Monday, December 04, 2006

What I Really Want For Christmas

I love the holidays; time off from work, good food, and hopefully some playtime. For me, having a week off to spend with my family and friends is the greatest gift of all. You can keep your cable-knit sweater, I'll take a lazy week where hopefully I will get to stay in my pajamas all day. Tonight I was helping my three-year-old write a letter to good old Saint Nicholas, and out of nowhere she asks me, "Daddy, why don't you write a letter to Santa?". So here you go:

What I Really Want For Christmas

1 lb. of Stumptown Coffee
I've been living in Massachusetts for almost 7 years now, and I must say that I am close to calling myself a New Englander. I love the seasons, root for the Red Sox, and love living near the ocean, but one thing I miss about the northwest is the coffee (and the beer, but more on that later). Sure we have Starbucks, but I am talking about finding a cup of great locally roasted coffee that kicks you into high gear like the way a cup from Stumptown does. I drink Dunkin' Donuts coffee like everyone else here, but I do it out of necessity, there are just very few alternatives. It is cheap and available everywhere, and that is about it. Have you ever been in a DD store? It is like walking into a McDonald's, except McDonald's has better coffee now.

Tickets to My Morning Jacket the next time they come to Boston
My friends and I missed out on getting tickets for MMJ's show in Boston last Saturday night. We hoped to pick up some tickets from scalpers, but after about ten minutes of standing outside in the cold, we realized it was nothing more than an excercise in futility. Instead, we spent the night drinking beer and whiskey at the People's Republik in Cambridge. It was still a fun night out, but this morning I read in The Boston Globe that the concert may possibly go down as one of the best live shows ever to be played in Boston.

Burton Malolo 162 Snowboard
I don't snowboard near as much as I once did, I'm lucky if I get out once a year now, but this is one of the coolest looking boards I have ever seen- artwork by Thomas Campbell; self-taught painter, photographer, filmmaker, writer and surfer. Very cool.

1988- '90 FJ62 Toyota Landcruiser
This is my favorite vintage of Landcruiser, after 1990 they changed the body style and seemed more geared towards soccer moms. This car has soul.

The Bose Wave music system
Big things do come in small packages. In the age of digital music, I sometimes still want to listen to an entire album.

Circle A Cycles cyclocross frame
Custom bicycle frame building cooperative out of Providence, Rhode Island.

Six-pack of Deschutes Brewery Mirror Pond Pale Ale
There is no shortage of good beer here in New England, but I really miss Mirror Pond (and the equally outstanding Black Butte Porter).

1952 Vincent Black Lightning motorcycle
"Says James, in my opinion, there's nothing in this world
Beats a '52 Vincent and a red headed girl
Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do
They don't have a soul like a Vincent '52" -- Richard Thompson

iMac 2.33GHz with 24 inch widescreen LCD
Living the digital life pipe dream. Serious computer envy.

Barack Obama in 2008
'Nuff said.

Happy Holidays to you!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent post! We are so much alike. But I dig the FJ40s and Black Butte Porter :) I must say the Stumptown Guatamalean is so fine.

chell-belle said...

nice list. mind if I just copy your's to send to Santa?

JMH said...
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