If you wonder what kinds of things Steve wants for Christmas, and what kinds of things he gets, wonder no more! Check this out. These are also highly appropriate birthday gifts, too. The lists of what I received are only partial lists, so if you gave me something that's not listed, don't be offended. Just try to get on the list next time :-)

2025

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• T-shirts (and if you get me either of these, it will appear in a video on my YouTube channel at some point):
  • Manument Bonk
  • TTC Raccoon
• Zoom MS-70CDR effects pedal and a power adapter to power it (the official recommendation is the Zoom AD-16 power adapter, sometimes listed under names like AD-0016 or AD-0016D at some vendors, but it has the same power requirements as almost all guitar effects pedals so any good quality 9V centre-negative 2.1mm barrel connector supply compatible with brands such as Boss will be fine). This pedal may be discontinued as its replacement has come out (but it still seems to be listed); if you can't find this one, its replacement, the MS-70CDR+, and power adapter would be fine.
• Légère clarinet reed(s): for Bb soprano clarinet, 3.5 strength. In order of preference:
  1. European Cut
  2. French Cut
  One or two of these reeds would be nice - they last a long time, way longer than traditional cane reeds, but they do wear out eventually. Also available at many music stores, including Long & McQuade.
• Take me to a Toronto Blue Jays or Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto Argos game! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Camera equipment: in order of preference.
  1. Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens: and if you give me this, you can have my EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
  2. A 77mm ND (neutral density) filter, 3 or 4 stops. Some brands label these ND0.9 and ND1.2 respectively; others label these ND8 and ND16 respectively. Most brands also list how many stops it is somewhere on the package and/or online description.
  3. SDXC memory card(s) for my camera. Specs:
     • SDXC (for camera), not MicroSDXC (for phone/tablet)
     • Capacity: 64 GB or larger
     • Speed: V60 or faster. SD speed ratings are a dog's breakfast; for what I need, ignore any other ratings including A or C and just look at the V rating.
     • Brand and retailer: Any reputable brand (e.g. Lexar or Sandisk) from any reputable vendor (e.g. Vistek, Henry's, Best Buy, Amazon). Be careful with marketplace sites (e.g. Amazon, Newegg, Wal-Mart) - if it's sold by the site itself, that's fine, but if it's a third-party vendor you've never heard of, beware. There are ongoing problems with fraudulent memory cards sold this way.
• Rent me a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb guitar amp: it would be cool to play with this for a few days. (It's a nearly exact solid-state digital recreation of a classic guitar amp, plus a bunch of features including being able to adjust it down to bedroom volume.)
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. If you really want to give me gift cards, even though they only work in certain stores while cash works almost everywhere, the most useful would be (in no particular order) Subway, LCBO, Beer Store, Metro, Amazon, and Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

2024

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Get me The Beatles: Get Back on Blu-Ray.
• A Manument Bonk t-shirt, and if you get me this you will eventually see it in a video on my YouTube channel.
• Zoom MS-70CDR effects pedal and a power adapter to power it (the official recommendation is the Zoom AD-16 power adapter, sometimes listed under names like AD-0016 or AD-0016D at some vendors, but it has the same power requirements as almost all guitar effects pedals so any good quality 9V centre-negative 2.1mm barrel connector supply compatible with brands such as Boss will be fine)
• Légère clarinet reed(s): for Bb soprano clarinet, 3.5 strength. In order of preference:
  1. European Cut
  2. French Cut
  One or two of these reeds would be nice - they last a long time, way longer than traditional cane reeds, but they do wear out eventually. Also available at many music stores, including Long & McQuade.
• Take me to a Toronto Blue Jays or Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto Argos game! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Camera equipment: in order of preference.
  1. Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens: and if you give me this, you can have my EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens and 1.4x II teleconverter
  2. Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM lens: this small, lightweight lens would be great for relatively inconspicuous shooting for my videos and would also work well for the vlog-style shots in some of them
  3. Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens: and if you give me this, you can have my EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
  4. SDXC memory card(s) for my camera. Specs:
     • SDXC (for camera), not MicroSDXC (for phone/tablet)
     • Capacity: 64 GB or larger
     • Speed: U3 and/or V30 or faster. SD speed ratings are a dog's breakfast; for what I need, ignore any other ratings including A or C and just look at the U and/or V ratings.
     • Brand and retailer: Any reputable brand (e.g. Lexar or Sandisk) from any reputable vendor (e.g. Vistek, Henry's, Best Buy, Amazon). Be careful with marketplace sites (e.g. Amazon, Newegg, Wal-Mart) - if it's sold by the site itself, that's fine, but if it's a third-party vendor you've never heard of, beware. There are ongoing problems with fraudulent memory cards sold this way.
• Rent me a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb guitar amp: it would be cool to play with this for a few days. (It's a nearly exact solid-state digital recreation of a classic guitar amp, plus a bunch of features including being able to adjust it down to bedroom volume.)
• Audi A4: My current A4 is great but it's over ten years old and it would be nice to have a new one. Contact me for trim level and options, and if you give me the new car I want, you can have my current one!
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. If you really want to give me gift cards, even though they only work in certain stores while cash works almost everywhere, the most useful would be (in no particular order) Subway, LCBO, Beer Store, Metro, Amazon, and Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

My neighbours had a birthday party for me and another neighbour whose birthday was around the same time.

What He Got For Christmas

My brother and his family gave me a few of the items on my list, including The Beatles: Get Back, beer, chocolate, and gift cards. My cat took several Amazon gift cards I'd received from various sources and put them toward the Canon 28mm lens as a combined birthday and Christmas present.

2023

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Get me The Beatles: Get Back on Blu-Ray.
• A MicroSDXC card with a capacity of at least 32 GB and a decent speed rating (doesn't need to be blazing fast but at least not awfully slow) that I can use in my tablet
• A Manument Bonk t-shirt and/or a Line 5 t-shirt, and if you get me these you will eventually see them in videos on my YouTube channel.
• Zoom MS-70CDR effects pedal and a power adapter to power it (the official recommendation is the Zoom AD-16 power adapter, sometimes listed under names like AD-0016 or AD-0016D at some vendors, but it has the same power requirements as almost all guitar effects pedals so any good quality 9V centre-negative 2.1mm barrel connector supply compatible with brands such as Boss will be fine)
• Légère clarinet reed(s): for Bb soprano clarinet, European Cut, 3.25 strength. One or two of these reeds would be nice - they last a long time, way longer than traditional cane reeds, but they do wear out eventually. Also available at Long & McQuade.
• Take me to a Toronto Blue Jays or Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto Argos game now that this is a thing again! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EOS R6 Mark II - and if you give me this, you can have my current EOS 7D body, 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, and 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens
  2. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  3. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
• Fender Champion 40 guitar amp: if you give me this, you can have my current Fender Champion 20 amp. Or, if you feel like going higher in the product line, the Mustang GTX50 is nice and adds some more capabilities. Each amp has some things I like better about it than the other, and a blend of the two would be great, but oh well, that product doesn't exist. The Champion 40 is probably a better fit.
• Rent me a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb guitar amp: it would be cool to play with this for a few days. (It's a nearly exact solid-state digital recreation of a classic guitar amp, plus a bunch of features including being able to adjust it down to bedroom volume.)
• Audi A4: My current A4 is great but it's over nine years old and it would be nice to have a new one. Contact me for trim level and options, and if you give me the new car I want, you can have my current one!
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

My cat got me a cable to replace a Frankenstein-type situation in my home recording equipment, and my neighbours on my floor threw me a birthday party in the hallway.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is not a complete list and isn't in any particular order.

• A TTC Line 5 t-shirt, which will definitely appear in at least one video on my YouTube channel at some point
• A cat-related t-shirt, and it's entirely possible it may also appear on my channel
• Beer!
• Chocolate!
• A new camera battery from my cat
• A minor computer upgrade from my business (for the computer I use to run the business)
• St. Stephen gave me a new tablet.

2022

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Closed-back wired studio headphones: Closed back to minimize sound leakage while recording, wired because they need to plug into a jack, and studio headphones because these are designed to have a reasonably flat and uncoloured frequency response so you're hearing your mix accurately (headphones designed for casual listening to music tend to have significant peaks and valleys in their frequency response, which makes it hard to figure out what your mix actually sounds like).
• Légère clarinet reed(s): for Bb soprano clarinet, European Cut, 3.25 strength. One or two of these reeds would be nice - they last a long time, way longer than traditional cane reeds, but they do wear out eventually. Also available at Long & McQuade.
• Zoom AD-16 power adapter for my guitar multi-effects unit. Also listed under names like AD-0016 or AD-0016D on some sites. Available at many retailers including Amazon, AVShop, Cosmo, Long & McQuade, and Steve's. I would strongly prefer the genuine item, not a cheap knockoff, as any electrical noise in its output would make it completely useless, and I wouldn't trust a crappy no-name version to be a quality product.
• Take me to a Toronto Blue Jays or Toronto Maple Leafs game now that this is a thing again! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Get me The Beatles: Get Back on Blu-Ray.
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EOS R6 Mark II - and if you give me this, you can have my current EOS 7D body, 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, and 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens
  2. Canon EOS R5 - and if you give me this, you can have my current EOS 7D body, 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, and 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens
  3. Canon EOS R6 - and if you give me this, you can have my current EOS 7D body, 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, and 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens
  4. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  5. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
• Fender Champion 40 guitar amp: if you give me this, you can have my current Fender Champion 20 amp. Or, if you feel like going higher in the product line, the Mustang GTX50 is nice and adds some more capabilities. Each amp has some things I like better about it than the other, and a blend of the two would be great, but oh well. Either one would be nice.
• Rent me a Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb guitar amp: it would be cool to play with this for a few days.
• Audi A4: My current A4 is great but it's eight years old and it would be nice to have a new one. Contact me for trim level and options, and if you give me the new car I want, you can have my current one!
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mom gave me chocolate, my cat gave me a microphone, and my neighbours on my floor threw a party with a cake in the hallway!

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this list doesn't include everything and isn't in any particular order.

• From my brother and sister-in-law and their family, I got the studio headphones that were on my list, as well as beer and chocolate.
• Mom gave me Scotch and chocolate.
• Tuxx gave me two microphones. Yes, she also gave me a microphone for my birthday, but that was a studio microphone. For Christmas, she gave me a microphone for shooting video with my camera, and there was a special offer that included a free lavalier microphone with that (and I used it for a video I shot on Christmas Eve).
• St. Stephen has ordered me a new A/V receiver since my current one has a small but annoying compatibility issue with my new TV service.
• My business gave me a monitor cable that lets me hook up a second monitor to my PC.
• And "Santa" (one of the neighbours on my floor) left a box at my door while I was out, and the box is full of Quality Street chocolates! I think I know who "Santa" is but I'm not sure.

2021

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Audi A4: My current A4 is great but it's seven years old and it would be nice to have a new one. Contact me for trim level and options, and if you give me the new car I want, you can have my current one!
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EOS R5 - and if you give me this, you can have my current EOS 7D body, 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, and 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens
  2. Canon EOS R6 - and if you give me this, you can have my current EOS 7D body, 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens, and 60mm f/2.8 USM macro lens
  3. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  4. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
• Zoom G1 Four guitar multi-effects pedal - my amp has some basic effects built in but this would be much more flexible.
• Yamaha FC5 sustain pedal - for my keyboard. As any pianist will tell you, there are some things you just can't do without a sustain pedal.
• Take me to a Toronto Blue Jays or Toronto Maple Leafs game now that this is a thing again! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Get me The Beatles: Get Back when it comes out on Blu-Ray.
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mom gave me chocolate!

What He Got For Christmas

Lots of chocolate and some alcohol. My brother and sister-in-law got me the sustain pedal for my keyboard, and my cat Tuxx teamed up with St. Stephen to get me the guitar multi-effects pedal I wanted.

2020

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Keyboard: I've been using my keyboard every week to record songs, and the limitations of its sound are getting frustrating, so I'd like a Yamaha PSR-E463 to replace it. If you give me this, you can have my existing PSR-220.
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  2. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
  3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  4. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM - I'd prefer the 10-22 listed above, but if you really want to buy me a wide-angle zoom and that's too expensive, this one would do nicely, too
• Take me to a Toronto Maple Leafs game once this is a thing again! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mom gave me chocolate, and my cat Tuxx gave me a USB audio interface (a couple of months late, but it wasn't her fault - nobody had it in stock).

What He Got For Christmas

Mom gave me the usual things, including chocolate and Scotch, and St. Stephen gave me the new keyboard I wanted to replace the one I've been playing for the last 20+ years. Tuxx didn't get me anything because the audio interface she gave me for my birthday is a big enough gift to count for both. My business was going to get me a new printer to replace my 15+ year old printer, but nobody had that in stock, either.

2019

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  2. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
  3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  4. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM - I'd prefer the 10-22 listed above, but if you really want to buy me a wide-angle zoom and that's too expensive, this one would do nicely, too
• Take me to a Toronto Maple Leafs game! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate - yum!

What He Got For Christmas

A bunch of stuff, including chocolate, Scotch, and beer. St. Stephen gave me a new universal remote control for my home entertainment system. My business gave me a bunch of hardware upgrades for the computer I use to run the business. And my new cat Tuxx gave me a current version of Adobe Photoshop Elements, so that when I take pictures of her with my real camera, I'll be able to edit them.

2018

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  2. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
  3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  4. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM - I'd prefer the 10-22 listed above, but if you really want to buy me a wide-angle zoom and that's too expensive, this one would do nicely, too
• Take me to a Toronto Maple Leafs game! (Just check with me first about scheduling.)
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to set a new record for the maximum amount of hops in a beer.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate! And a book from my cat Sullivan to help me with a project I've been working on.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this list is incomplete. I got plenty of chocolate and beer, as well as scotch, a Beer Store gift card, and an LCBO gift card. My cat gave me a clip-on guitar tuner, and St. Stephen gave me a proper guitar practice amp. My business gave me a new monitor to replace the one it gave me in 2007, which will be headed to a client site where I have an office.

2017

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  2. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
  3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  4. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM - I'd prefer the 10-22 listed above, but if you really want to buy me a wide-angle zoom and that's too expensive, this one would do nicely, too
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to stuff a beer full of hops.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate! And a Légère clarinet reed from my cat Sullivan.

What He Got For Christmas

Lots of chocolate and some scotch (and an LCBO gift card). My cat Sullivan saw some nice noise-cancelling headphones on sale for Black Friday so he gave them to me early. My business gave me a new phone. St. Stephen was going to upgrade my PVR from HD to 4K but Rogers won't let me do that until spring unless I'm willing to pay a huge penalty (about $50/month). Grrrr.

2016

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  2. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens - the older generation of the above lens. Good, but not as good as the new one.
  3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  4. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM - I'd prefer the 10-22 listed above, but if you really want to buy me a wide-angle zoom and that's too expensive, this one would do nicely, too
  5. Canon EOS 7D Mark II body - and if you give me this, you can have my current first-generation EOS 7D
• Blu-Rays: The three Hobbit films (the One Ring on my Lord Of The Rings set keeps whispering that it wants these)
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to stuff a beer full of hops.
• Single Malt Scotch: my tastes run more to highland (including Speyside) than Islay. Glen Breton isn't Scotch but it's good, too.
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate!

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, a partial list, in no particular order:

• Beer
• Scotch
• Chocolate, some of which contained alcohol
• The Hobbit box set
• A new tablet from my lovely cat Sullivan

St. Stephen saw that the TV I wanted was on sale and likely about to be discontinued this past summer, so he gave it to me then.

2015

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• 40-43" 1080p LED TV: must be no wider than 95 cm in total. Any or all of the following are desirable features, roughly in the order shown:
  • Minimum of one HDMI and one component video input
  • Local dimming
  • Backlit, sometimes called full-array (as opposed to side lit)
  • 120 Hz refresh rate
  • 3D
  Features that aren't important to me: smart TV, audio, UHD/4k. If you give me this, you can have my existing 37" HDTV.
• Logitech Harmony 650 universal remote control, to replace my old Harmony whose buttons are starting to get cranky
• ReedJuvinate: it's supposed to make your reeds play better and last much longer, and any clarinetist would be happy with happier reeds
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  2. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens - the older generation of the above lens. Good, but not as good as the new one.
  3. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  4. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM - I'd prefer the 10-22 listed above, but if you really want to buy me a wide-angle zoom and that's too expensive, this one would do nicely, too
• Blu-Rays: The three Hobbit films (the One Ring on my Lord Of The Rings set keeps whispering that it wants these)
• Beer: no hard and fast rules here, but here are some keywords that might help. Preferences include malty, Belgian style, and microbrewery. Not so fond of the craze for trying to stuff a beer full of hops.
• From 2007: New clarinet
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third)
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

If none of those strike your fancy, cash is always useful. Or gift cards if you prefer, though cash is useful everywhere while gift cards only work in certain stores. If you want to do gift cards, try these, in no particular order: Tim Hortons, Subway, Best Buy.

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I literally have several dozen of these. Even if I throw each one out after using it, it would take me a few weeks to run out. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. If you didn't hear from me that I want it, and it's not on the list, perhaps that means something. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily.

What He Got For His Birthday

Beer and chocolate from my mom, beer and chocolate from my girlfriend, and beer and chocolate from my girlfriend's parents!

What He Got For Christmas

A variety of things, including a couple of cookbooks and some assorted airplane models. Other items included chocolate, alcohol, and alcoholic chocolate. St. Stephen got me the new remote control that was on my list, and my cat Sullivan is going to get me a ReedJuvinate once the local store has them back in stock.

2014

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• ReedJuvinate: it's supposed to make your reeds play better and last much longer, and any clarinetist would be happy with happier reeds
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
  2. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens - the older generation of the above lens. Good, but not as good as the new one.
  3. Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens (and if you get me this, you can have my 50/1.4)
  4. Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
  5. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM - I'd prefer the 10-22 listed above, but if you really want to buy me a wide-angle zoom and that's too expensive, this one would do nicely, too
• Blu-Rays: Now that pretty much my entire (albeit very small) DVD collection has been upgraded to Blu-Ray, it's getting harder to think of ones I want. About the only thing that comes to mind at the moment is the Rush Clockwork Angels Tour Blu-Ray.
• From 2009: Kari Byron bobblehead
• From 2007: New clarinet
• From 2006: CDs (same list as 2006), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate, Scotch, and dinner. And a hairball from my cat Prince, delivered while I was at work.

What He Got For Christmas

Mostly the usual type of stuff, including plenty of chocolate (yay!). My business got me a new BlackBerry, and my cat got me the 60mm macro lens.

2013

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• 2014 Audi A4 2.0t Quattro: contact me for trim level, options, colours, etc. You can have my current 2007 A4 2.0t Quattro if you give me what I want!
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens
  2. Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens (and if you get me this, you can have my 50/1.4)
• Blu-Rays: Les Misérables (an actual theatrical production, not the recent Hollywood version) is at the top of my list of Blu-Rays of things I don't already have on DVD. Another idea would be the Rush Clockwork Angels Tour Blu-Ray. If you want to replace part of my DVD collection (and you can have the DVD version of any of these Blu-Rays you give me), I'm looking for Spider-Man 1 and 2 (the Tobey Maguire movies).
• From 2009: Kari Byron bobblehead
• From 2007: New clarinet
• From 2006: CDs (same list as 2006), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Mostly chocolate and scotch, plus dinner and brownies from my girlfriend, and a barf on the hall carpet from my cat.

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this list is incomplete. The usual suspects: chocolate and alcohol (single malt Scotch and various interesting beers); I never get tired of getting these! Three Blu-Rays from my list: Les Misérables and the first two Spider-Man movies. For the first time in many years, I got a girly calendar (from my girlfriend) so I didn't have to buy my own. There was a funny t-shirt, though unlike most years when this comes from my brother or his wife, this one came from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law). And a bunch of other things.

St. Stephen brought me a new centre speaker for my home theatre system. My business bought me a bunch of computer upgrades (new CPU, new motherboard and RAM to go with it, and a couple of other miscellaneous items I'll need to take full advantage of them). Prince is going to get me a monitor calibration product, since the software I'm currently using is old and not compatible with my new system, but he's waiting for the store with the best price to get some more in stock.

2012

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens
  2. Remote Switch RS-80N3: This is a corded remote shutter release, so that you can trip the camera's shutter without actually touching the camera (which can cause the camera to shake a bit).
• Blu-Rays: Les Misérables is at the top of my list of Blu-Rays of things I don't already have on DVD. If you want to replace part of my DVD collection (and you can have the DVD version of any of these Blu-Rays you give me): Spider-Man 1 and/or 2, and parts 2 and 3 of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
• From 2010: CF cards - see the 2010 entry for the specs
• From 2009: Kari Byron bobblehead
• From 2007: New clarinet
• From 2006: clarinet tuner, CDs (same list as last time), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate and Scotch. Good call, mom!

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is an incomplete list. I got chocolate and hot chocolate from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law); chocolate and alcohol from various people; a keyboard and carrying case for my Playbook from Prince; a clarinet tuner from my girlfriend's parents; The Lord Of The Rings Blu-Rays, a CF card, and a throw blanket from my girlfriend (the latter being something she intends to use when she's here); and a solid-state drive from my business. St. Stephen is running a bit late this year but he's going to bring me the remote switch for my camera.

2011

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens
  2. Remote Switch RS-80N3: This is a corded remote shutter release, so that you can trip the camera's shutter without actually touching the camera (which can cause the camera to shake a bit).
• Blu-Rays: Das Boot and Les Misérables are the main Blu-Rays I want of things I don't already have on DVD. Das Boot is definitely at the top of the list. If you want to replace part of my DVD collection (and you can have the DVD version of any of these Blu-Rays you give me): Spider-Man 1 and/or 2, and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
• RC helicopter: one of the little indoor radio-controlled toys would be cool.
• From 2010: CF cards - see the 2010 entry for the specs
• From 2009: Kari Byron bobblehead
• From 2007: New clarinet
• From 2006: clarinet tuner, CDs (same list as last time), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate, beer, and socks. Yummy, yummy, and practical.

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is not a complete list and is in no particular order: beer, chocolate, beer bread mix from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law), some novelty items, and a mini softbox from Prince. My St. Stephen's Day present, a 580EX II flash, came early this year, as I saw it on sale a few weeks before Christmas at a price I thought would be comparable to the Boxing Week pricing (and I was right). My business is planning on getting me a new BlackBerry Bold 9900 but will be waiting until it goes on sale, as all the Boxing Week sales on this item are only applicable to new customers.

2010

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me. And except as noted, these are not necessarily in any particular order.

• Blu-Ray player: preferably one that supports 3D. Not that I have a 3D TV, or have any plans to get one, but if at some point in the future I do get a 3D TV, it would be nice for the Blu-Ray player to include 3D support so I don't have to replace it, too, to take advantage of the TV. (Update: my cat got me this, so you don't have to.)
• Home Theatre Receiver: To take full advantage of the Blu-Ray player, I need to replace my home theatre receiver, both so that it supports all the new features and also so that I can use HDMI between the Blu-Ray player and the TV (which has only one HDMI input, so the receiver needs to be able to switch between the HDMI inputs from my PVR and the Blu-Ray player). Required specs: internal decoding of all audio formats (including the lossless compressed formats for Blu-Ray), HDMI 1.4 or 1.4a (including support for 3D, Deep Colour, 1080p24, and xvYCC), roughly 80-100W per channel. Nice to have: automatic calibration. Not important: support for satellite radio, wireless speakers, or multi-room configurations (it's not a problem if it has any of these, just that they're not worth anything to me). (Update: I got this as my St. Stephen's Day present, so you don't have to.)
• Compact Flash card(s): I could still use one or two more CF cards for my camera. Here are the specs:
  • Speed: At least 80-133x (or, if it's specified in MB/s, at least 10-15 MB/s); the faster, the better. I would prefer cards which support UDMA (if it doesn't say UDMA in the name or on the package, it's not); at the same speed rating, UDMA cards can be faster, sometimes significantly so.
  • Capacity: Preferably 4 GB. Not less than 2 GB. 8 GB would be OK, too, though I'd actually prefer two 4 GB cards to one 8 GB card.
  • Brand: I'm picky: reputable brands only. Lexar, Sandisk, and Kingston are all fine. Anything you've never heard of, or only ever seen in fly-by-night stores, is not.
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon Speedlite 580EX Mark II flash
  2. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens
  3. Remote Switch RS-80N3: This is a corded remote shutter release, so that you can trip the camera's shutter without actually touching the camera (which can cause the camera to shake a bit).
• New clarinet: A Buffet R13 would be lovely.
• Blu-Rays (or DVDs if Blu-Rays aren't available): Das Boot (preferably the Director's Cut in German with English subtitles, or the discontinued Superbit edition), Spider-Man 3; widescreen for either. Or start the process of replacing my existing DVD collection with Blu-Rays: Terminator 1, 2, and 3; Spider-Man 1 and 2; The Lord Of The Rings; or Sirens, a movie that's hard to find on DVD and which may never be released on Blu-Ray
• Kari Byron bobblehead: as seen in the Mythbusters episode "Thermite vs. Ice"
• From 2006: clarinet tuner, CDs (same list as last time), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For Christmas

The incomplete summary, as usual:

• From his brother's family: beer, pizza, chocolate, and scotch
• From his mother: beer, chocolate, and socks
• From his cat: the Blu-Ray player mentioned above
• From others: chocolate and a small girlie calendar
• For St. Stephen's Day: a Sony STR-DN1010 home theatre receiver

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate, booze, and socks, mostly.

2009

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

• Compact Flash card(s): I'll need more CF capacity for my new camera. Here are the specs:
  • Speed: At least 80-133x (or, if it's specified in MB/s, at least 10-15 MB/s); the faster, the better. I would prefer cards which support UDMA (if it doesn't say UDMA in the name or on the package, it's not); at the same speed rating, UDMA cards can be faster, sometimes significantly so.
  • Capacity: Preferably 4 GB. Not less than 2 GB. 8 GB would be OK, too, though I'd actually prefer two 4 GB cards to one 8 GB card.
  • Brand: I'm picky: reputable brands only. Lexar, Sandisk, and Kingston are all fine. Anything you've never heard of, or only ever seen in fly-by-night stores, is not.
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me and as Canon releases new models. In order of preference:
  1. Canon Speedlite 580EX Mark II flash
  2. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens
  3. Remote Switch RS-80N3: This is a corded remote shutter release, so that you can trip the camera's shutter without actually touching the camera (which can cause the camera to shake a bit).
• New clarinet: A Buffet R13 would be lovely.
• DVDs: Das Boot (preferably the Director's Cut in German with English subtitles, or the discontinued Superbit edition), Spider-Man 3; widescreen for either
• Kari Byron bobblehead: as seen in the Mythbusters episode "Thermite vs. Ice"
• From 2006: clarinet tuner, CDs (same list as last time), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What Not To Get Him

Glasses and mugs. I have 24 beer glasses/mugs, 11 wine glasses, 16 assorted other glasses for alcoholic beverages, and about 40 other assorted mugs and cups. I think I'm good here.

On a more serious note, if it isn't on the list or you aren't certain that I'll like it, maybe you should skip it. I already have plenty of stuff, and while I appreciate the thought, something on the list would probably be better. Sure, lots of the stuff on the list is expensive. But chocolate is on the list, and there's no such thing as too much chocolate. And it only needs storage space temporarily. Or a gift card from a store that sells items on this list or where you know I shop.

What He Got For Christmas

The usual incomplete and unordered list:

• Chocolate: several chocolate items from several people.
• Alcohol: a bottle of wine, a bottle of beer, and two cans of beer.
• Coffee and hot chocolate: Mom gave me a tin of Timmy's , and "Mom" gave me a tin of hot chocolate along with a big mug
• A strange item like a rubber chicken: instead of being shaped like a chicken, it's shaped like a very voluptuous woman in a bikini. When squeezed, it makes a sound, like a rubber chicken does, although the sound is different .
• Canon EOS 7D: my St. Stephen's Day present to myself, though I actually bought it a couple of weeks before Christmas when it was on sale at a good price
• Photoshop Elements upgrade: from my cat, who knew that my old version of Elements couldn't directly read images from my new camera
• BlackBerry Bold: from my business, as my existing BlackBerry 8700r's trackwheel has been failing for a while

What He Got For His Birthday

• New luggage, since his old suitcase is falling apart (which isn't that surprising since it's over 20 years old)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator X (since he now has a machine powerful enough to handle upgrading from his older version) and a new joystick (since the old one uses a game port and there isn't a game port on the new computer), both from his cat

2008

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR body (and if you get me this, you can have my existing 20D body for yourself)
  2. Canon EOS 50D digital SLR body (and if you get me this, you can have my existing 20D body for yourself)
  3. Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens (and if you get me this, you can have my existing EF 17-40 f/4L USM lens)
  4. Canon Speedlite 580EX Mark II flash
  5. Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens
  6. Remote Switch RS-80N3: This is a corded remote shutter release, so that you can trip the camera's shutter without actually touching the camera (which can cause the camera to shake a bit).
• New clarinet: A Buffet R13 would be lovely.
• From 2006: tuner, CDs (same list as last time), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this list is incomplete and not in any specific order.

• Chocolate: Chocolate is always a good gift. In fact, don't feel you have to wait for my birthday or for Christmas to give me chocolate. Any time is a good time.
• Cookies: Homemade cookies from "Mom" (my brother's mother-in-law)
• Coffee: As usual, Mom (my real mom) gave me a tin of Timmy's coffee.
• Beer: Mmmmmmmm, beer. Both mom and my brother's family gave me beer.
• Assorted computer parts: My business buys me a Christmas present every year. It's always something business-related, something that I will use for my business, so it's a legitimate business item. This year, it's a bunch of upgrades for my home computer (which is the one from which I run the business). I got a new CPU, which required a new motherboard, which required new memory and a new video card. The old parts are going to the office to upgrade the computer there, and since that computer's power supply isn't compatible with the motherboard it's getting, I also bought a new power supply for the home PC so that the old one can go to the office. I'm also replacing the UPS at home with a newer one; the old one is only just adequate for the old equipment, and so it's moving to the office, too.
• Subwoofer: from my cat
• Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens: As usual, nobody bought me any of the camera gear on my list, so this was my St. Stephen's Day present to myself.

What He Got For His Birthday

Chocolate and socks from my mom, and a Joby Gorillapod from my cat.

2007

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me. In order of preference:
  1. Canon EOS 5D digital SLR body (and if you get me this, you can have my existing 20D body for yourself)
  2. Canon EOS 40D digital SLR body (and if you get me this, you can have my existing 20D body for yourself)
  3. Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens (and if you get me this, you can have my existing EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens)
  4. Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM lens (and if you get me this, you can have my existing EF 17-40 f/4L USM lens)
  5. Canon Speedlite 580EX II flash
• Camera gadgets: In no particular order
  • Joby Gorillapod SLR-ZOOM: this is a bizarre photo gadget. It's a small tripod, but the legs are multi-jointed and covered in rubber so that you can wrap them around stuff and they will grip it. There are a number of models of Gorillapod but this is the only one capable of handling the weight of my photo equipment.
  • Remote Switch RS-80N3: This is a corded remote shutter release, so that you can trip the camera's shutter without actually touching the camera (which can cause the camera to shake a bit).
• New clarinet: A Buffet R13 would be lovely.
• From 2006: tuner, CDs (same list as last time), Canadian English dictionary
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this is not a complete list.

• Chocolate: Yum! See, I said chocolate was a good gift. And "Mom" (my brother's mother-in-law) makes the list again. For the second time, she managed to find a ridiculously long box of chocolates. Well, chocolate-covered finger biscuits. This box is 85 cm long. That's 9 cm short of the box she got me in 2001 but I'm pretty sure it easily qualifies as the second-longest box of chocolates I've ever received.
• Coffee: Mom (my real mom) once again gave me a tin of Timmy's coffee. I don't mind the lack of creativity at all; I will enjoy this one just as much as I enjoyed last year's tin. Well, not so much the tin, but the coffee's good.
• Socks: Again, mom got me the same thing as last year. And while I don't imagine these are as tasty as the coffee, they're certainly useful. Many of my socks have holes in them. (I am a boy, after all.)
• Gift cards: from HBC and HMV. Each three letters, starting with an H, and they rhyme! Quite by coincidence, I'm sure.
• Graphics tablet: supposedly, these are much easier to use than a mouse when working in Photoshop, so Toby gave me one. It also includes a newer copy of Photoshop Elements than the version I've been using.
• 24" widescreen monitor: This is from my business, which buys me a Christmas present every year. It's always something I can use for work (typically a computer component). This will replace the 17" non-widescreen monitor the business bought me a few years ago; that one goes to the office to replace the massive 19" CRT I originally got from my former employer. This monitor hasn't arrived yet, but UPS says it crossed the border at Windsor early in the morning on Christmas Eve so I expect it will arrive tomorrow. Interestingly, this monitor has about twice as many pixels as my 37" high-def TV.
• Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens: as usual, nobody bought me any of the big-ticket items from my list, so I went out and bought one as my St. Stephen's Day present. This replaces my old 28-135/3.5-5.6 lens, which was my best lens when I bought it eight years ago (also on St. Stephen's Day) but has since become my worst lens. The lens didn't change; I just surrounded it with even better lenses over the years.

What He Got For His Birthday

Just a few small things. But many of them were chocolate and that's always a good thing!

2006

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

• Audi A4 2.0t Quattro: I love my 2001 A4 1.8t Quattro but I can't wait to trade it in on a new one in 2007. You could save me the wait by giving me one now! Contact me for specs and preferred equipment. You can even have my current A4, to do with as you please, if you give me the new one I want.
• Chromatic tuner: For tuning my clarinet. Note that some chromatic tuners are specifically designed as guitar tuners, and that's not what I'm looking for.
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me. My first choice this year is the Canon EOS 5D digital SLR body. My second choice is the Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens. My third choice, but it's a distant third, is the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens. I also would not turn down the 580EX flash.
• CDs: This is a mix of previous and new requests. Stunt (Barenaked Ladies), Greatest Hits (Mariah Carey; I'd also like the DVD version of her #1's[sic] package because she's hot and is on my "I'd do her" list), Hopes and Fears (Keane), 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (Squeeze), In Blue (The Corrs), Borrowed Heaven (The Corrs)
• A dictionary: Specifically, a dictionary of Canadian English. There are a few of them, but most dictionaries, including the online ones I know about and the old dictionary I've had since high school, are in a foreign dialect.
• From 2004: 37" LCD TV. I'll save you the hassle of comparing specs and tell you that my first choice is any of the following:
  • Toshiba 37HL86 (available in most stores which sell Toshiba TVs, including Best Buy and Future Shop)
  • Toshiba 37HL66 (available only at Future Shop)
  • Toshiba 37HLC56 (available at Best Buy, among other places)
  and the second choice is the W3707mc or W3707C, depending on which part of the Dell site you look at; they don't seem sure of its name. As far as I can tell, these are the only 37" TVs which will fit in my entertainment centre; everything else which would fit is smaller.
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table; book about Scotch
• From 2000: Chocolate (dark is best, white second, milk third), Tilleys, RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this isn't a complete list, and don't be offended if something you got me isn't mentioned.

• Chocolate. As always, chocolate is an excellent thing to get me. "Mom" (my brother's mother-in-law) got me dark chocolate "Hedgehog's" (Purdy's makes good chocolate, but according to the label on the box, they have difficulty with punctuation) in a bid to be mentioned yet again on this list.
• Books, including the book about Scotch to fulfill one of the requests on my list, and a cookbook of brownies and brownie-inspired recipes. I now have enough different brownie recipes to make a different recipe every day for several months if I wanted to! But that's OK. Brownies are yummy (see "chocolate" above) and when I make a batch to bring to one social event or another, it's good to have a choice of recipes and maybe make one I've never made before. And the brownies in this book look delicious.
• Coffee: Mom (my real mom) gave me a tin of Timmy's coffee.
• Scotch: Mom also gave me a miniature bottle of Scotch.
• Socks: It sounds boring, but my socks tend to grow holes, so if mom gives me more for birthdays and/or Christmas, that's about the right replenishment rate.
• RAM: My business always buys me a Christmas present. Something useful for running the business, so that it's a legitimate business expense. This year, it was additional memory for my computer.
• Sensor cleaning kit: Toby gave me a cleaning kit for the sensor in my digital camera.
• Four mandarin oranges, one of which had a beard: Mom says it was fine two days earlier when she put it in my stocking. Darn those fungi. So she replaced the beardy one with a non-beardy one and washed them all in case the others had been contaminated.
• Toshiba 37HL66 widescreen high-def LCD TV: That's this year's St. Stephen's Day present to myself, since Santa didn't bring it.

What He Got For His Birthday

A card, a chocolate bar, two miniature bottles of Glenmorangie, and some money.

2005

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

• Audi A4 2.0t Quattro: I love my 2001 A4 1.8t Quattro but I can't wait to trade it in on a new one in 2007. You could save me the wait by giving me one now! Contact me for specs and preferred equipment. You can even have my current A4, to do with as you please, if you give me the new one I want.
• Chromatic tuner: For tuning my clarinet. Note that some chromatic tuners are specifically designed as guitar tuners, and that's not what I'm looking for.
• Camera equipment: This list carries forward from year to year, but also changes from year to year as I buy stuff that nobody seems to get for me. Maybe this year my luck will change and someone will get me the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens I want. My second choice is the Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens. My third choice, but it's a distant third, is the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM lens. I also would not turn down the 580EX flash.
• CDs: This is a mix of previous and new requests. Stunt (Barenaked Ladies), Greatest Hits (Mariah Carey; I'd also like the DVD version of her #1's[sic] package because she's hot and is on my "I'd do her" list), Hopes and Fears (Keane), 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (Squeeze), In Blue (The Corrs), Borrowed Heaven (The Corrs)
• USB memory keys: These things are really cool and really useful! The bigger, the better, of course.
• A dictionary: Specifically, a dictionary of Canadian English. There are a few of them, but most dictionaries, including the online ones I know about and the old dictionary I've had since high school, are in a foreign dialect.
• From 2004: LCD TV
• From 2003: Boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table; book about Scotch
• From 2000: Chocolate, Tilleys, RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, this is not a complete list.

• Chocolate. Lots and lots and lots of it! Anyone who knows me well enough to be buying prezzies for me knows I like chocolate. If you didn't know that, it's right there on my list.
• Socks. My parents usually get me socks. This is probably because I usually have holes in the socks I wear to their place. This is because I have holes in most of my socks. So more socks are good. I suppose that next year I should make an inventory of what colours of socks would be most useful, and wear the most hole-infested socks I own in those colours to my parents' place to see if that affects the selection of colours I get.
• Gift certificates from Walmart and Mark's Work Wearhouse. I'm not sure yet what these will turn into.
• A big honking bittersweet chocolate bar wrapped in a fleece sweater from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law Judy)
• An optical mouse to replace a non-optical mouse which was getting a bit tired. This is a present from my business.
• Tickets to see the Tartan Terrors. My girlfriend bought these ages ago, as she really likes them, so on Robbie Burns Day we're going to see their show.
• Scotch. There was a miniature bottle of Glenmorangie in my stocking.
• Knives in a knife block with a built-in sharpener. I had mentioned to my parents that when I was out recently buying a knife to replace one which broke, I saw knife sharpeners, which would be useful, and a knife block would be useful, too. They asked later whether I needed knives or just the block and sharpener, and I said just the block and sharpener. But they couldn't find a block or sharpener without a bunch of knives so I got the whole kit.
• A Harmony 628 Remote from my cat. This is a really cool universal remote which works differently than most other universal remotes. It can learn from your existing remotes, but generally you don't have to do that. You go to their Web site, say what equipment you have and which ports on each device are used by which other device, and then when you press a button like "Watch TV" it knows it has to turn on the cable box, the TV, and the home theatre receiver, set the TV to input #1 and the home theatre receiver to input #3, and that when you use the volume control, it should send commands to the home theatre receiver. All with one button, and all without having to program any macros. It will be interesting to try this out (it hasn't arrived yet), particularly since there's no such model on the manufacturer's Web site.
• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens: my St. Stephen's Day present to myself. This is to replace my current 300mm f/4L IS USM, which is too long for me now that I have a digital camera with a 1.6x cropping factor. This is an expensive lens, but then again, the 300/4 is worth a fair bit, and I'll be selling it soon to help pay for the new lens. My parents also gave me some money for Christmas, and I'll be putting that towards this lens, too.

What He Got for his Birthday

• Chocolate from Dee and from my parents
• Road & Track - My parents gave me a subscription to this last year, and renewed it this year
• Beer and a veal sandwich from my brother
• Metallica's S&M CD from Dee
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves from a close friend

2004

What He's Asking For

As before, I've included a number of items from previous years; see below for more details if you're interested in getting any of them for me.

• LCD TV - LCD has some technical advantages over plasma, and as the manufacturers figure out how to make them larger, they're becoming viable options as a living room TV set. Requirements: widescreen, 32" or larger (32" widescreen equates to about the same height as my current TV, and I don't want a smaller screen), HDTV-ready for both 720p and 1080i, and no more than about 35" wide (since that's the available space in my entertainment unit). If the speakers are detachable, don't count them in the width, as I won't be using them. I'd accept any other direct-view or rear-projection technology, too (direct-view CRT or plasma; rear-projection CRT, LCD, DLP, or HD-ILA), but would prefer one that can't suffer from burn-in (i.e. anything but CRT or plasma), and since rear-projection TVs of all technologies generally are too big for the space I have, as are plasmas, that pretty much leaves LCD and CRT.
• Camera equipment - Canon EOS 20D; 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. The first is a digital camera body. The second lens would be more useful on a digital body than my existing 300mm f/4L IS USM lens would.
• Eats Shoots and Leaves: I've heard many good things about this book, and I really wish they would hand out free copies of it to all the people who need to read it. The inability of so many people to use punctuation correctly bugs the heck out of me!
• From 2003: Audi RS6, boobs
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar, CDs
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table; book about Scotch
• From 2000: Chocolate, Tilleys, RC model airplane
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What He Got For Christmas

As always, this is only a partial list.

• Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens: This is my St. Stephen's Day present. But I saw it on sale, a couple of weeks before Christmas, for a price that was better than what I thought I could get it for on St. Stephen's Day, so I bought it a bit early. This lens is much wider than anything I already had; the widest I could go before was 28mm. There are times I've wanted something wider, though not all that often. This lens will be more useful when I get a digital body, since it will offer roughly the same view on a digital body that the 28mm gives me on a film body.
• 17" LCD monitor: No, this doesn't replace the widescreen LCD TV I want. This one replaces the great honking big 19" CRT monitor I used to use on my home PC, which now goes to my office to replace a 17" CRT. This new monitor is my Christmas prezzie from my business.
• Road & Track subscription: From my parents.
• Chocolate and related items: I got lots of chocolate. Chocolate-covered biscuits. Chocolate pasta (I didn't even know such a thing existed). A chocolate cookbook. A brownie cookbook and brownie pan. A calendar featuring pictures of chocolates.
• Chef's knife: My brother and sister-in-law both enjoy cooking, and when they came over for my Grey Cup party, my sister-in-law didn't approve of the knives I had. So now I have a nice chef's knife.
• Radio-controlled Subaru Impreza: From my girlfriend. It's not exactly as described on Radio Shack's Web site, but then again, it's not exactly as described on the box, either. The box says "Hood in the trunk" but means "Both hood and trunk open." The manual disagrees with the car as to what frequency it uses, and the manual disagrees with the battery as to how long it should be charged (the manual says it must be charged at least 5, but not more than 7, hours; the battery says it must never be charged for more than 4 hours). It's a fun toy and scares the crap out of my cat.
• One-cup coffeemaker: There's just one of me at home, so a full-sized coffeemaker would be silly. I'd end up pouring most of the coffee down the drain. One cup at a time, though, is perfect for me.
• The Terminator on DVD: I love Arnie movies. The first DVD I bought was Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Last year, Dee bought me T3. This year, she bought me the original. I now have a complete set of Ahhhnuld as a cyborg.
• "I hope you have a great Christmas!": an email wish from the world's cutest TV news reporter, who I've had a bit of a crush on for ages (yes, my girlfriend knows about her).
• Photoshop Elements 3.0: From my cat. I had a very old version of this product's predecessor, Photoshop LE, but Elements 3.0 adds many useful features.

What He Got For His Birthday

Two chocolate bars and a box of chocolates - yum (chocolate is good). A copy of Photo Life magazine, along with a subscription (I'd suggested to my parents that a subscription to either this or Road & Track might be nice). And a hug from a cute blonde.

2003

What He's Asking For

• Plasma TV - No, there's nothing wrong with my current TV. It's just not as cool as a plasma TV. And it isn't widescreen so DVDs look all scrunched up. The interior of my entertainment unit is about 35" wide, so the TV can't be any wider than that (including case and speakers, unless they're removable, which would be perfect since I won't be using them anyway) unless it comes with some kind of retractable arm so that it can be stored diagonally and then extended in front of the wall unit. I'd also accept an LCD TV (flatscreen, not rear projection). Either way, it has to handle 1080i HDTV, since that's what Rogers uses and Rogers is all I can get here. Unfortunately, there aren't many TVs that meet these specs, but if you can find one, I'd love to have it! Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to wait until next year, by which time more models should be on the market, and there will be more large LCD screens to compete with plasma. Right now, there's very little between 30-32" (which is too small) and 40-42" (which is too big).
• Audi RS6 - I used to want a BMW 540i, but I love my Audi A4 and the RS6 has become a better dream car for me. Contact me for preferred colours and options if you want to get me this. Or, if this is a bit rich, I'd love to have a model of my 2001 A4 1.8t quattro (whether it's a pre-made die-cast model or a model kit I can build myself or whatever).
• Lenses - 1.4x teleconverter, 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM, 16-35mm f/2.8L USM, or 20mm f/2.8 USM, in that order of preference.
• Boobs - OK, it's silly, and they're ridiculously expensive, but you have to admit they're quite the novelty!
• A collapsible clarinet stand - something like this one, which folds up and stores in the bell when not in use.
• From 2002: BMW course, girly calendar, mud flaps, CDs
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies; air hockey table; books on Scottish history or Scotch
• From 2000: Chocolate, Tilleys, RC model airplane
• From 1999: EOS-3, 550EX
• From 1998: Flying lessons, Josee Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy

What He Got For Christmas

As usual, the list below doesn't list absolutely everything I got.

• Chocolate - from several people
• Chocolate-flavoured alcohol - from Dee
• Sweaters - from Dee and her mom
• Book on Scottish history - from my parents
• Wine, wine glasses, etc. - from "mom" (my brother's mother-in-law)
• New slippers and socks - from my parents, since my old slippers were falling apart and most of my socks are holey
• Collapsible clarinet stand - from my brother/sis-in-law/nephew
• Frying pan - from my parents. This follows in a long tradition of me mentioning, early in the year, that I need to replace something, not meaning it to be a gift suggestion for many months hence; it's something that I use frequently and will replace before the next Christmas. Last year it was a comforter; in previous years they've given me enough gloves to last me a lifetime.
• Terminator 3 DVD - from Dee
• New Rovner ligature for my clarinet - from my cat Toby

Nobody got me the plasma TV - I guess none of my friends or family had a big enough piece of wrapping paper. Nobody got me the camera equipment, either, so my St. Stephen's Day (26 December) present to myself this year was the 1.4x teleconverter.

What He Got For His Birthday

My girlfriend made my birthday special for me. I also got a couple of books (the R&T dictionary and a book on Toronto history), my favourite movie (Sirens) on DVD, and some chocolate.

2002

What He's Asking For

• A/V Receiver: the stereo receiver in my home entertainment system is getting old and tired - the volume knob and source selector are getting scratchy. Minimum specs: 5.1 (6.1 nice but not necessary), Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Digital (EX nice but not necessary), DTS (ES nice but not necessary), S-video switching (component switching would be nice), at least three A/V (including at least one optical digital audio input) and two audio inputs. 75W per channel is quite adequate. Black, if possible. Some suggested models: Panasonic SA-HE100, Yamaha RX-V530, Sony STR-DE685
• Center channel speaker: to go with the A/V receiver above; magnetically shielded, please
• BMW Perfection Driver Training: This is level 2 of their three-step advanced driver training class.
• Girly calendar: so far, I've had Elle Macpherson, Anna Nicole Smith, Anna Kournikova, and Kathy Ireland, plus some calendars with various babes in them. Something along the same lines would be good (no nudes, please - wouldn't want to offend anyone)
• Mud flaps for my A4: non-paintable, for 2001 A4 Quattro sedan; Audi part numbers 8D0 075 111C (front) and 8D0 075 101C (rear)
• CDs: Barenaked Ladies - Stunt; Spice Girls - Spiceworld; Metallica - S&M; Mariah Carey - #1's[sic], either as a CD or a DVD (this list replaces the one from 2000)
• From 2001: Anna Nicole Smith movies (DVD preferred, and you can get them both on one DVD now); air hockey table; books on Scottish history, Toronto history, Scotch, and a book on military aircraft to complement the commercial aircraft book I got in 2001
• From 2000: Chocolate, Tilleys, RC model airplane, lenses (but replace the 70-200 f/2.8L USM with the newer 70-200 f/2.8L IS USM)
• From 1999: EOS-3, 550EX
• From 1998: flying lessons, Josée Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife, bottle of Bundy, Anna Nicole Smith video (or, since she's a future wife, just a date with her)

What He Got For Christmas

Again, not a complete list.

• Chocolate
• Homemade jam from "Mom"
• Beer
• Money
• Lobster hands - see 1998. My sis-in-law Julie, who is good with the arts and crafts, made 'em for me.
• A girl - my friend Andrea told me that one of her friends liked me, so I asked this girl out. She's pretty! And we hit it off well. Thanks, Andrea!

Santa didn't bring me the new surround sound receiver I wanted, so I bought it on St. Stephen's Day. My cat Toby had been in and out of hospital with pancreatitis, and he was so appreciative of the time and money I put into making him well again that he bought me a centre channel speaker.

What He Got For His Birthday

Some kitchen stuff, some chocolate, that's about it.

2001

What He's Asking For

For your convenience, I've included a number of items on this list that I'd asked for in the past, just so you don't have to go fishing through prior years' lists for ideas. I've also bought or received some of the previous years' items; I've removed those from this year's list.

• Anna Nicole Smith movies: To The Limit is my first choice, and Skyscraper is second. Sure, if you want to get me any of her Playboy videos, I wouldn't turn them down, either. DVD preferred (either Santa will bring me a DVD player or I'll get myself one on Boxing Day), VHS acceptable.
• Air hockey table
• Books: This list includes some from previous years. Books on the following topics would be appreciated:
  • Scottish history
  • Canadian history
  • Toronto history (preferably with lots of old photos)
  • Kings & Queens of England (and it has to go at least as far back as King Stephen)
  • Avro Arrow manual (either ISBN 1-55046-310-1 or ISBN 1-55046-293-8)
  • Scotch (particularly single malts)
  • Something covering most or all of the airplanes in use and/or production these days (like the old Observers Book of Aircraft mentioned here; I have four volumes of this wonderful little book from 1962 to 1982, but this book hasn't been published since the late 1980s)
• Inkjet cartridges: HP 51645 (black) and C6578 (colour)
• A Segway - not that it's particularly practical, but it's way cool
• From 2000: Chocolate (particularly dark chocolate - 99% is too much, but 86% or less is awesome), Tilley Endurables, Elle Macpherson calendar, RC model airplane, DVD changer, CD-RW or CD-R blanks, CDs.
• From 1999 (with some modifications from 2000's list): sports headphones, lenses, EOS-3, 550EX.
• From 1998: lobster hands; flying lessons; Josée Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife; bottle of Bundy; Barnes Hits; Anna Nicole Smith video (or, since she's a future wife, just a date with her)

What He Got for Christmas

As usual, this isn't a complete list.

• The longest box of chocolate I've ever received - it's almost 94 cm long. Judy (a.k.a. "Mom") gets her name on the list yet again!
• Sports headphones
• Book about Kings and Queens of England - yes, including King Stephen
• Airplane book - listing pretty much all of the commercial aircraft currently in service around the world. Thanks! Also, I got a gift certificate for the Avro Arrow book, since that book is very hard to find.
• Chris-Moose Presents - this is a plastic moose that you load up with jelly beans (two different types, both brown, are provided with it), and when you press the moose, a jelly bean comes out its butt. Kinda like a Pez dispenser but they come out the other end. Thanks, Andy, Julie, and Matthew!
• Chocolate
• A UPS - to protect my computer from occasional blackouts and spikes and stuff. This one is from my adorable kittycat, Toby.
• Socks - and lots of 'em, from Mom and Dad, since they've noticed that most of my socks have holes in the toes.

After Christmas, I went out and got a couple of things that Santa didn't bring - a DVD changer and an Elle Macpherson calendar.

What He Got for his Birthday

As usual, this isn't a complete list.

• A joystick - a present from my loving cat, Toby
• An HMV gift certificate - thanks to Andy and Julie
• Chocolate and a jar of my favourite marmalade, Silver Shred - thanks, Mom and Dad!

2000

What He's Asking For

For your convenience, I've included a number of items on this list that I'd asked for in the past, just so you don't have to go fishing through prior years' lists for ideas.

• No more gloves - please!
• Chocolate is always appreciated! Dark chocolate is my first choice, white chocolate second, and while milk chocolate is my third choice, it's only marginally behind the other two. Alcohol-filled chocolates are certainly welcome.
• Tilley Endurables:
  • City Shorts (TE23), Long Shorts (TE22), or AdventureLight Long Shorts (TL22) - size 34, khaki or navy
  • Sierra Pants (TE26), Pleated Pants (TE27), or AdventureLight Pleated Pants (TL27) - size 34, khaki or stone
  • Travel Jacket (TE48) or Travel Blazer (TW48) - size 38, navy
  • Dress Pants (TRE27) - size 34
• If you can't find an Elle Macpherson calendar (as listed in 1998 and 1999), the Sports Illustrated "In The Paint" calendar would be just lovely, thank you.
• Radio-controlled model airplane (preferably battery-powered)
• Walkman-type portable stereo - either a CD player or a tape deck, with FM radio (AM optional)
• Multi-disc DVD/CD player, to replace my 11-year-old CD player that's having some mechanical problems (and, of course, to add DVD to my home entertainment system)
• CD-RW drive - an external SCSI drive would be best, but an internal SCSI or ATAPI drive would be OK, too.
• CD-RW blanks (no jewel cases required); CD-R blanks would also be useful
• A photo-quality inkjet printer with a parallel interface (USB is OK, but it needs a parallel interface as well if it's going to replace my existing printer). If at all possible, it should be at least somewhat compatible with one or more of the following antique printers:
  • HP DeskJet 500 or DeskJet Plus
  • HP ThinkJet
  • HP QuietJet
  • Traditional Epson dot-matrix
  • plain old text printer
  (because I need something that is compatible with one of those models if it's going to replace my old dot matrix - I'd rather not have to keep both the old printer and the new one on my desk)
• Rayovac PS1 battery charger (includes 2 AAs), 4 NiMH AAs of any brand (the higher the mAh rating, the better; the highest I've found so far are Radio Shack's 4-packs at 1600 mAh); also, 4 or 8 Rayovac Renewal AAAs and/or 4 more Rayovac Renewal AAs would be nice - but the charger and the 4 NiMH batteries are the most important bits. I specifically want the Rayovac recharger because it's the only one that does both rechargeable alkalines (for general use) and NiMH batteries (for my camera's flash unit).
• Any of the three Spice Girls CDs, Metallica's S&M CD, or the Barenaked Ladies' Stunt CD.
• A book on Scottish history (or a book combining Scottish and English history). On a related note, a book on Scotch would be good, too.
• From 1999: sound card, sports headphones, film scanner (USB or SCSI are both OK with me; I'd prefer a Canon Canoscan FS2710, Minolta Dimâge Scan Dual II, Minolta Dimâge Scan Elite, or Nikon Super Coolscan 2000 LS-2000), CF-105 Avro Arrow manual (ISBN 1-55046-293-8), lenses (other than the 28-135 and 50 that I already have; you could also consider the EF 20mm f/2.8 USM or EF 35-350 f/3.5-5.6L USM, neither of which were on last year's list), EOS-3, 550EX (or, if the EOS-3 and 550EX are too much, an Elan 7e and a 420EX flash)
• From 1998: lobster hands; toy car; flying lessons; Josée Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife; BMW 540i; bottle of Bundy; Barnes Hits; Anna Nicole Smith video (or, since she's a future wife, just a date with her)

What He Got

As always, this is just a partial list, and (other than the first item) in no particular order.

• No gloves - whew!
• Chocolate - lots of it, from several people. Thanks!
• Rechargeable batteries and a charger - from Mom and Dad
• Coffee and a mug - thanks, Jenn & James
• Handheld mixer - from Mom and Dad, so they'll never get another call asking how long it should take to whip whipping cream by hand
• RC car - Julie, Andy, & Matthew (sis-in-law, bro, and nephew)
• The Tigger Movie - ditto
• A sign reading "Life is uncertain...Eat Dessert First!" - from "Mom" (Judy), who always make sure she gets on this list
• A picture of Matthew and Julie on Santa's knee
• Gray socks - and some black ones, too; it just wouldn't be Christmas without black socks

My darling kittycat, Toby, waited until after Christmas to get me something - just to make sure I didn't get any duplicates. He gave me the Anna Kournikova calendar - yum! As usual, he got lots of toys (he's playing with one as I write this), along with a turkey Fancy Feast for breakfast and a tin of PC kitty food for later use.

I didn't get any of the photo toys I wanted, so on Boxing Day, I did my usual trip to the photo stores. This year, I brought home the Canon Canoscan FS2710 film scanner.

1999

What He Asked For

• A sound card
• A pair of sports headphones - 1/8" stereo plug, lightweight, and sweatproof. I like to listen to my non-name-brand walkman-type radio while I work out, and my old headphones are in poor condition.
• A 35mm slide and negative scanner - preferably SCSI rather than USB, since my home PC doesn't have USB ports. But if you're going to spend a bundle on getting me a really good slide scanner, you might instead consider one of the fine lenses below - I'd rather get a better image on the film.
• A manual for the CF-105 Arrow. I've found three so far. Two are from Boston Mills Press (but not listed on their Web site; try http://www.chapters.ca/): ISBNs 1550463001 and 1550462938, at different prices, with no indication of what the difference is. The other is listed at http://www.totavia.com/arrow/Arrow/manual.html.
• The infrared remote control for my camera - Canon RC-1 (but there are other things I'd prefer)
• If you're really feeling generous, any of the following Canon lenses would be appreciated: EF 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, EF 28-70 f/2.8L USM, EF 70-200 f/2.8L USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, or an EOS-3 body. If none of those strike your fancy, I also certainly would not turn my nose up at any of EF 200 f/2.8L II USM, EF 300 f/4L IS USM, EF 50 f/1.4 USM. Or perhaps a Speedlite 550EX flash.
• From 1998: lobster hands; Elle Macpherson calendar (for 2000, please; I have enough 1999 calendars); leather jacket; toy car; flying lessons; Josée Chouinard
• From 1997: date with a future wife; BMW 540i; bottle of Bundy; Barnes Hits; Anna Nicole Smith video (or, since she's a future wife, just a date with her)

What He Got For Christmas

Absolutely nothing that was on the list. Once again, I had to resort to buying myself a photography gift on Boxing Day (this year, it's the Canon 28-135 IS lens). Here are some of the things I did get - as always, if you gave me something and it didn't make the list, don't be offended.

• A chocolate brain (thanks, Julie, Andy, and Matthew!)
• A Tigger pen (ditto)
• A t-shirt with a Dr. Seuss-like interpretation of Hamlet - "I would not, could not kill the King,...//I would not poison anything." (ditto)
• Booze (ditto)
• Two different ties with clarinets on them
• 2 pairs of gloves. I now have enough gloves to last me for several years.
• Socks
• Santa undies and a tin of sodium-reduced Spam (thanks to my brother's mother-in-law, who makes sure she gets her name on this list every year!)
• A framed print of my nephew Matthew, along with Romper, the multi-coloured moose I gave him earlier this year. Matthew himself arranged for the picture to be taken, framed, and wrapped up for me. He's a talented little five-month-old! But then again, he wrote his own Web page when he was five days old ...
• Money. My parents complain, quite correctly, that I'm hard to buy for. If they keep giving me money as a present, I don't see why I'd be inclined to change :-) It's academic, but I'm going to say that their money bought the two filters for my new lens.
• A huge Mr. Big bar - thanks, Heidi!
• The lens hood for my new 28-135 lens (courtesy of my darling kittycat, Toby)

Toby got spoiled again. He got three different cat toys (one from me, one from my brother's mother-in-law's cat Maggie, and one from my brother and sister-in-law's cat Tink). The toy Tink gave him is a Silly Snake, which he loves very much. So much so that within a day he'd already removed its tongue. Any time Toby starts destroying a toy, it means he really likes it. He also got a turkey dinner (again) and lots of love.

What He Got For His Birthday

My birthday wasn't a big deal this year - heck, I wasn't even in town until the last few minutes of it. I got a new answering machine (since my old one was dying), some cards, some money, stuff like that.

1998

What He Asked For

• Lobster Hands - Go see the movie My Best Friend's Wedding. In the production number scene in the restaurant, there are some waiters in the background wearing lobster hands. Them's the ones!
• An Elle Macpherson Calendar - nobody got me a calendar for 1998 so I had to get my own (Michelle Pfeiffer - yum!). Or the 1999 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar would be a very good alternative.
• A leather jacket - Black. Nothing fancy. Just a nice leather jacket.
• A radio-controlled toy car - one of the ones that can steer in any direction. Not one of the ones that can only go straight forward or turn in one direction while going backwards. The faster it drives, the better. Mercedes Benz had a nice looking one for sale at the Toronto auto show earlier this year.
• Flying lessons
• A flash for my new camera - I bought a camera for Christmas last year. It was listed on my wish list, but nobody gave it to me, so I had to buy it myself. This year, I want the flash to go with it. The appropriate model is the Canon Speedlite 380EX. I certainly wouldn't decline the Canon Speedlite 550EX, either, but frankly it's overkill. (If you checked here earlier and saw a telephoto zoom lens or a tripod, skip them and get me something else - I already got both of them.)
• A fine single malt Scotch - always appreciated! The less common it is, the better, but I certainly would not turn my nose up at, say, Glenfiddich.
• A date with Josée Chouinard - Yes, I know, she's married. She's just irresistible, that's all. So beautiful and talented!
• Chocolate. Need I say more?
• Or anything else from last year's list (see below) which I didn't get

What he got for Christmas

As usual, this is a partial list.

• Spiceworld - I loved this movie, and of course it stars my future wife. If you're thinking of getting me Spice Girls dolls, don't - I don't think they look anywhere near as good as the girls do.
• Lens hood - It's a present from my darling kittycat.
• Chocolate - and other sorts of goodies.
• Scotches - several miniature bottles of single-malt scotches, courtesy of my brother and sister-in-law.
• Clothing - from my parents. Appreciated.
• Hot chocolate and mugs - from my sister-in-law's mother. Thanks, mom! That's three years in a row you've made it onto my gift summary ...

Nobody got me the flash I wanted so I bought it myself. Same kind of thing that happened with my camera last year. Ditto on the calendar; my kitchen wall will be graced by the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar throughout 1999.

Toby celebrated his first Christmas and enjoyed it very much. He got a cat toy from me, along with a special dinner and more attention and cuddles and belly rubs than he knew what to do with. He also got cat toys from my sister-in-law's cat and from my sister-in-law's mom's cat and from my ex-girlfriend's aunt.

What he got for his birthday

Not a heck of a lot off my list. Several of the gifts I got were actually gifts for a kittycat who showed up a week later. But there was one wonderful present that's been on my list for ages - a snow leopard! Thank you so much, Carol!




1997

What He Asked For

• Snow Leopards - the Metro Toronto Zoo has a program which allows you to adopt animals by paying a fee based on how expensive it is to care for the animals. The snow leopard is one of the most beautiful furry creatures given to us by mother nature, and the Toronto Zoo has five of them. It would be nice to adopt all five, but just one or two would be great, too. Just go here to fill in the adoption form!
• The Grinch Who Stole Christmas - See the Dr. Seuss books mentioned below.
• A date with a future wife - Just think, you might be responsible for starting a wonderful romance!
• A BMW 540i - with the manual transmission, please. Arctic Silver exterior, Grey interior. If you wish to give me this present, please contact me to discuss my preferred options.
• An Elle Macpherson calendar - I've started looking and haven't seen one yet this year, but I'm sure the world's most beautiful woman will have a calendar out. I know the Spice Girls do.
• A bottle of Bundy - this Australian rum is not available in Ontario. I'd have brought some back from Oz with me, but I brought my Mom a bottle of wine instead and that pretty much used up my duty-free allowance. Gotta look after Mom, y'know. Or, if you can't get that kind of Bundy, get me a date with the Kelly kind of Bundy.
• Barnes Hits - Jimmy Barnes' greatest hits album. Another Aussie thing that's hard to find on this side of the planet.
• The video for "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" as recorded by Anna Nicole Smith - this is on BMG in France and is apparently not available in North America (other than as a special-order import).
• Canon EOS Elan II - with an EF 28-105 USM lens
• Four more hours in the day - preferably daylight hours
• Peace and happiness on Earth - I wasn't around when they first invented Christmas, but I think this is what it was really supposed to be about.

What He Got

• Kettle - A practical gift, though not one I'm likely to use too often
• Assorted chocolates and candies - including one really cool one. They're little candy blocks that look and work like Lego! You can build things out of them, and then eat 'em. Cool!
• Rumballs - from a client. Thanks, Viv! They're yummy.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste - Apparently, this is the year of finding a toothbrush in your stocking. I know three other people who got toothbrushes as well. Granted, I'm related to two of them and they got 'em in their stockings, but that doesn't explain why someone I'm not related to also got a toothbrush.
• Clothes - socks, shirts, pants. Again, no skivvies!
• Cat In A Bag - For the second year in a row, my brother's mother-in-law scores a coveted mention on my prezzie summary! A cat in a bag is a simple little thing, consisting of a motor with eccentric weight (so that it wobbles and shakes), a paper bag, a furry thing that looks like a cat's tail, and an elastic band. You put it all together and it looks like there's a cat trapped in a paper bag and fighting to get out! This thing scares my kitty. Thanks, Mom!
• Hairball - courtesy of my darling kitty cat. Not exactly what I wanted to find on the carpet on Christmas morning.
• Racquetball racquet - This was also from my cat, and was appreciated much more than the hairball was.
• The Grinch Who Stole Christmas - this year, since my usual Dr. Seuss supplier is in Australia, my friend Jenn took over the job and gave me the video! Thanks, Jenn!
• Body Shop stuff - no, not like lipstick or mascara or anything. Stuff guys can actually use.
• Sesame Street "Stamp 'Em Clean Body Painting Soap Kit" - this has three tubes of coloured liquid soap and three little sponges (in the shape of the letters A, B, and C). I haven't used it, but the idea is that you squirt the coloured soap onto the sponges, draw on yourself, then scrub it all clean.
• Cookbook - this one's a microwave cookbook, since I do most of my food preparation with the nuker.
• A bottle of wine - White Rott, from Rotting Grape, to be specific.

1996

What He Got

• The Cat In The Hat - Last year, I asked for and got Green Eggs and Ham, and that started a tradition. I've already requested The Grinch Who Stole Christmas for 1997.
• A Kathy Ireland calendar - I wanted Elle Macpherson but Santa couldn't find her calendar. Kathy is a most worthy substitute and will look wonderful on my wall for the next year. This is part of a tradition; last year it was Anna Nicole Smith.
• Escape for Men - Another tradition. Last year, it was Perry Ellis and Eternity for Men.
• Chocolate - Need I say more? I've been told I'm hard to buy for, but this one is a sure hit (yes, that's a hint to anyone who wants to send me prezzies!)
• Home-baked Christmas treats - from my brother's mother-in-law. She's pretty cool. I call her Mom just as often as I call her by name.
• Clothes - new jeans, a shirt, some socks. Usual stuff - but no undies this year.
• A clock - since the kitchen in my new home didn't have a wall clock.
• Framed artwork - since there are a lot of large expanses of painted wall with nothing interesting on them
• A toolbox with some tools in it - since Dad didn't let me steal very many of his tools when I moved out
• A bottle of wine - to add to the two that are already waiting for me to find someone special to share them

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Since I broke this out into its own page, people have looked at it.