Oh, wait, I’ve got a couple of bottles of that. OK, someone gift me a World of Warcraft couple of months.
3.
General Stuck
My ornery wingnut pappy, got religion and baby jeevus aware a few years ago. So I’m going to send him a hand carved cross I made a few years ago. He will likely wonder why a communist would do something like that, but that is part of the merry parrotox.
My small business sends office toys (most of them from ThinkGeek) to clients every holiday season. I’ve done it for four years running now and people really like it. They say they appreciate not getting another damn box of sweets, which is the standard vendor gift.
I got my girlfriend (at her request) a subscription to the new Star Wars MMO. To be fair, she also got me one. It was a very “Gift of the Magi” thing.
17.
Benjamin Franklin
I don’t like the sectored morality embedded in excoriating JUST Corzine.
There are legions of banksters who continue their scofflawing. This crapola will just keep happening, if there is no consequences.
Matt makes a pretty big assumption, but Corzine sure seems dirty….
“Both Corzine and Gensler worked at Goldman back in the day, and the word is that Corzine personally lobbied Gensler to delay the implementation of new rules that would have helped prevent Corzine from raiding his own clients’ funds.”
dick in a box?
time machine (to 2008 when dick in a box was funny)
26.
Svensker
Anybody know any great recordings of Renaissance guitar/lute? Driving today I heard via fm radio a wonderful rendition of Praetorius’s Terpsichore on guitar, but I have no idea who did it, couldn’t find a playlist for the station. Couldn’t find anything on Amazon that looked or sounded right either.
Anyway, if anyone has good recommendations, I’d appreciate it. And my wingnut nephew who likes guitar might appreciate it, too.
27.
Mnemosyne
The Disney crap I wanted to get for my niece seems to have sold out. Feh. Anyone else know what a four-year-old who loves ballet and pink would want? Should I go for Angelina Ballerina crap instead?
28.
MikeJ
@jeffreyw: I’m afraid that pizza is structurally unsound. I’ll need to seize it to make sure it doesn’t harm anyone.
If your family is from a smaller town, like mine, I found a great gift: a cheap reprint of an historical map of the area. I’m from a small town that Spanish explorers surveyed, so I got a 17th century map of my parents’ town for them. It’s neat.
Sorry for being in earnest.
34.
Raven
@jeff: Check out the Sanborn Fire Maps. These are for Georgia but it gives an idea of what is out there.
Anybody know any great recordings of Renaissance guitar/lute?
I haven’t listened to much lately, but I find some of the higher starred Amazon listings of “lute music” to be interesting. Some selections:
Thomas Campion: Lute Songs
Lute Music for Witches and Alchemists / Lutz Kirchhof
Baroque Lute Music, Vol. I: Kapsberger
Love Lust Longing Loss – An Elizabethan Romp
Le Souvenir de Vous me Tue (Dufay), Lute and voice
36.
EIGRP
Sifteo cubes look pretty cool although I haven’t pulled the trigger on them yet.
Cool. Thanks! Link didn’t work, but google did. I figured out that maps are awesome when the Met Museum used to sell $10 NYC maps from the 19th century. I will probably bore my relatives to death with them.
38.
shortstop
@Raven: Those Sanborn Fire Maps sustained me in grad school. They are dynamite source material and lots of fun, too.
39.
Mary Jane
No gift exchange between husband and I, we’re taking my 86 y.o. father-in-law to a performance of Shen Yun in January.
There’s a dozen people in our office, and I suggested that instead of “Secret Santa” we all throw the ten bucks in the pot and buy some family a goat.
Well, everyone LOVED the idea, and we’re going to work on the President when he comes in tomorrow to maybe bump us up to a llama.
41.
andy
I have a vegetarian peep who doesn’t really know how to cook but wants to (she was mostly a french fry vegan before), so I’ve slowly been teaching her what I know since last winter. What makes it really easy with her though, is that she’s an engineering student so she’s good at process. I’ve decided that it’s weird that she has this lifestyle but doesn’t know about beans, so I’m going to unleash some of Rancho Gordo‘s fine fine products on her.
Serve them both right if they get drawn against each other in the next round of the Europa League.
I’ve been to St. Jakob’s Park, and it is a tough place for visiting sides. But still … if you’re Manchester United, you need to get more than one point from two matches against FC Basel.
Well, jewelry sales have been slow (molasses in the fridge, really), so plans for gift giving for the shelter are very scaled back. So this year it’s handmade bacon cheddar and guacamole cheddar crackers, and gingerbread cookies. A friend is getting a handmade jointed Freud and Jung doll for her wall. The cats get love and a new toy from the stash of toys they haven’t found. I’m hoping to sell something or something else good so I can make some donations this christmas, but I have some very nice clothes I can wrap and I have a stack of family adoption food needs I can fulfill. You can’t really ask for more than doing something so those who really don’t have anything feel loved.
This sort of makes me feel like I’m bringing a couple of bottles of booze to an AA meeting, but go read TBogg.
52.
donnah
My mom grew up in a poor coal mining community and Christmas was pretty slim pickins with six kids. All she asked for was a doll, and finally, at the age of six or so, she got one. But her ornery younger sister tossed it down the outhouse hole and of course, it was irretrievable.
She never forgot that, and a couple of years ago I went out and found the prettiest doll I could afford, with a long velvet coat, fur muff, long brown curly hair, and leather shoes. It was so beautiful.
On Christmas Eve we all sat down to exchange gifts. My sister knew what I had done and she and I were nervously waiting for Mom to open her gift. She shook it, looked puzzled, and tore open the wrapping paper.
She didn’t say a word, just sat there with her eyes filling with tears, which made both my sister and I start crying, too. It was an awesome moment, one that none of us will forget.That was my best Christmas gift ever.
I hope for a Perry rebound. He’s on his first wife still and has the most consistent record of conservative policies. And we hate the same people and institutions.
Didn’t know that wingers were so upfront about basing their support on simply hating whatever liberals like.
Homemade cookies and (non-homemade) booze for the grownups, toys for the kids. I sent my parents a portrait of their granddaughter that I did from a picture. And the goats have become a tradition, too.
Anyone else know what a four-year-old who loves ballet and pink would want?
Most toy stores (Toys R Hell included) will have the most gawdawful pink fairy/ballerina/princess dress-up crap for that age group, with wands, puffs, feathers, frills and cheapo satin dresses. It’s sure fire and will go over real big. I speak from extensive experience.
60.
BDeevDad
My wife who is a runner and triathlete likes this jewelry.
Not just a cow, but also sheep, goat, water buffalo(!), ducks, chicken, rabbits, pig, fish, honeybees, trees, even a camel! http://www.heifer.org/ Donate in honor of your person(s) and send them a personalized gift card with info about the gift. Help some of our less fortune fellow world citizens improve their lives.
Thanks for opening the floor to those of an athletic bent. For runners (cyclists, etc), I recommend Road ID. Please note this likely will not be accepted as valid proof of citizenship in Alabama, Arizona, et al.
@ donnah in 52: Had to wipe away the tears before I typed this. You are a good daughter.
Money is verrry tight this Christmas so when my SS came through I immediately placed a small order online for me and my daughter. It will be delivered some day and we will have at least some presents for Christmas.
On the plus side, I managed to pay off all my utilities in November. And I’m still getting fresh greens from the fall garden.
I would like to have something special to eat for the holidays. Hmmmmmm.
67.
Mark
Got my girlfriend the Pearl Jam commemorative book + Cameron Crowe’s movie. Also the Bi-Rite cookbook. And pralines. And stir-fry spice (she always complains her stir fries taste terrible.) And a reflective running jacket. And a couple of dreidels just to keep everyone honest.
Got my dad the three-season collection of Brotherhood. (Man, I love that show.)
I have difficulties with the concept of Christmas shopping until I have seen the Grinch, A Christmas Carol, and snow on the ground. I am still waiting for the snow.
71.
Mark
Oh, and lest you think I’m some dbag consumerist, I’ve been raising money for my favorite charity, Education in Need for El Salvador:
A wonderful bunch of kids – I went down for a week to teach english a couple of years ago. Best lesson – phone numbers. The kids still ask why 867-5309 is an important number.
72.
Soonergrunt
@Sentient Puddle: But I ain’t giving that. I’ll need something else for a gift.
73.
Cat Lady
From Houses to Homes is just a wonderful organization that builds simple cinderblock one room houses for Guatemala’s poorest of the poor. Each house is 13’x19′ and costs $1750. I’ve seen the houses built and the people who are devoting their time and energy to this, and they’re exemplary in every way. The percent of donation that goes into the building of the houses is virtually 100%, and the poverty of the indigenous Mayans in the highlands of Guatemala is shameful. If anyone has a deep pocket, Joe Collins, the executive director, is very very worthy. Every donation is appreciated.
74.
Soonergrunt
@j: I’m pretty sure that the person or persons who chuck those chias and clappers at your head will do the disproving for me.
As for gifts — I “assisted” my godson in making ribbon and shell necklaces for his female cousins and aunts using shells we collected on vacation. Also, coin jewelry using my own coins with significant dates – birth years, anniversary years, etc. Bezels for necklaces and keychains are available on line — you just slip the coin in.
I’d be interesting in what BJ-ers (both of the FP and commenting kind) have to say about HHS overruling FDA’s recommendation re Plan B.
Well, I’m not one of the “in crowd” BJ’ers, but, I also think it’s been awhile since we’ve had a Bash Obama thread, it’s been way too much fun commenting on the clown show that is the republican nomination for President.
Scientists do not have the final word on all matters of public policy, but this was an expert panel operating in its area of presumed and assigned competence. The decision to overrule them would look clumsily political and anti-science if it had been made in a Bachmann Administration. Unless Sec. Sibelius has better reasons than she has offered so far, it looks that way in an Obama Administration too
So clearly, it’s political. I guess the real question is ‘how much damage’ does this do, in terms of outreach?
@Omnes Omnibus: Waiting for the snow? Apparently we will have it tomorrow. Same day that I have a long-scheduled work road trip to Delaware and upstate New York. Ugh.
@EIGRP: That looks really kewl, says the lady who loves all kinds of hand-held games and who still has a bunch of them (and the names have been spaced).
Anyone else know what a four-year-old who loves ballet and pink would want?
A gift certificate for a beginner class? If you’re on the Westside or in South Bay, try Elevation Studios in Signal Hill. They’re great. The kid improved dramatically in the year he was in their competitive program.
Incidentally, the kid got his formal acceptance letter from Cornish on Monday, and he got invited to audition for Juilliard in February. Are we disgustingly proud of him? Why, yes, we are.
I’ve never listened to Renaissance lute music (specifically, anyway) before and I’m loving it very much. That and The Tragically Hip which I somehow had managed to be unaware of for the last 20 years, until today.
@JCT: He was from B/N but went to Illinois. He was also in The Oxbow Incident, Inherit the Wind, High Noon, Teahouse of the August Moon and many many others.
Illini on teevee at the top of the hour on one of the ESPN networks.
98.
MikeJ
@Raven: Col Blake was from Illinois. Potter was from Missouri.
99.
PurpleGirl
@donnah: That’s a very wonderful story. I envy people who have that kind of relationship with their parent(s).
My mother never wanted us kids to give her or our father gifts (well, we had to get the money from Daddy anyway, so what was special…). Even after I began working she didn’t what anything but my “respect and love”. In latter years when I began making jewelry or crocheting things, she gave them away. That hurt.
100.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
@satby: Loved Henry Morgan when he joined the MASH crowd. They gave his character a great backstory as a WWI cavalry vet.
Yes, I listened to that — really good. The album that I found also has Nutcracker which, while nice, is not quite what I’m looking for. I wonder if they have another collection that’s more “old music”.
My mom (technically stepmom, but she’s been my mom for over 30 years now) is the same way. Last year, I finally “found” something she liked — I made a donation in her name to a local animal shelter. She’s a huge animal lover, so that went over well.
107.
PurpleGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: I do not mind regifting if it is not obvious. When my organization let me go, my direct supervisor regifted me with a photo album (dove gray suede) that was probably a wedding present to her. She and her husband had just split, too. She didn’t even try to find a box for it, just loosely wrapped it in tissue paper.
108.
waratah
@Omnes Omnibus: I have snow on the ground but have not seen the Grinch yet. Does this have any deep meaning?
Kid is my niece in Chicago (forgot to mention that part). I may go to the Disney Store after work and see if they still have what I want in stock. I want to get her ballet crap that’s not too crappy, if possible.
I was looking around Amazon and the backup gift may be some of these books, though I think she’s still a little young for them. Still, ballerinas!
111.
Raven
We are part of a group pitching in to by Xmas gifts for a family at a Women’s shelter. I bought for an 8 year old boy and the size 16 chunky jeans and xl sweater seemed awfully big for a kid that age.
Also, I’m knitting a few gifts for total strangers this year that I hope they’ll like (but I’ll probably never know). I made a pink version of one of these bunnies for the little girl in our Adopt-A-Family at work and I’m almost done making two chullo hats for for the 12-year-old and 14-year-old girls.
@Omnes Omnibus: I’ll be perfectly happy with a Brown Christmas, thank you very much. First storm last year (first real snow, for that matter) was 13 fucking inches, with 3-4′ drifts. I had that same drift across my front yard (including the driveway, before I nearly killed my snowblower removing it) all winter long.
120.
Origuy
For her birthday, I got my roommate and I glassworking lessons through Groupon. The San Jose Glass Artist Alliance was offering four-hour classes in fused glass, torch work, and stained glass. So she (and I) got to make a few things. She’s on disability, so she was able to make gifts for her cousin and aunt.
Someone who likes Renaissance Music might like the Mediaeval Baebes.
121.
Gravenstone
@Raven: Col. Blake wore the Illini sweater. Potter was from St. Louis, I believe.
She’s on disability, so she was able to make gifts for her cousin and aunt.
A number of years ago I was teaching jewelry making to a group of girls in a pregnancy prevention program for teens who had already had one child. It was a residential program which had mainly minority teens. I concentrated on making earrings because they are smallish and can be finished quickly. One group of older girls would tell the new girls about the jewelry lady. They looked forward to the days I was the “event of the evening”. One girl excitedly asked me if she could make more than one pair, to which I responded “you can make as many as you want, as many as you can in the time we have.” She made a whole bunch — Christmas presents for her mother, grandmother, two aunts and one or two other women she knew. I loved how happy she was to be able to give others her handmade earrings.
127.
Gin & Tonic
@Southern Beale: I know you’re quoting Johnson’s lede, but I read the whole story at the link, and there was nothing about the guy “sneaking into” Boehlert’s home. As far as I could determine, he stood outside and asked questions. That’s a lot different from “sneaking in.” And if Boehlert really did let somebody in his home without checking the guy’s ID, then he’s a dope. I’m not trying to defend what happened, but I’m not for blowing something up for dramatic effect if it’s not true, either.
Anyone else remember him as the next door neighbor on “December Bride”? Same character he played in “Pete and Gladys,” but earlier.
129.
PurpleGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: –waving her hand– Yes, I remember December Bride.
130.
JCT
@Mnemosyne: Is there a local production of the Nutcracker? Maybe send tickets for her and her mom? She’s on the young side, but we took my oldest to her first Ballet at that age — hooked her good.
She’s still dancing and teaching ballet in college…
131.
WaterGirl
I have two gifts left to pick out:
Any ideas for good books to give dog lovers?
Ideas for my good friend who is a physics geek? Maybe a book? He loves science fiction, but he has read a lot so i think it would have to be a great book that isn’t terribly well know, or he would probably have read it already.
@suzanne: My Dad was given one of the architect’s drawings from the Robie house a few years ago. I am probably using the incorrect term, but it is cool anyway.
ETA: Not the Robie house. Fallingwater. And I do know the difference
136.
Angela
@CoastalMike: Thanks, I just ordered one for my son.
That is freaking AWESOME! And I am drooling with jealousy.
ETA: I have built the Lego Fallingwater. It is beautiful.
138.
Omnes Omnibus
@suzanne: Dad collects interesting things for a few years at a time. It has given him several sets of things in stead of one big giant collection. For a few years, it was FLW stuff. He has done Hiroshige woodblock prints, Japanese netsuke, Chicago Ideaist paintings, antique woodworking tools, etc. Interesting dude.
@suzanne: It is framed, with properly non-acidic or properly acidic paper and glass with UV protection. It is hung where sunlight doesn’t hit it.
141.
dance around in your bones
@Mnemosyne: Late to this thread, but one of the best things I ever got for my daughter when she was ballet-smitten was a pink ballet tutu from the Goodwill store; cost $3.
The only problem with it was that she wanted to wear it ALL THE TIME. Even to school, which was slightly problematic.
142.
Cheryl from Maryland
@Omnes Omnibus: So awesome! And from a museum person, thanks for taking proper care of it.
I gave the Farnsworth House to a young architect graduate for her birthday last May. I was a little worried that she would think it was kind of hokey, but she loved it. Sent me a photograph later of it constructed and sitting by her desk.
I set a goal this year of getting at least some items from small locally owned shops, and buying American made. Here are some things I found.
For toddlers, I found these in my local toy shop and they are super cute. High level of detail. http://www.amazon.com/Constructive-Eating-81000-Utensil-Set/dp/B000T0JOX0 There are pink ones too.
For my ten year old boy, who built the Lego Fallingwater house in one day two years ago, we went with the Harry Potter Diagon Alley lego set which has over 2000 pieces. That outta keep him occupied until at least the 28th.
For some other gifts, I went to a new spice store and got a grilling spices set for the manly man on the list, and went to an art museum store for some funky cool things for the hip woman on the list. It is more time consuming to shop this way than to order off amazon, but I have enjoyed it.
146.
jibeaux
@ruemara: You very kindly donated some gifts for teacher appreciation week to my school last year. Do you have any costume jewelry a six year old girl might like? Her ears are not pierced, but she loves necklaces, headbands, etc. I’d be happy to get something from you.
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Joel
Bourbon.
Villago Delenda Est
Laphroaig.
Oh, wait, I’ve got a couple of bottles of that. OK, someone gift me a World of Warcraft couple of months.
General Stuck
My ornery wingnut pappy, got religion and baby jeevus aware a few years ago. So I’m going to send him a hand carved cross I made a few years ago. He will likely wonder why a communist would do something like that, but that is part of the merry parrotox.
Sentient Puddle
A flying fuck.
Comrade Mary
TUNCH PICTURES FOR EVERYBODY!
(You’ve already done your bit with the gorgeous [redundant] Max photos, Tim, so this subtle hint isn’t for you.)
cat
Fuzzy 2d20 IMHO
Redshift
Almost anything from ThinkGeek (and support a small business, too!)
Villago Delenda Est
@Sentient Puddle:
OK, that’s pretty clever.
Does the real model come with the vowel fuzzed out?
Shinobi
http://www.iamastuffedanimal.com/ Surprisingly, not porn.
Sentient Puddle
@Villago Delenda Est: Nope. A few of the customer action shots show it in its full glory.
Gin & Tonic
@Villago Delenda Est: Came in #1 in today’s NYT tasting of 20 Islay malts, BTW.
Quicksand
A Thermomix.
shortstop
@Redshift: I was going to say that!
My small business sends office toys (most of them from ThinkGeek) to clients every holiday season. I’ve done it for four years running now and people really like it. They say they appreciate not getting another damn box of sweets, which is the standard vendor gift.
chopper
@Joel:
yeah, bourbon. that would be nice.
RSA
I still like the classics from Matt Groening’s Life in Hell: Jar o’ Gravel and Origami Boulders.
Jerome
I got my girlfriend (at her request) a subscription to the new Star Wars MMO. To be fair, she also got me one. It was a very “Gift of the Magi” thing.
Benjamin Franklin
I don’t like the sectored morality embedded in excoriating JUST Corzine.
There are legions of banksters who continue their scofflawing. This crapola will just keep happening, if there is no consequences.
Matt makes a pretty big assumption, but Corzine sure seems dirty….
“Both Corzine and Gensler worked at Goldman back in the day, and the word is that Corzine personally lobbied Gensler to delay the implementation of new rules that would have helped prevent Corzine from raiding his own clients’ funds.”
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/jon-corzines-relationship-with-cftc-chair-gary-gensler-probed-20111207#ixzz1ftKfQOye
Linnaeus
DPs. Cash. Money.
I’d be interesting in what BJ-ers (both of the FP and commenting kind) have to say about HHS overruling FDA’s recommendation re Plan B.
Raven
The Botanical Garden,
Vol 1 for her birthday
Vol 2 for xmas
MikeJ
@Linnaeus:
Double penetration? Not really what I wanted to buy my parents.
DZ
@Villago and G&T:
Personally, I prefer Lagavulin but it’s definitely an acquired taste like Retsina.
@Everyone: Best gifts are hugs, kisses and your pleasant company – assuming your company is pleasant. But, then, also, too, I’m a DFH so there you go
Tom Levenson
A thermomix, of course. ;)
Sal
My idea is for a youtube video. You take cat heat scent spray it on a dog and then video cats trying to hump your dog.
jeffreyw
There’s too much cheese, Cap’n! The crust can na’ hold!
pragmatism
dick in a box?
time machine (to 2008 when dick in a box was funny)
Svensker
Anybody know any great recordings of Renaissance guitar/lute? Driving today I heard via fm radio a wonderful rendition of Praetorius’s Terpsichore on guitar, but I have no idea who did it, couldn’t find a playlist for the station. Couldn’t find anything on Amazon that looked or sounded right either.
Anyway, if anyone has good recommendations, I’d appreciate it. And my wingnut nephew who likes guitar might appreciate it, too.
Mnemosyne
The Disney crap I wanted to get for my niece seems to have sold out. Feh. Anyone else know what a four-year-old who loves ballet and pink would want? Should I go for Angelina Ballerina crap instead?
MikeJ
@jeffreyw: I’m afraid that pizza is structurally unsound. I’ll need to seize it to make sure it doesn’t harm anyone.
Linnaeus
@MikeJ:
Not really where I was going with that. :)
SRW1
ManCity (and ManU) just got bowled out of the CL. That’s enough of a gift for today.
Benjamin Franklin
In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.
Hunter S. Thompson
Rum Diary is currently playing in limited release (just 1 theatre in LA)
Wasn’t his best work, but Depp does HST pretty good.
Peter
I see I’m too late to suggest a Thermomix. How about some of my organic, free-range ceramics?
jeff
If your family is from a smaller town, like mine, I found a great gift: a cheap reprint of an historical map of the area. I’m from a small town that Spanish explorers surveyed, so I got a 17th century map of my parents’ town for them. It’s neat.
Sorry for being in earnest.
Raven
@jeff: Check out the Sanborn Fire Maps. These are for Georgia but it gives an idea of what is out there.
Brachiator
@Svensker:
I haven’t listened to much lately, but I find some of the higher starred Amazon listings of “lute music” to be interesting. Some selections:
Thomas Campion: Lute Songs
Lute Music for Witches and Alchemists / Lutz Kirchhof
Baroque Lute Music, Vol. I: Kapsberger
Love Lust Longing Loss – An Elizabethan Romp
Le Souvenir de Vous me Tue (Dufay), Lute and voice
EIGRP
Sifteo cubes look pretty cool although I haven’t pulled the trigger on them yet.
Edit: 20% off with code FRIENDS
Eric
jeff
@Raven:
Cool. Thanks! Link didn’t work, but google did. I figured out that maps are awesome when the Met Museum used to sell $10 NYC maps from the 19th century. I will probably bore my relatives to death with them.
shortstop
@Raven: Those Sanborn Fire Maps sustained me in grad school. They are dynamite source material and lots of fun, too.
Mary Jane
No gift exchange between husband and I, we’re taking my 86 y.o. father-in-law to a performance of Shen Yun in January.
http://www.shenyunperformingarts.org/
His grandparents were from China and he spent two months there when he was 10. He’ll fuss about going but I think he’ll love it.
WereBear
H/T to John Cole for that Heifer.org link.
There’s a dozen people in our office, and I suggested that instead of “Secret Santa” we all throw the ten bucks in the pot and buy some family a goat.
Well, everyone LOVED the idea, and we’re going to work on the President when he comes in tomorrow to maybe bump us up to a llama.
andy
I have a vegetarian peep who doesn’t really know how to cook but wants to (she was mostly a french fry vegan before), so I’ve slowly been teaching her what I know since last winter. What makes it really easy with her though, is that she’s an engineering student so she’s good at process. I’ve decided that it’s weird that she has this lifestyle but doesn’t know about beans, so I’m going to unleash some of Rancho Gordo‘s fine fine products on her.
Plus beans for Christmas is damn funny.
burnspbesq
@Svensker:
Here ya go.
http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Lute-4-Nigel-North/dp/B00002646F/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&qid=1323300094&sr=8-30
I have all four volumes. All are excellent.
shortstop
@andy:
It is, but so is “she doesn’t know about beans”…!
CoastalMike
Bike Glow for someone you don’t want to be injured while riding at night. bikeglow.com.
burnspbesq
@SRW1:
Serve them both right if they get drawn against each other in the next round of the Europa League.
I’ve been to St. Jakob’s Park, and it is a tough place for visiting sides. But still … if you’re Manchester United, you need to get more than one point from two matches against FC Basel.
Linda Featheringill
@Svensker:
Renaissance guitar:
http://www.jsayles.com/familypages/earlymusic.htm
Maybe.
CoastalMike
for Jerry Sandusky:
a running start.
ruemara
Well, jewelry sales have been slow (molasses in the fridge, really), so plans for gift giving for the shelter are very scaled back. So this year it’s handmade bacon cheddar and guacamole cheddar crackers, and gingerbread cookies. A friend is getting a handmade jointed Freud and Jung doll for her wall. The cats get love and a new toy from the stash of toys they haven’t found. I’m hoping to sell something or something else good so I can make some donations this christmas, but I have some very nice clothes I can wrap and I have a stack of family adoption food needs I can fulfill. You can’t really ask for more than doing something so those who really don’t have anything feel loved.
Amanda in the South Bay
Coal. It warms the heart.
JCT
@RSA:
Whoa — outstanding flash from the past, always looked forward to his cartoon in the Oakland Weekly back in the early 80’s . Great stuff!
I’m buying up good Rye for my pals this year, mixed in with the PDT cocktail book.
@Raven — that’s really nice, I’ll bet he will love that.
dmsilev
@Tom Levenson:
This sort of makes me feel like I’m bringing a couple of bottles of booze to an AA meeting, but go read TBogg.
donnah
My mom grew up in a poor coal mining community and Christmas was pretty slim pickins with six kids. All she asked for was a doll, and finally, at the age of six or so, she got one. But her ornery younger sister tossed it down the outhouse hole and of course, it was irretrievable.
She never forgot that, and a couple of years ago I went out and found the prettiest doll I could afford, with a long velvet coat, fur muff, long brown curly hair, and leather shoes. It was so beautiful.
On Christmas Eve we all sat down to exchange gifts. My sister knew what I had done and she and I were nervously waiting for Mom to open her gift. She shook it, looked puzzled, and tore open the wrapping paper.
She didn’t say a word, just sat there with her eyes filling with tears, which made both my sister and I start crying, too. It was an awesome moment, one that none of us will forget.That was my best Christmas gift ever.
TG Chicago
Erick Erickson explains why he supports Perry:
Didn’t know that wingers were so upfront about basing their support on simply hating whatever liberals like.
Svensker
@Brachiator:
Thanks! I’ll check them out.
@burnspbesq:
Thank you, too!
@Linda Featheringill:
And, you, also, too!
Buncha dang music lovers round here, knew I could count on y’all.
Insomniac
Donate a cow: http://www.heifer.org/
OR
a goat or cow: http://www.google.com/search?btnG=1&pws=0&q=donate+a+goat+or+cow
in your person’s name.
Brachiator
How about your own island in the Florida Keys?
R-Jud
Homemade cookies and (non-homemade) booze for the grownups, toys for the kids. I sent my parents a portrait of their granddaughter that I did from a picture. And the goats have become a tradition, too.
JPL
@donnah: What a sweet story!
Svensker
@Mnemosyne:
Most toy stores (Toys R Hell included) will have the most gawdawful pink fairy/ballerina/princess dress-up crap for that age group, with wands, puffs, feathers, frills and cheapo satin dresses. It’s sure fire and will go over real big. I speak from extensive experience.
BDeevDad
My wife who is a runner and triathlete likes this jewelry.
The designer is also a friend of my wife.
R-Jud
@donnah: Bless you. She must have felt so loved.
Insomniac
Not just a cow, but also sheep, goat, water buffalo(!), ducks, chicken, rabbits, pig, fish, honeybees, trees, even a camel! http://www.heifer.org/ Donate in honor of your person(s) and send them a personalized gift card with info about the gift. Help some of our less fortune fellow world citizens improve their lives.
merrinc
@CoastalMike:
Thanks for opening the floor to those of an athletic bent. For runners (cyclists, etc), I recommend Road ID. Please note this likely will not be accepted as valid proof of citizenship in Alabama, Arizona, et al.
@ donnah in 52: Had to wipe away the tears before I typed this. You are a good daughter.
Raven
@jeff: Hmm, works for me.
j
Tsk., Tsk., Tsk…..
Don’t you all know that ALL your Deity of Choice shopping can be done at your local Tru-Value?
ALL my presents are “The Prefect Gift”.
So everybody gets Chia Pets and Clappers.
Because (say it with me) “They make the perfect gift”.
PROVE ME WRONG!! IT WAS ON TV!!!!!11!
Linda Featheringill
Money is verrry tight this Christmas so when my SS came through I immediately placed a small order online for me and my daughter. It will be delivered some day and we will have at least some presents for Christmas.
On the plus side, I managed to pay off all my utilities in November. And I’m still getting fresh greens from the fall garden.
I would like to have something special to eat for the holidays. Hmmmmmm.
Mark
Got my girlfriend the Pearl Jam commemorative book + Cameron Crowe’s movie. Also the Bi-Rite cookbook. And pralines. And stir-fry spice (she always complains her stir fries taste terrible.) And a reflective running jacket. And a couple of dreidels just to keep everyone honest.
Got my dad the three-season collection of Brotherhood. (Man, I love that show.)
Got my mom a new dishwasher.
Got myself the Kindle Fire.
Jennifer
My awesome and clever gift ideas are here.
Raven
@j: You know there is an Obama chia?
Omnes Omnibus
I have difficulties with the concept of Christmas shopping until I have seen the Grinch, A Christmas Carol, and snow on the ground. I am still waiting for the snow.
Mark
Oh, and lest you think I’m some dbag consumerist, I’ve been raising money for my favorite charity, Education in Need for El Salvador:
http://educationinneed.org/
A wonderful bunch of kids – I went down for a week to teach english a couple of years ago. Best lesson – phone numbers. The kids still ask why 867-5309 is an important number.
Soonergrunt
@Sentient Puddle: But I ain’t giving that. I’ll need something else for a gift.
Cat Lady
From Houses to Homes is just a wonderful organization that builds simple cinderblock one room houses for Guatemala’s poorest of the poor. Each house is 13’x19′ and costs $1750. I’ve seen the houses built and the people who are devoting their time and energy to this, and they’re exemplary in every way. The percent of donation that goes into the building of the houses is virtually 100%, and the poverty of the indigenous Mayans in the highlands of Guatemala is shameful. If anyone has a deep pocket, Joe Collins, the executive director, is very very worthy. Every donation is appreciated.
Soonergrunt
@j: I’m pretty sure that the person or persons who chuck those chias and clappers at your head will do the disproving for me.
Omnes Omnibus
@Soonergrunt:You oppose regifting?
(n.b. I do.)
kdaug
@Mark: That was an actual residential number in the little slice of hell known as Plano, Texas back in the 80’s.
Then, suddenly, it wasn’t. Never could figure out why.
Mrs. Whatsit
@merrinc:
Thanks for the link! This is a great idea for my dad, for whom I had zero gift ideas.
j
@Raven: Yep. And after a bunch of mealy mouth BS they tried to blunt their racism with
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3KkMsFWcns
That’s right. They “offered” Chia Lincoln, Chia Washington, and Chia Statue of Liberty!!
But the name of the company is still “Chia-Obama Dot Com”
That’s why I always give ONLY clappers and that stupid Chia whatever it is supposed to be.
(J/K. Today I spent $!!.00 for a freaking scarf that HAD to be a gift.)
I HATE this Buy NOW or else the WaaaarRRRRRRR ON “WHATEVER” IS LOST.
Screw ’em all. The guys all get jumper cables, and the “gals” all get knitting needles. From the Ben Franklin 5 & Dime.
Cheryl from Maryland
@Svensker: Anything by Jakob Lindberg.
As for gifts — I “assisted” my godson in making ribbon and shell necklaces for his female cousins and aunts using shells we collected on vacation. Also, coin jewelry using my own coins with significant dates – birth years, anniversary years, etc. Bezels for necklaces and keychains are available on line — you just slip the coin in.
JC
@Linnaeus:
Well, I’m not one of the “in crowd” BJ’ers, but, I also think it’s been awhile since we’ve had a Bash Obama thread, it’s been way too much fun commenting on the clown show that is the republican nomination for President.
and this is worthy of bashing. James Fallows explains:
So clearly, it’s political. I guess the real question is ‘how much damage’ does this do, in terms of outreach?
I found this article from Amanda Marcotte, that gives some information, but not enough.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
@Omnes Omnibus: Waiting for the snow? Apparently we will have it tomorrow. Same day that I have a long-scheduled work road trip to Delaware and upstate New York. Ugh.
Omnes Omnibus
@Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason: None predicted here. Fucking Wisconsin, man.
shortstop
Thanks to those of you who recommended Heifer International. I was unfamiliar with this organization and I am now smitten.
shortstop
@Omnes Omnibus: Us either, which is fine with me, but my friends in St. Louis have it. The hell?
satby
RIP Henry Morgan
Omnes Omnibus
@satby: Aw, horse puckey.
PurpleGirl
@EIGRP: That looks really kewl, says the lady who loves all kinds of hand-held games and who still has a bunch of them (and the names have been spaced).
burnspbesq
@Mnemosyne:
A gift certificate for a beginner class? If you’re on the Westside or in South Bay, try Elevation Studios in Signal Hill. They’re great. The kid improved dramatically in the year he was in their competitive program.
Incidentally, the kid got his formal acceptance letter from Cornish on Monday, and he got invited to audition for Juilliard in February. Are we disgustingly proud of him? Why, yes, we are.
Omnes Omnibus
@burnspbesq: Congrats to the kid.
Raven
@satby: He was great, Dragnet as well as MASH. Funny, Col Potter was from Bloomington, IL but always wore an Illini sweater.
Svensker
@Cheryl from Maryland:
Good one.
I’ve never listened to Renaissance lute music (specifically, anyway) before and I’m loving it very much. That and The Tragically Hip which I somehow had managed to be unaware of for the last 20 years, until today.
JCT
@Raven:
We were just debating that a little while ago, trying to distract my youngest who hears from UICU next week and is driving us insane with his nerves.
Maude
@Raven:
Pete and Gladys.
AA+ Bonds
Union-made winter gear.
Look for that label, folks.
Raven
@JCT: He was from B/N but went to Illinois. He was also in The Oxbow Incident, Inherit the Wind, High Noon, Teahouse of the August Moon and many many others.
Go Illini!
Steeplejack (phone)
Svensker at 26:
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet does Terpsichore.
burnspbesq
@Raven:
Illini on teevee at the top of the hour on one of the ESPN networks.
MikeJ
@Raven: Col Blake was from Illinois. Potter was from Missouri.
PurpleGirl
@donnah: That’s a very wonderful story. I envy people who have that kind of relationship with their parent(s).
My mother never wanted us kids to give her or our father gifts (well, we had to get the money from Daddy anyway, so what was special…). Even after I began working she didn’t what anything but my “respect and love”. In latter years when I began making jewelry or crocheting things, she gave them away. That hurt.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
@satby: Loved Henry Morgan when he joined the MASH crowd. They gave his character a great backstory as a WWI cavalry vet.
Svensker
@Steeplejack (phone):
Yes, I listened to that — really good. The album that I found also has Nutcracker which, while nice, is not quite what I’m looking for. I wonder if they have another collection that’s more “old music”.
Raven
@burnspbesq: 2
Raven
@MikeJ: UR right.
Raven
@burnspbesq: I see why you knew that!
JCT
@MikeJ: That’s what we were fighting over, damn, looks like I lost again.
Mnemosyne
@PurpleGirl:
My mom (technically stepmom, but she’s been my mom for over 30 years now) is the same way. Last year, I finally “found” something she liked — I made a donation in her name to a local animal shelter. She’s a huge animal lover, so that went over well.
PurpleGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: I do not mind regifting if it is not obvious. When my organization let me go, my direct supervisor regifted me with a photo album (dove gray suede) that was probably a wedding present to her. She and her husband had just split, too. She didn’t even try to find a box for it, just loosely wrapped it in tissue paper.
waratah
@Omnes Omnibus: I have snow on the ground but have not seen the Grinch yet. Does this have any deep meaning?
burnspbesq
@Raven:
Davis is a nice player, and CSU will do OK in the Mountain West. Not quite up to the challenge of beating Duke at Cameron.
Gators and Zona having a barn-burner. Gators up one with 14 seconds left. Zona ball.
ETA: Zona turns it over. Florida has to inbound and make some free throws.
Mnemosyne
@burnspbesq:
Kid is my niece in Chicago (forgot to mention that part). I may go to the Disney Store after work and see if they still have what I want in stock. I want to get her ballet crap that’s not too crappy, if possible.
I was looking around Amazon and the backup gift may be some of these books, though I think she’s still a little young for them. Still, ballerinas!
Raven
We are part of a group pitching in to by Xmas gifts for a family at a Women’s shelter. I bought for an 8 year old boy and the size 16 chunky jeans and xl sweater seemed awfully big for a kid that age.
Mnemosyne
@PurpleGirl:
Also, I’m knitting a few gifts for total strangers this year that I hope they’ll like (but I’ll probably never know). I made a pink version of one of these bunnies for the little girl in our Adopt-A-Family at work and I’m almost done making two chullo hats for for the 12-year-old and 14-year-old girls.
Raven
@burnspbesq: I’m on it like a duck on a june bug.
aite, get this shit off my game
burnspbesq
@Raven:
Gators and Zona going to OT.
Raven
@Mnemosyne: I love it, my bride is always with “do you think they’ll like it, I hope they like it”! Sheesh!
PurpleGirl
@Mnemosyne: Oh, those bunnies are cute. I love knitted/crocheted animals.
I hope everyone likes their gift.
Raven
@Mnemosyne: How could anyone not like wabbits?
Fluke bucket
Boy coulter skewered newt in human events today
Gravenstone
@Omnes Omnibus: I’ll be perfectly happy with a Brown Christmas, thank you very much. First storm last year (first real snow, for that matter) was 13 fucking inches, with 3-4′ drifts. I had that same drift across my front yard (including the driveway, before I nearly killed my snowblower removing it) all winter long.
Origuy
For her birthday, I got my roommate and I glassworking lessons through Groupon. The San Jose Glass Artist Alliance was offering four-hour classes in fused glass, torch work, and stained glass. So she (and I) got to make a few things. She’s on disability, so she was able to make gifts for her cousin and aunt.
Someone who likes Renaissance Music might like the Mediaeval Baebes.
Gravenstone
@Raven: Col. Blake wore the Illini sweater. Potter was from St. Louis, I believe.
Mnemosyne
@PurpleGirl:
@Raven:
I’m hoping they’ll like them, but charity gift-giving is always awkward. Forced gratitude is worse than an honest “meh.”
We did get a very nice spontaneous thank-you card from last year’s Adopt-A-Family, though, so who knows?
Southern Beale
This is a pretty big fucking deal and I think Johnson is correct in sniffing out a Breitbart rat like O’Keefe:
Un FUCKING believable …
SiubhanDuinne
@Raven:
Wow. Beautiful pair of gifts. Your bride is one lucky woman.
RSA
@JCT:
For me it was the Baltimore City Paper. Thank goodness for alternative weeklies (I’m amazed that they’re still around).
PurpleGirl
@Origuy:
A number of years ago I was teaching jewelry making to a group of girls in a pregnancy prevention program for teens who had already had one child. It was a residential program which had mainly minority teens. I concentrated on making earrings because they are smallish and can be finished quickly. One group of older girls would tell the new girls about the jewelry lady. They looked forward to the days I was the “event of the evening”. One girl excitedly asked me if she could make more than one pair, to which I responded “you can make as many as you want, as many as you can in the time we have.” She made a whole bunch — Christmas presents for her mother, grandmother, two aunts and one or two other women she knew. I loved how happy she was to be able to give others her handmade earrings.
Gin & Tonic
@Southern Beale: I know you’re quoting Johnson’s lede, but I read the whole story at the link, and there was nothing about the guy “sneaking into” Boehlert’s home. As far as I could determine, he stood outside and asked questions. That’s a lot different from “sneaking in.” And if Boehlert really did let somebody in his home without checking the guy’s ID, then he’s a dope. I’m not trying to defend what happened, but I’m not for blowing something up for dramatic effect if it’s not true, either.
SiubhanDuinne
@Omnes Omnibus:
I was going to say “mule muffins.”
Anyone else remember him as the next door neighbor on “December Bride”? Same character he played in “Pete and Gladys,” but earlier.
PurpleGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: –waving her hand– Yes, I remember December Bride.
JCT
@Mnemosyne: Is there a local production of the Nutcracker? Maybe send tickets for her and her mom? She’s on the young side, but we took my oldest to her first Ballet at that age — hooked her good.
She’s still dancing and teaching ballet in college…
WaterGirl
I have two gifts left to pick out:
Any ideas for good books to give dog lovers?
Ideas for my good friend who is a physics geek? Maybe a book? He loves science fiction, but he has read a lot so i think it would have to be a great book that isn’t terribly well know, or he would probably have read it already.
In case there are any replies, thanks in advance!
Nic
My gift to the balloon-juice crowd: http://www.failparade.com
I’ll change the 301 from time to time. The current one is appropriate for the time being.
Paula
@Joel scotch, single malt, 20 y/o
suzanne
This is what I am currently coveting right now.
Omnes Omnibus
@suzanne: My Dad was given one of the architect’s drawings from the Robie house a few years ago. I am probably using the incorrect term, but it is cool anyway.
ETA: Not the Robie house. Fallingwater. And I do know the difference
Angela
@CoastalMike: Thanks, I just ordered one for my son.
suzanne
@Omnes Omnibus: Cool? COOL?
That is freaking AWESOME! And I am drooling with jealousy.
ETA: I have built the Lego Fallingwater. It is beautiful.
Omnes Omnibus
@suzanne: Dad collects interesting things for a few years at a time. It has given him several sets of things in stead of one big giant collection. For a few years, it was FLW stuff. He has done Hiroshige woodblock prints, Japanese netsuke, Chicago Ideaist paintings, antique woodworking tools, etc. Interesting dude.
suzanne
@Omnes Omnibus: That sounds amazing. Frame that.
Omnes Omnibus
@suzanne: It is framed, with properly non-acidic or properly acidic paper and glass with UV protection. It is hung where sunlight doesn’t hit it.
dance around in your bones
@Mnemosyne: Late to this thread, but one of the best things I ever got for my daughter when she was ballet-smitten was a pink ballet tutu from the Goodwill store; cost $3.
The only problem with it was that she wanted to wear it ALL THE TIME. Even to school, which was slightly problematic.
Cheryl from Maryland
@Omnes Omnibus: So awesome! And from a museum person, thanks for taking proper care of it.
Steeplejack
@suzanne:
I gave the Farnsworth House to a young architect graduate for her birthday last May. I was a little worried that she would think it was kind of hokey, but she loved it. Sent me a photograph later of it constructed and sitting by her desk.
Omnes Omnibus
@Cheryl from Maryland: Not me, my dad. I am just waiting to inherit.
jibeaux
I set a goal this year of getting at least some items from small locally owned shops, and buying American made. Here are some things I found.
For toddlers, I found these in my local toy shop and they are super cute. High level of detail. http://www.amazon.com/Constructive-Eating-81000-Utensil-Set/dp/B000T0JOX0 There are pink ones too.
For my six year old girl, also in a local shop: http://www.amazon.com/Harrisville-Designs-Style-A-Laploom/dp/B00000IV3W/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1323357338&sr=1-6 The wooden loom and the wool yarn are American made.
For my ten year old boy, who built the Lego Fallingwater house in one day two years ago, we went with the Harry Potter Diagon Alley lego set which has over 2000 pieces. That outta keep him occupied until at least the 28th.
For some other gifts, I went to a new spice store and got a grilling spices set for the manly man on the list, and went to an art museum store for some funky cool things for the hip woman on the list. It is more time consuming to shop this way than to order off amazon, but I have enjoyed it.
jibeaux
@ruemara: You very kindly donated some gifts for teacher appreciation week to my school last year. Do you have any costume jewelry a six year old girl might like? Her ears are not pierced, but she loves necklaces, headbands, etc. I’d be happy to get something from you.