you when my birthday is.
I find the whole process of compiling a wish list really difficult. I don’t tend to need a lot of “things”, and if I do, I tend to buy them myself. I don’t collect trinkets, and I don’t really have many “gadgets” any more either (if you discount the veritable video game hardware museum in the attic). Because of those traits, I’m a bit of a nightmare to buy for – hence the request for the wish list.
So what’s on my wish list so far?* Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman * Scott Pilgrim (Box Set of Books), by Bryan Lee O'Malley * In Real Life, by Cory Doctorow * Vintage Canvas Messenger Bag * Magic the Gathering Starter Set (card game) * The Lonely City, by Olivia Laing * Human Universe, by Professor Brian Cox * Apollo Saturn 5 Model Kit * The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes * Of Dice and Men, by David M. Ewalt * Just a Geek, by Wil Wheaton * Furiously Happy, by Jenny Lawson * Geek Wisdom, by Stephen H. Segal * Innovators, by Walter Isaacson * Central City Running Club T-Shirt
It’s a pretty odd mixture, isn’t it. I think my favourite thing on the list is the Apollo Saturn 5 kit – but I have no idea where I might put it once complete. I also love the Central City Running Club shirt – which kind of takes comic-book geek status to a whole new level.Magic the Gathering is perhaps the most risky thing on the list. I discovered it after a friend talked about playing it at University a few years ago, and then discovered this huge sub-culture of people that play it obsessively. There is even a movie on Netflix (or Amazon?) about it. I like card and board games – we played “King of Tokyo” as a family all the way through the Christmas holidays.The books are of course a given. I’m secretly hoping for the Scott Pilgrim books, which I have started to read in digital form in the past. I’m also hoping for “The Lonely City” by Olivia Laing – go search for it on Amazon – you’ll probably end up buying it on-the-spot.The rest of the things on the list are filler really. Things I wouldn’t mind, but really only there to make up the numbers. I wonder if Dominos have ever considered selling pizza vouchers? That would go top of the list if they did.