“This is just a real-nice surprise, just a real nice surprise . . . Here’s a little list. Alphabetical, starting with [books.] And if it wouldn’t be too much, I’d like to get something for you [too.] Something---really nice.” (National Lampoons Christmas Vacation— Hear the original clip )

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As much as I love receiving presents, I really do hate asking for specific presents---my favorites are always the unexpected ones. In my opinion the message of a good gift is: "I know you so well, I can give a bit of myself, 'presented' in a way I know you will like." But, in case you don't share my philosophical outlook on gift-giving, here is a running list to get you started:

(I'll try to keep the list updated, but no promises. . . last updated: Dec 13^th, 2010)

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Books:

• Mutant & Masterminds: Ultimate Power Sourcebook
• Dice Games Properly Explained (Reiner Knizia)
• Eats, Shoots & Leaves (Lynne Truss)
• Emotional Intelligence (Daniel Goleman)
• Sources of World Civilization, Vol. 1: A Diversity of Traditions (Oliver Johnson)
• Sources of World Civilization, Vol. 2: Connections and Conflict (Oliver Johnson)
• The Why of Work (Dave Ulrich)
• Perspectives on Western Art: Source Documents and Reading from the Ancient Near East Through the Middle Ages
• Writing on Both Sides of the Brain: Breakthrough Techniques for People Who Write (Henriette Klauser)
• The Voynich Manuscript (Hardcover)
• By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions (Modern Library Paperbacks) (Richard Cohen)
• Probability Theory: A Concise Course (Y.A. Rozanov)
• Game Theory: A Nontechnical Introduction (Morton D. Davis)
• Games and Decisions: Introduction and Critical Survey (r. Duncan Luce)
• Elementary Decision Theory (Herman Chernoff, Lincoln Moses)
• How to Read a Book (Paperback) by Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren
• Game Master’s Law (Rolemaster)
• Think!: Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye (Michael R. LeGault)
• Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (Wendy Laura Belcher)

DVDs:

• The Original Star Trek Seasons 1 to 3
• Heroes Season 1, 2
• Firefly, Season 1
• Battlestar Galactica, Seasons “2.5”, 3, and 4

CDs:

• Poe: Hello
• Poe: Haunted
• Suzanne Vega: Songs in Red and Gray
• Lucious Jackson: Fever In Fever Out
• Lucious Jackson: Electric Honey
• Lucious Jackson: Natural Ingredients
• Shivaree: Rough Dreams
• Robbie Williams: Swing When You’re Winning
• The Brotherhood of the Wolf Soundtrack
• Voices of the South Seas: Chants form the Marquesas Islands
• Budda Bar
• Amr Diab
• Natasha Atlas

Gadgets:

• HDTV compatible Multimedia projector (you know, the $1000+ kind . . . )

Cooking Supplies:

• Exotic Hot Chocolates (More of a winter thing)
• Exotic Spices
• Shaved Ice Syrups / Soda Syrups (More of a summer thing)
• Betty Crocker’s Indian Home Cooking (cookbook) (hey---stop snickering!!!)
• Cookbooks are usually a pretty good gamble---Especially: Indian, Moroccan, Thai, Scandinavian, or better yet---something I could never imagine to list in the first place

Household Supplies:

• Large Dutch Oven
• Welding gloves
• Dutch Oven lid picker-upper thingy

Games:

• Dungeon Lords
• Innsmouth Horror (Expansion to Arkham Horror)
• Risk Express

Computer Hardware:

• Wireless Webcam (Battery operated?).
• Color laser MFP . . . (or repairs to the one we have . . . )

Computer Software:

• NeverwinterNights 2 (Need to upgrade hardware first however . . . )

Decorations/Trinkets:

• A sturdy, wooden abacus
• Metal sextant

Artifacts/Collectibles:

• Unusual dice (see [but feel limited to] crystalecaste.com)
• Hand Crossbow and bolts (Huzzah!)
• A cool, full size, wooden, decorative, wizard’s staff (6’)
• Full-sized crossbow w/ bolts
• Functional Rapier 44"-48", swept hilt (Spanish-style)
• Trident Main Gauche
• Katana and Wakizashi (40"-44" overall Katana) (26-28" overall Wakizashi) Extra brownie points for a Tanto.
• Just about any other cool medieval looking weapons, including pole-arms, morning-stars, flails, axes, hammers, etc.
• D&D Mini’s (Wizards of the Coast)
• D&D Mini--Giants of Legend--Huge Red Dragon
• D&D Mini--Giants of Legend--Huge Gold Dragon

Good luck: (Out-of-print, rare, or non-existent items ;^)

• Villains by Necessity (Eve Forward)
• Doktor Bey’s Suicide Guidebook
• How to Loose Friends and Alienate People, Irving Tressler
• 1st edition Mormon Doctrine, Bruce R. McConkie
• 2nd edition (not 1st or 3rd) of Motivation and Personality by Abraham Maslow (seriously, the 2nd edition.)

Magazine Subscriptions:

• Realms of Fantasy
• Game Trade

Art Supplies:

• Watercolor Paper
• Raw Canvas

Miscellaneous:

• Tuition/Fees/Text-book/Travel gift-certificates (i.e., donate to my favorite charity, the FFFTPHD “Foundation for Funding Tim’s PhD”)
• Very large rocks (megaliths)---for yard decoration (post and lintel, cromlech) [Note: Be careful not to mix up any foot/inch measurements---I wouldn’t want anything trodden by dwarfs ;^) ]

Non-Material Services, etc:

• Sexual favors (KRISTIN ONLY PLEASE, not that I don't appreciate the offer ;^)
• Music Lessons (Voice, Guitar, Piano)
• Cooking Classes
• Martial Arts Lessons
• Gift Certificates (Board Game Revolution, FYE, BestBuy, Game's People Play, Dragon’s Keep, Game Den, Thai or Indian Restaurants, etc.)
• Fix-it services (I’ve got a healthy, growing list of home repairs that I really don’t have a clue how to tackle.)

Of course for the local fans:

• Favorite foods: Indian, Thai, Moroccian, Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Seafood, Gourmet Burgers (i.e. Fuddruckers or Red Robin)
• Other local fun stuff: Seven Peaks, The Quarry, Timpanogas Cave, Park City Alpine Slide, Skiing, Sailing, Scuba Diving, etc.