Usually around this time of year we're all asked the ubiquitous question: "Hey my handsome and venerable chum, what gifts can I shower upon you this Yuletide season?" - and usually I reply with something like "Gosh, kind friend, the air that I breathe and the water (read: Diet Coke) that I drink are all I need, they bring me joy unbounded!" For the most part that's true...ok the conversations don't really go like that, it's more like "Hey what do you want for Christmas" "Dunno" "...k"But the truth is I really don't mind what I get for Christmas. For me Christmas is about spoiling the hell out of people; I get that from my dad. I love buying presents for people. I love seeing the look on people's faces when they open their presents, and the reactions you get, from "Ahh sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet!" to "....what the fuck is this?" This year however, things are different. I'm still having a blast buying presents for people but this year, I'm using a wish list - I know EXACTLY what I want. I always have things lurking in my Amazon wish list but I never publish it or tell anyone how to find it. Not this year. Why the change? Y'know, I don't know. I think it might be a couple of things; usually when I see something I want, I don't have the patience to "wait until Xmas to see if Santa brings it." This year, I have that patience so I've just added things to my wishlist instead of hitting the ol' "check out" button. Also, I know how frustrating it can be when you have NO idea what to buy people for Xmas, and wishlists can alleviate that frustration, albeit slightly. Now of course, as I'm sure some of you are dying to point out, this directly contradicts my feelings on wedding registries. I don't like wedding registries. I was forced into having one for my wedding because of "cultural reasons". See a wedding is (hopefully) a once in a lifetime event, and if people are kind enough to give us gifts, I want it to be something that THEY came up with, something unique that will remind us of them every time we use it or look at it. This isn't a very popular point of view, especially in this country, but it's something I feel strongly about for some reason. Anyway, Xmas happens every year...so I don't feel so bad about using a wishlist. So without further ado, I bow down to the Gods of Consumerism and Materialism and present to you my wishlist for 2003/2004 http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html/102-1270900-9076136?%5Fencoding=UTF8&id=1YAW3DPRRCC6O And for those of you out there who have your own wishlists, tell me where they are! Leave me a comment and let me know how I can find it.