Confessions Of A Catalog Fiend

-or-

The Man with the Golden Mailbox

I get bunches of mail order catalogs. Probably because I buy a lot of stuff from mail order companies. And Send in those little bingo cards for free catalogs. Given that some of the places send out sale or updated catalogs frequently I get new catalog(s) pretty much daily. SO I read through them at dinner and circle things that look neat/useful whatever, and fold over the pages so I can order it later. Well since most of that stuff I don't really *need* the catalogs tend to pile up a bit. What gets circled? Stuff I actually want. Things I need, but not right now. Things to sate my rampant consumerism. Things that are just too *cool* not to acknowledge even if I would never actually use them. Things that if I ever need them I know would be hard to find so I mark them so I can find them if the situation ever comes up. (Many has been the time I've been obliged to get a 'specialist' to do something that is trivial if you have the right tool merely because I didn't know the tool existed (which REALLY bugs me), so this is also my list of obscure, esoteric or hard to find things.) One problem with this is that different companies often carry similar or nearly similar stuff. Some companies carry the same thing from several different manufacturers, or the same item with different prices in different catalogs (often you can get the cheapest price if you enter in the item number exactly, including the catalog code, but sometimes you're stuck with the current price whatever that is). Sometime by the time I hit a point where I actually need the thing I marked, the company no longer stocks it but at least I know it exists and can search for other sources. Anyway given the way this list gets compiled there are definitiely flat out duplicates, and many almost identical items, that differ in price, features, source, quality or someother way, but since I haven't actually decided to shell out money for it yet, I haven't done the evaluation of which would be optimum. Which also means that just because I list a particular brand/vendor that doesn't mean (generally) it needs to be that one or from that store. Of course some things are related, if a tool and accessories for it are listed the accessories aren't useful until I get the tool. And of course since I haven't been forced to apply the hard line am-I-really-willing-to-pay-money-for-this filter, the list is quite large.

Which actually makes it a pretty good XMAS list.

I generally resist requests to tell people what I want for Xmas or whatever because well, it spoils it really. A large part of the fun is being surprised. It's wonderfull getting something you both wanted or needed but that you would never actually buy for yourself. The best surprise is getting something you wanted or maybe even needed but you didn't *know* it existed. Now of course getting underwear for XMAS isn't much fun to anyone, [OK, maybe if I gave _her_ *that* underwear, _*you*_ would have a merry literally effin Xmas, but I'm sorry bub, my bitterness outweighs my genrerousity in this case] but it's probably a bit better than getting something you really don't want. and can't use. And I'm hitting the other end of the stick, most anyone I know is in the situation that they need nothing because if they *need* it they get it. And that goes almost as uniformly for things that are mere wants. Which makes it hard to pick out good gifts. SO while I've gotten the request for the last 10+ years from my mom, I'm getting the request from other quarters as well -- Hey Jeff, what do you want for XMAS? So here's this list. It isn't 100% qualified, as I noted above, but every thing is something that caught my eye long enough to make me pick up a pen, and not throw the catalog out when I finished reading it, so while some things are stuff I'd like to use, more so than would use, it still will give me the good feeling that "I can do that anytime I want to cause I have required tools & supplies on hand". A lot of it is stuff that would make life easier, but isn't important enough to order. Or the cost benefit is precieved as an unjustifiable luxury. And the list is big enough that even if everyone I knew bought something off the list I'd still have no idea what I was getting!

Yea, I saved Xmas.

SO without further verbiage ( the crowd goes wild ):

Jeffrey's Want List:

Dear Santa, 

here is a list of things I want to buy but 
	haven't gotten around to yet, 
	can't find myself,
	or haven't budgeted for


** Books

 Out of Print:
   Writing Better Computer Documentation ISBN 0-471-88472-3
   Female Perversions, Louis Kaplan, Jason Aronson, et al.

 Eventually I'd like to have a complete collection of M. Moorcock,
	but I already have a lot, so you need to browse the shelves.
	(last time I took count he had published 54 books I had about 30)
	The count is mightily confuse by the various omnibus &
	collector editions which frequently rename things for no reason.


** Gaming Stuff

	Minature Paints

** As if I had time

	Artist Acrylics like 
		this, 
		this, or this.
	Based on my last foray into minature painting, I'm wondering if
	acrylics really eliminate enough of the hassels associated with 
	oils that I could "work on it when I have a few minutes" 
	practical?

	In a similar vein, more large quantities of sulfur free 
	modelling clay would be nice (last I chacked most of what I have
	is largely contaminated by plaster from the last casting).

** CDs


	HorseLips

** DVDs
	These are things worth owning, but I confess I think at least a third
	of my pathetically small DVD has never been watched, so while the
	collector in me thinks these are good things to have - video is just
	not a priority in my life.

	Beany & Cecil (I have the special edition, [history & old] 
			but not the rest of the series)
	Rocky & Bullwinkle (recent movie and origial series)
	Robin & The Seven Hoods - The Rat Pack
	Pirates of The Carribean 2 & 3
	Fight Club

** Software

** Clothing

	Sluggy Enamel pins Kiki & Bun-Bun
	T Shirt
	T Shirt
	Cufflinks ( ref: hmc6, gmc6, ccc23s )

** Shop Equipment


** Winery / Laboratory Equiptment

	Hydrometer (measure Specific Gravity for determining sugar content)
	Turns out these are very fragile :(
	Maryland Homebrew in Columbia, about $10

	Floating Thermometer.  They don't break they mysteriously vanish.
	Maryland Homebrew in Columbia, about $10

	Watch Glasses 90, 100, 125 mm 
	http://www.macnanbio.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/c-Lab_Glass2.html?L+scstore+nxjr5729ff034503+1034837275

	Rubber stoppers - Asst.
	http://www.macnanbio.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/p-STO503.html?L+scstore+nxjr5729ff034503+1034836101
	
	4 13mm(?) ground glass stoppers for 100ml volumetric flasks

	Parafilm
	http://www.thewinelab.com/item141374.ctlg

	Pipettes
	5 ml & 10 ml - are the two I use the most
	these are fragile so they will break sooner rather than later :(
	yep the 5ml has a broken & therefore leaky & inaccurate tip now.
	http://www.macnanbio.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/c-Burettes_and_Pipettes.html?L+scstore+dbtj7722ff6bdf6b+1034826003

	Pipette Pump 25 ml
	http://www.macnanbio.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/scstore/p-PIP314.html?L+scstore+dbtj7722ff6bdf6b+1034832136

** Kitchen

	Bottle baster ( stupid little gadget I saw at KMart )
	it is a brush with plastic moulding to fit on the end of a soda 
	bottle.

** Furniture

	a tea cart that would go along with the dinning room furniture
	I oculd have it sit in the DR next to the kitchen but
	could roll it into the kitchen to load and out to the
	living room/library/spa with drinks & snacks. An antique
	in usable (as opposed to museum) condition would rock.

** Really expensive stuff - people shouldn't be spending that kinda money



** CD publications

	Quote -->
	I have compiled 145 US Army Field Manuals on three cd-roms. Topics 
	include Survival, Explosives, Tactics, Training, NBC, Medical, Engineering,
	Logistics, Aviation, Intelligence, Investigations, plus much more. Many
	titles are classified as restricted and unavailable from any other source.
	All three CD-ROMs for $40.00US funds. Free shipping to USA and Canada.
	International inquiries please fax or email for shipping/ordering
	information.

	MILITARY PUBLICATIONS GROUP
	PO Box 136, Deroche, British Columbia, V0M 1G0, Canada
	Fax: 604-797-0077
	Email: milpub@hotmail.com
	<-- EndQuote


CATALOG Stuff

	Books From ERHamilton

	Tools From Various Catalogs

	Emergancy Preparedness

	Jeffrey Goes Domestic

	Computer Parts & Accessories

	Things I have to Get myself
	I needed to write this down somewhere...