An Ode to Materialism 2011 : thescruffypirate.org

An Ode to Materialism 2011

Yup, that's right folks, it's that time of year again. Time for that time honored tradition of making a birthday/Christmas list! Hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since last time...

I get the feeling that most of you find these posts pretty boring, so to make it more fun for you, make sure to include your own lists in the comments!

As usual the holidays are fast approaching: we have 31 days to my birthday and a little under two months to Christmas, so here's my fall wishlist:

Each section is sorted mostly randomly. And I've left out all the stops this year! This is a thorough and lengthy list (You've been warned). You see, in my family, we like to surprise people, so a list is usually a list of things not to buy someone. Which I understand, I love surprises. So, I don't buy off of lists! But I figure if that isn't the way you work, if I ask for enough stuff, then no matter what I'll be surprised!

Clothes:

When it comes to sizes, I'm a small both up top and down low, 14.5" neck, pant size: 30" x 30", and a size 8.5 in shoes.

Patagonia Reversible Flannel Jacket. I've been lusting after one of these for three years now. And seeing Ben's similar shirt every so often doesn't help. Maybe this is the year? Either color looks great, I honestly can't decide... surprise me! Or ask Keri, she's the one that has to look at it!
Levi 501 Jeans. I ripped my crotch out earlier this month, time for a new pair! (and by the way, who knew there would be so many options for 501s?)
GitHub T-Shirt. Gotta have a programming related shirt on the list. And considering I pretty much owe my career to Github, this one seems appropriate! And it looks ridiculously soft.
A wool shirt from Pendleton. For the longest time I was an L.L. Bean guy (it really is ridiculous how wrinkle resistant their Classic Oxfords are), but then I got tired of them (often their shirts are just a tad too big, but not those Oxfords!) and decided I needed a company that matched me better. This last winter I stopped relying on the old fogey stuff Pendleton sells in the PDX airport store and noticed in their catalog that they have a lot of really good looking shirts! Couple that with the fact that the shirts are wool and that one of my best friends works there, and I'd say we have a winning combination for my new go to store for shirts! It was hard to narrow the options down (I had at least 20 tabs open) but these all sound good: Airloom Shirt (Red/Navy Tattersal), Sir Pendleton (Blue/Beige), Snap-Front Western Shirt (Charcoal Ombre), Vintage Fit Epic Shirt (Blue/Black Shadow Plaid).
Snow boots. I've been using some Bean Boots for the last 4 years or so, and they are great, except that they are a tad too big. Unless I double up on thick socks, if I wear them for any length of time at all I get some blisters. So, some snow boots that are a perfect fit would be nice. Another pair of Bean Boots would be great, they seem too work pretty darn well, but my dad has a pair of what I think are these hardcore warm boots and they seem awesome. Super tall and (faux) fur lined. Mmm mm mmm mm mmm, toasty!
I've mostly been kind of a two trick pony when it comes to pants: either I wear jeans or I wear Khakis. But then a year or two ago Kate and Satchel said they really liked the look of chorduroys, and I figured I should give them a shot. Now I've had a few pairs of chorduroys over the years (including a dark grey pair my mother gave me that I liked a lot), but it wasn't until I got some Cordarounds last year that I fell in love. So, I figured another color is in order. I'm thinking Graphite!

Electronics:

Kindle Touch 3G: I don't know if I should put this in the backpacking section or in electronics. I would almost surely use it at home, but this baby would really excel on the trail. According to the website this baby lasts 2 months on a single charge and weighs in at 7.8 ounces. According to my lists, I haven't brought a book on a backpack with Keri that weighed in at less than 10 ounces. And with the Kindle you could bring 3,000 books in case the first 2,999 are boring! In particular, Greg and I are planning a 3 week trip this summer and I'm thinking of bringing a real whale of a book along, so this would really bring down my weight! There are two options, an ad-supported one and an ad-free one (Without Special Offers) and if I had my choice I'd go ad-free but that isn't a deal breaker for me.
A battery tester. We've got a lot of old batteries lying around and I don't know how good any of them are. I don't know anything about these, but Amazon has loads of them (that page is sorted by average customer rating) for sale (and the second one is only 7 bucks)!
GoPro HD Hero2 Outdoor edition. Imagine having a first person view timelapse of running the Bolder Boulder or hiking through the Sierras or of surfing on a slackline! Imagine having a camera that could automatically upload cat pictures from any vantage point in the house to the internet. Imagine having first person video of how rusty you are at telemark skiing. Imagine so many other things! Yes, I realize I'm not really all that hardcore (like these people), but I think I would have quite a bit of fun with this!
When it comes to buying electronics, and specifically buying backup stuff, I don't like to buy just anything I come across on the interwebs. I like to buy things that people I trust have recommended. And that is how a few years ago I ended up getting a Drobo. To summarize what a Drobo is, you put four smaller hard drives in it and it acts like one big drive. But in addition to that, if any of the drives die, you haven't lost any data. Magic!

In the time that I have had the Drobo, I have had one hard drive die, and without the Drobo, everything that I had on it would have been lost completely. That would have been a very, very sad day. So, needless to say, I care about having my stuff backed up properly. I don't want to lose my pictures or videos.

But unfortunately the version of the Drobo that I have does not support Linux (an operating system like Windows or Mac OS X but free and open source) very well. And now that I have a Linux server in my bedroom, Linux support is important. So, I've been on the lookout for a replacement for my dear Drobo. I looked into comparable devices for Linux, but then I lose Mac OS X support. So, the ideal solution lets me back things up from my Mac, my Linux server, or from Keri's computer easily. And that's when I learned about a different version of the Drobo called the Drobo FS. It has all the advantages of a Drobo except that it works over your home network with any operating system you're using. Perfect! I get easier data access, a device I am comfortable with and trust and it works with all our computers.

(This means that my Drobo is for sale, anyone interested?)

New Camera:

(I know this should maybe technically go in the electronics section, but tough luck! it's getting its own!)

After A) thinking about it and wanting one for a few years, B) reading about all sorts of different options this year, and C) trying out a traditional DSLR this year, I've finally decided on a camera system for myself! Not to get too technical, but I've decided on the Micro Four Thirds format. Which is basically a system of cameras and lenses that use a smaller sensor than DSLRs, allowing the cameras to be smaller. Which is important for backpacking. But it has quite a bit larger sensor than most point and shoot cameras, giving it higher image quality. And because the cameras can take interchangeable lenses, you get a lot of the advantages and versatility of DSLRs. Win win win! So, to get started, I need a camera body and a lens to go with it!

Panasonic Black GF3 (yes, it comes in pink, but I'm sorry honey, pink just isn't as sexy as black!). Panasonic has a few different cameras in this category, but this one has the advantage of being one of the cheaper ones, one of the lighter ones, and one of the most recently updated (when it comes to things like these, I find it best for the psyche to always buy after they've been updated, not right before!).
Panasonic X 14-42mm Lens. This is a new lens that Panasonic just came out with. They used to sell another 14-42mm lens that weighed twice as much and was twice as big, so this recent update looks like a perfect little lens for backpacking.

Books, maps and posters:

The Best of Foxtrot. A different author, Bill Watterson, did something similar for the 10th Anniversary of Calvin and Hobbes and I loved it. It is always interesting to see the comics the author chose to include and read the bit about why they made that choice. Now, Foxtrot is no Calvin and Hobbes (nothing is!) but it is still pretty great!
Guidebooks. I'm interested in backpacking all over the west. Recently I've found that planning a trip from guidebooks makes the trips go more smoothly and that you get to see some really spectacular stuff. So, I need guidebooks for just about everywhere: Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and so on. You name it, and I'll probably find it interesting!
Last year I got my parents Ken Burns' National Parks documentary for Christmas, and we only had time to watch one and half episodes. But in one of those episodes, they talked about an ad campaign that the railroads started to encourage the country's elite to not vacation in Europe but vacation at home in the national parks (and the only option for getting there would be by train). The campaign was called "See America First" (as in first, before Europe). Ever since then I've thought how cool it would be to have some of those original national parks posters. Not only are they interesting historically, but they are about something I'm into, you know, the national parks. Unfortunately, though, they are apparently not very easy to find. The best place I've come up with that sells them is this absolutely terrible website. They sell a lot of national parks posters, some of them are photos or paintings, some of them are in the style of the old posters (which while very cool, don't have that historical significance I'm looking for), and a very few of them are reproductions of the old posters themselves: search 1 and search 2.
While we are on the subject of national parks and posters, when the wifey and I were in Yosemite this last August, we saw an Ansel Adams picture that we thought was just gorgeous. Unfortunately, the Ansel Adams family is weird about which photos they let be printed as cheap posters, and the only way to get a big version of the photo we wanted was to spend hundreds of dollars. Which is out of the question until I make my millions. But I still haven't given up on the idea of an Ansel Adams Yosemite photo. I found a website that sells a bunch of his photos and thought this one was particularly striking.
The more I travel around the west, the more I learn about the awful, awful history of what happened to the native americans, and also about what little I know of their history. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus talks about what it might have been like before we arrived. Sounds interesting! (maybe you could get me the Kindle Edition to go with my new Kindle!)
When I was a freshman in College I went on a backpacking trip in Escalante Canyon. While hiking naked (yup) in a small slot canyon, my party and I came across a small party of boaters on Lake Powell from the Siera Club. It was an especially low water year that year, and they were exploring sections of the canyon that had been underwater for 40 years (as were we). Everyone in my party was shy, and I had a hat, so they hid around the corner and I hid you my know whats with my hat and off I went to greet our fellow canyoneers. We had a delightful conversation and they gave me an old tatered, falling apart copy of an out of print, absolutely gorgeous book called The Place No One Knew. Over the years I lost the pages, and I've always wished I had an intact hardcover version for myself.
How Buildings Learn is a book about how the use of buildings changes over time, and how their design affects how easily they adapt to us and we adapt to them. I've started working on designing our dream house in my free time, so something like this would probably be quite useful in addition to interesting!

Running, backpacking, outdoor, exercise clothes:

When it comes to sizes, I'm a small both up top and down low, pant size: 30" x 30", and a size 8.5 in shoes.

As usual, probably my favorite thing in the world is warm layers (I really need to move to a colder apartment!). So, there are a couple items in that category on this list:

Columbia Sportwear (they are from Portland!) sells a half-zip fleece (black or metal) that was super comfy in the store, and has bright red zippers that I really dig. It also has their new Omni-Heat technology that looks interesting.

Now that I'm into running, I need more running gear (though, really running gear works great for other sports, too!), and in particular my wifey and her brother have gotten me into Nike running gear. They sell a wool (wool!) Livestrong, Dry-Fit half-zip (White) that looks awesome.

If wool (wool!) isn't your style, they have their Element Thermal half-zip (sport red and drenched blue) in some pretty awesome colors with some awesome names.

I'm drinking the Arc'teryx kool-aid big time. There stuff is durable, comfortable and functional (and pricy, but let's forget that, shall we?). I've also finally decided I'd like to get into the Softshell category of outdoor gear. Billed as highly breathable and weather resistant, they are perfect for the Colorado winters where it rarely rains and when it does snow, it is usually pretty dry snow. Arc'teryx has a few options in this camp, and the two I'm curious about are the Firee Hoody (Carbon Copy) and the Gamma MX Hoody (Blue Ray or Cardinal).
While we are on the topic of running, my only athletic pants that are good for running in are 7 year old cotton sweat pants with holes in the pockets. And cotton really isn't good for being active in when it is snowy or wet out. So, I need some new running pants! These Nike Element Thermal training pants look like they'd fit the bill nicely! Though since I haven't tried them on, I'd buy them from an actual store if I were you, so I could exchange them if I needed to! I'm not sure what color, what do you think?
Ski pants. The ski pants I have are probably about 11 years old, and as I found out last winter, not really waterproof anymore. And considering the wifey and I are planning at least one and maybe two multi-day ski trips for this winter, it might be a good idea to get some pants that will keep my dry. Now, I've always used bibs (like overalls) and have been extremely happy with them, so I see no need to change. I don't know a lot about the offerings in this category, but REI sells a three different bibs (don't pay any attention to the pants on that page). I'm sure any of them would fit the ticket.
Gore-Tex Rain pants. My current pair of waterproof rain pants for backpacking weigh 3oz, are thinner than paper and are 'water resistant'. I'm looking to get something that would actually keep me dry and warm if I were ever caught in some nasty weather while hiking. Now, my dad has some Arc'teryx rain pants, and if they are good enough for him, than they are definitely good enough for me! I think these are the pair he has.
Cross Country Ski boots. I have a pair of skis and now I just need a pair of boots to go with them. Though, I think the boots have to match the bindings and I'm not sure what kind of bindings I have. Maybe I need to research this cross country skiing thing some more?

Running, backpacking, outdoor, exercise equipment:

Headlamp. I'm not happy with my headlamp, it isn't very bright and goes through batteries like nobody's business. This BlackDiamond Spot seems like a good compromise between weight and brightness.
Binoculars. While hanging out in Yosemite with my parents after our backpacking trip, I got to play with my moms binoculars and it was really fun. Plus, now that I am trying to get into birding while hiking, these would really come in handy. Now, I have to admit, I don't know a whole lot about binoculars, so I'm just going to link to the most expensives ones REI sells. You'll want to talk to my mom or dad about a good compromise between quality and price!
Cross Country Ski poles. I like the style that Mark had, which I think are these. I don't know what my length would be, maybe I need to research the cross country skiing thing some more?

Cooking:

Pan Handle Sleeve. We have a cast iron skillet for making tortillas on, and the handle gets too hot to touch.
Sifter. For making biscuits and pie crusts and other things!
Cutter. I don't know what the actual name for these things is, but they are basically some wires on a handle for cutting fat into flour.
Tongs for moving charcoal briquettes around on a dutch oven. Our currents ones are short and my fingers get too hot!

Whew! Even I'm tired of this list! If you made it this far, you deserve a medal! Leave a note in the comments if you read the whole thing, I'm curious if anyone will...

3 November 2011 08:30am UTC • 220 views • 12 comments

Tagged with fallwishlist, christmas, birthday, list, want, materialism

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12 comments

Erik the Redish-orange

3 November 2011 01:06pm UTC

I made it through! Quite a list. Guess I need to get going on mine, as per Debbie's request.

Now, where's my medal?
Shiver Me Timbers Teiler

3 November 2011 05:51pm UTC

Haha I love the diversity of your desires! From a $480 For The Place No One Knew to a pair of Tongs to a pair of HD ED Maximum Light Transmission Binoculars..

You better hope you were a good boy this year!
Dread Pirate Benjamin

3 November 2011 07:06pm UTC

Heh, the $480 dollar one is a brand new paper back, which would be cool (I'm not saying no to that!) but I'm asking for a hardback copy, of which Amazon links to a few copies. The "Very Good" condition ones start at $220. So, half as much! But really $220 or $480 dollars for book is a bargain, I'd really love to have a version of The Hobbit published before 1951, which was the year that the text was altered to match the story of The Lord of the Rings better. And I can't find a link to one easily right now, but let me tell you, $480 would be a steal!

Also, my mother set me straight about what binoculars I want, those other ones are too heavy. I want some Zeiss Victory Compacts!
Peon Peetie

3 November 2011 08:24pm UTC

what a great list! i may steal some ideas...

also, i just heard about this thing called UP, which not only shares the name of a great movie but also does some cool tracking to help you live healthier. it's a cool $99.
Dread Pirate Benjamin

3 November 2011 09:24pm UTC

Yeah, that UP thing looks awesome! And it works with an iPod touch, which my wife has one of, so maybe I could use it!
Robert

3 November 2011 10:01pm UTC

I want a Drobo, my hard drives are getting difficult to manage.

Although it looks like right now I won't be buying any hard drives, prices have really spiked up in the last couple weeks.
Seamonster Mom

3 November 2011 11:02pm UTC

I read the whole post and enjoyed it thoroughly! But don't get your hopes up. I was looking at Goodwill yesterday for something for you and couldn't find a thing.
Peon Peetie

5 November 2011 02:50pm UTC

robert, yeah, i've noticed that too. apparently it's because of the bad weather in thailand and cambodia. western digital, i've heard, has a big plant there.
Robert

6 November 2011 11:56pm UTC

Also, on the topic of cameras, lightweight backpacking gear is important so you have room for a big DSLR camera!
Sailing Master Keri

7 November 2011 05:18am UTC

This is still a work in progress, but here it is so far:

1. Columbia Women’s Just Right Straight Leg Woven Pants Color: Black, Size: 6 (Can also get these from REI!) (I haven’t tried these on, but I love the capris!)
2. Merrell Chameleon Arc 2 Waterproof Hiking Shoes Color: Brindle (1st choice), Bombay Brown (2nd choice), Size: 9 (I haven’t tried these on either)
3. Superfeet insoles (Maybe “berry”, but I need to look into this more)
4. Brooks Ghost GXT Trail Running Shoes Color: Anthracite/Black/Cerise/V (Pink and Black), Size: 8.5 (I haven’t tried these on yet either!)
5. Rain Boots Size: 8.5 or 9
6. Smart Wool Cable Socks Color: Chestnut Heather, Size: M
7. Smart Wool Cable Socks Color: Med Gray Heather, Size: M
8. North Face Quarter Zip Fleece Color: Pink Pearl, Size: XS
9. Travel Toiletries Bag (Something similar to my old one, like this)
10. Pink Insulated Lunch Bag
11. Black Diamond Spot Headlamp Color: Ultra White
12. Printer cartridges (Epson 69 Black and Color)
13. Printer paper
14. Cross country boots and poles
15. Synthetic buff
16. Salad tuperwear thing (like this or this)
17. Gift cards: Noodles & Co., Dairy Queen, Olive Garden, King Soopers, Target, Panera Bread
18. Tall running socks
19. Waffle iron

You can see this full list with links here
Ariel Swordfish

9 November 2011 10:27am UTC

I really, really wanted a new iPod, but when I lost mine last month, I bought a new one, so I don't know what else to ask for.
The Anonymous Poppy

29 November 2011 06:41am UTC

Late to the post, as usual, but my Mom called me today asking what I want for Christmas. So I thought I'd add my list here, in an attempt to get my thoughts in order.

Things I Want:
(in the order in which they occurred to me)

- safe, permanent hair removal for many parts of my body
My understanding is that they can do this with lasers? And that it's really expensive and takes a long time. Hair removal in order of priority: eyebrows, legs, then underarms, with upper lip and pubic hair as maybes.

- expensive skin treatments
I don't even care if they're vegan. Okay, I care. But vegan-ness is a lot less important to me if they make grandiose promises about how amazing they will make my skin, and have a history of delivering on those promises.

- delicious vegan sweets!
Such as: "milk" chocolate, nougat, marshmallows, etc. Nothing brittle or bitter.

- Adriano Goldschmied brand jeans, "Angel" style, size 27 Regular, darker washes preferred, no preference re: new/used
These are the perfect pants for me! I bought a pair at a second-hand shop here, but then I made them my "work pants" and wore them to work every day so they wore through at the knee way too fast. (I don't know what is even up with that. I really don't spend that much time on my knees at work. But all my jeans I wear to work get holes in the knees really fast.)

- a heating pad
My back hurts sometimes!

- a new phone
Preferably a smart one.

- a body pillow
I have only not bought one for myself because I already have WAY TOO MANY pillows on my bed.

- vegan slow cooker/crock pot cookbook

- a better job
Seriously, anything.

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