Wish List

Every year about this time, I write my parents my Christmas Wish List. It's usually a pretty silly affair--I always put a Green Volvo right at the top, although mostly it's not too outrageous (in looking over the past few years, the most common elements were "funky jewelry," increasingly dorky art history books, and the West Wing on DVD.) Anyway, I sat down to write my list today and this is as far as I got before I stopped:
--large mixing bowls
--Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition
--flannel sheets

BORING. The thing is, I don't need stuff. Transporting it would be a pain, and sappy as this will sound, the top of my list is to be with my family and friends, eating copious amounts of cookies and drinking copious amounts of glogg. But do I want stuff? Well, yeah. Here are some things that are just too fabulous to pass up, whether real or not.

A Colander



But not just any colander. One that is shaped liked an Angelfish. (Thanks to Amazon for the images.) One of my friends clued me into Boston Warehouse and their ADORABLE household goods, and this is one of my favorites. Another is the Peacock Duster.





Admittedly, I don't dust that often. But I actually might, with one of these babies.







A Piano
I don't care what brand or model or size or color, it just needs to have pedals that (mostly) work and be tuned. Admittedly, if I won the lottery and had a much bigger apartment, I would want a cherry wood baby grand Steinway. My boss last year was in a concert at Steinway Hall, and I went and then wandered some of the showrooms, and ohmygosh. They have a "crown jewel collection" and they are ridiculously gorgeous. Practically too gorgeous to play, actually. (don't believe me? check it out here.) Until then, I'd be happy with a "free piano" from craigslist, as long as most of the keys were there.

Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce T-Shirt

I haven't watched Mad Men this season (no cable + no time) but at the end of last season, Sterling and Cooper broke away from the company bearing their names and started a new ad agency with Don Draper and Lane Pryce, the English guy sent to oversee their takeover. It was a momentous episode. There was much rejoicing in our apartment during it. I like this t-shirt because Mad Men is a stellar TV show. The soundtrack is not half bad, either.




A Biopic about Caravaggio
Now, lest you scoff, not just any biopic. One where they interview actual cool art historians and don't focus on the tawdry details of Caravaggio's life (because, ya know, he also PAINTED OCCASIONALLY). The main stipulation, though: there must be plenty of reenactments of Caravaggio painting, talking to Cardinal del Monte, stalking the streets of Rome, etc. Caravaggio must be played by Johnny Depp, and he must paint with no shirt on.

Vintage Amber Earrings

I really like how amber looks--perhaps too much time spent watching Jurassic Park as small child? Maybe it just reminds me of honey/maple syrup? Anyway, amber is lovely, as is Etsy (thanks for the image, Etsy!), as is old jewelery, especially when the jewelery seems well-loved and used by the previous wearer of it.




Finger Lakes Wine of the Month Club Membership
I doubt that such a thing exists, but if it did, I would like it for 1. nostalgia's sake, 2. the fact that I genuinely like the wine produced there, and 3. I try to drink local wine, but everything produced here is really, really sweet, and I miss the awesome selection in NY.

A Mary Worth Tote Bag

I will go on the record saying that Mary Worth is the greatest, most unintentionally hilarious comic strip printed in American newspapers. For those of you who are uninitiated, she's this biddy who offers advice to people, mostly by butting into their lives. Everyone is either very good or very bad (or very dumb). There is no gray area in Mary Worth's world. She solves their problems, and at every story's end they have a pool party where no one swims, and they eat what appears to be salmon squares and drink what appears to be ketchup in glass goblets. Occasionally Mary's "gentleman friend" Dr Jeff Corey asks her to marry him and she always says no. Mary Worth is the most entertaining thing published in my hometown paper.

A Man
A nice one. If he had attractively muscular arms and was willing to vacuum, I wouldn't complain. Ideally, someone not unlike Atticus Finch, just slightly younger and maybe with a Scottish accent. He doesn't have to like opera, but he should be willing to sit it out for me. If he could fix computers that would be great, or at least know more about computers than me. Witty. Functional knowledge of cooking and current events. Appreciation for Monty Python, Star Wars, and poetry, but doesn't feel the need to quote them all the time. Perhaps has a dog, or at least is kind to dogs. Kind to people. Doesn't creep on people at bars. Non-misogynistic, non-homophobic, doesn't privilege certain religious traditions over others, etc. Clean hair. Now that I've put this out there, universe, I shall be delighted to see you what you come up with. Cheers.

A Trip to Jarrolds (at Christmas)

This is Jarrolds, a department store in Norwich, England. Every Wednesday morning, my friends and I would meet there and go to the 5th floor, where there was a cafe, and we would get scones with all the elderly British people. A cheese scone with raspberry jam and some time spent gazing at the Christmas displays in all the windows would be really wonderful.

A Piece of Cheesecake from Lord's Bakery
Lord's Bakery is located in Flatbush/East Flatbush, Brooklyn (or as my cousin's students lovingly call it, "Gaza Flatbush.") It is a magical place. The people are super nice, the cakes are stunners, the bagels are less than a dollar, and the cheesecake is the best cheesecake I've ever had. It's got this lemon-y, fresh taste to it. I miss Lord's Bakery. A LOT.

The Ability to Apparate or be able to Immediately Visit my Friends without having to Pay for Plane Tickets, Wait in Airports/Train Stations, etc.
Self explanatory, really. Maybe we should all pick a town and all move there? Of course, with that much goodness in one place, my head and heart might explode.