Today is Sunday, and my birthday is Saturday. I have already read two books (one paper, one ebook) that were early birthday presents, because I am spoiled and because apparently the concept of delayed gratification is not a strong suit at the moment. Anyway, in making a dinner reservation for this evening, I got asked, is it anybody’s birthday? and usually I lie and tell them no, because I don’t want to make the waitstaff feel obliged to sing as well as their real jobs, and I worry that they will give me a nasty piece of white cake instead of letting me decide whether I want good dessert or no dessert. But this time I chirped, “Yes, it’s mine!” Because this year, honestly, with all the horrible and disappointing news the world has brought us in the last week, I kind of feel the need for all the birthday assistance I can get.<\/p>\n
This post is a list of things you can think about getting for yourself–or just drooling over if you don’t have the spare cash–as presents for yourself for my birthday. Sadly, I can’t get them for all of you. I am not that much of a wealthy hobbit, to be able to buy all of you these lovely things as presents for my birthday. But I will at least show you the shinies that I would<\/em> get you, if I could have a proper hobbit party and give you all the proper hobbit presents that I would like to give you. (Please note that this is the opposite of the usual wishlist: I am not asking you to get this stuff for ME but for YOURSELVES. Not that I wouldn’t like it also, but some of it–like the Kickstarter stuff–I already have, and mostly: the point is you, not me.)<\/p>\n 1. Nerd coloring books.<\/a> Specifically, Dinosaurs With Jobs. Mostly I would get this for my old college friend Scott, but the rest of you might want it too.<\/p>\n 2. Chad Jerzak Raku ceramics.<\/a> Saw these at the St. Kate Art Festival. Very cool.<\/p>\n 3. Fresh Mud Pottery.<\/a> Also at the St. Kate Art Festival. So many things in the gallery, be sure you look at the slide show.<\/p>\n 4. Elise’s Current Shinies.<\/a> Ooh. Shiny. So many shinies, so few body parts to hang them from.<\/p>\n 5. Tim always has lovely things. Here are two of his newer<\/a> ones<\/a> (that first link was from the Pop Art Minneapolis series, the second the newest Reader photo).<\/p>\n 6. Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky are doing a Kickstarter<\/a>. For those of us who have been yearning for another Cry Cry Cry album, even two-thirds as good will almost certainly be good enough. (Did you miss out on Cry Cry Cry? Here they are singing Northern Cross<\/a>. The third member is Dar Williams. Oh, fine, here’s another: By Way of Sorrow<\/a>.)<\/p>\n