my wishlist
here's my wishlist of stuff i'd like but have not been able to buy for myself yet. most of this is practical, but there is some silliness in here as well. no, you don't have to buy me anything, or confine yourself to this list. this is just a set of guidelines to make everyone's life a little simpler. do note, this list is being mass distributed, but most items are acceptable in multiples, i think.
also, for those looking for suggestions for tod, some of the kitchen, cat, and household stuff is more for both of us, and at the bottom of this list is tod's games wishlist as well.
Last, but most important, we are going to be moving this summer to a yet to be determined location. We do not want lots of new stuff that we have to move. PLEASE lean towards the light items on this list if you wish to give me something before we move.
Interview appropriate items
Nice clothes (both suits and social engineering or schmoozing appropriate attire), air line tickets, hotels, etc all cost a lot. help deferring the costs would be really nice. Luggage has already been procured. Thank you!
clothing
- cordoroy pants - i already have several, but i like them a lot. size 12 or 14 typically. 31" waist, 42" hips, since women's clothes typically vary a lot. earth tones, grey preferable.
- cute skirts - a-line or something similarly capable of accommodating hips, medium to long preferable.
- biking clothes - i don't bike that often, but hey, i think it would be fun to look all cute and spiffy when biking. i rather like this Canari Comfort Skort from REI, especially in the army camo, kiwi, and freshwater floral prints. i'd fit in a size large. also, some of the jerseys and stuff look sweet, but none stands out as particularly as spiffy as the skort.
- Dansko Marcelle - cute Mary-Jane style clogs from the company that everyone seems to recommend for comfortable footwear for being on your feet all day... and night... and the next morning. i really like the cordovan cabrio color and am typically european size 39, but i hear that you have to try them on since there's individual variation within sizes.
books etc
- amazon.com - i have a wishlist under kat at thekat polkadot org
school supplies
- chocolate - dark. 60-70%. with wasabi and ginger would be nice, but only Vosges carries it (it's called black pearl), and it's expensive. their other flavors sound really good too. just plain dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts or raisins or other things in it are tasty too. trader joes has some really tasty ones. oh, they also carry chocolate covered ginger, which is really good. oh, and yes, this is what i consider a school supply, not a kitchen item. chocolate is good for sanity.
kitchen
- Bento supplies -
- What we already have are two Mr. Bento food thermos shaped bento boxes, a couple Hello Kitty 600mL single tier divided bento boxes, as well as a few simple bento boxes from Mitsuwa and the Container store (yes, the latter is more like a standard food storage container, but... it's got japanese writing and instructions!). Thus we don't need more along those lines. Actually, at this point, I have around 8 bento boxes, so I really don't need more (but need and want are a tad different...) I like pretty bento boxes, though.
- here are some pretty traditional style bento boxes that are dishwasher and microwave safe. i really like the woodgrained ones best, and wouldn't mind having multiple (since sometimes i don't get around to washing dishes as often as i should, and i like packing lunch for two when i pack). the soup bento is really interesting looking, though i'd have to find good soup flavoring packets at the asian grocery store for it. i hear there's some good pho flavor packets out there, though, and ramen is always tasty and easy.
- other bento boxes that i've been eyeing are the urara bento boxes which are microwave safe as well, though that's not listed on jbox's site (but other vendors on ebay have listed it as microwave safe). they're simple and inexpensive, but very functional, and i do like the little designs on the lids.
- for something a little more on the cutsy side, here's a hello kitty tight bento box that's not pink! it's only one tier, but it has a divider, and is microwaveable as well. and it's cute!
- also cute, but less practical are spiffy totoro bento boxes, which each have a wonderful assortment of dividers and are very cute and pretty; unfortunately, they are not microwave or dishwasher safe. i also drool over the totoro mini boxes which would be really nice to have on hand for extra snacks or desserts, if i can't fit them into the main bentos.
- last, there's these little soy sauce bottles and mayonnaise cups, as well as enumerable alternatives available on ebay. in general, i'm looking for small bottles or jars to hold soy sauce, salad dressings, ketchup, dipping sauces, and so on. i hear 35mm film containers are great for this, but... i don't use film anymore and don't have any on hand.
- As far as general bento shopping goes, here's a few resources:
- jbox - where i linked to all the stuff above; this is probably one of the best sources for japanese stuff online.
- bento obento ebay store is in the US, so shipping is far more affordable from her than from japanese ebay stores. she carries urara bento boxes (not listed under that name, though) as well as i kotoba bento boxes that are very cool, too. she also sells a lot of other bento making supplies as well.
- the bento store(ebay) is another ebay vendor in the US that has a decent selection of bento boxes and suppies.
- nagomi inc is spiffy because of the gorgeous bento boxes it carries (many of which are not dishwasher or microwave safe... but they're so pretty i'd be willing to use them, even if tod's lunches would still end up in a microwave safe bento). this site marks if it's microwave/dishwasher safe or not, so that's handy, too.
- teapots - i like teapots. a lot. i like tea a lot. i think i'm slowly collecting teapots. i prefer those with infusers, since i like looseleaf tea. that cast iron one ed has is lovely. i'd love more cast iron teapots (i currently have one, but it only makes one cup).
- looseleaf tea - adagio tea is good. west side market's tea shop is good. i own too much, but i can never have enough. i especially like the west side market's darjeelings and white teas.
- Giradelli hot chocolate - double chocolate or chocolate mocha. really really tasty, and really good for sipping while studying at home. i am such a chocoholic.
- ceramic or stoneware casserole dishes - assorted sizes please, because we don't currently own any (just hordes of pyrex and cast iron). lids would be nice too, for easy transport to various family and other gatherings. grove city or other outlet mall recommended.
household stuff
- King-sized bed in a bag to go with a cherry sleigh bed
- TriniTEA - from adagio; it's an electric teapot that steeps tea, and it's really cool because it comes with an adjustable timer and temperature control for perfectly made tea
- A new paintjob for the house - anyone willing to go up 3 stories and strip and repaint? What about painting the inside and buying lots of flooring for us? Do note, we likely will not be living in this house for much longer, so these aren't so much gifts that we'll enjoy as much as things we definitely need and will do sometime soon.
- Restaurant Quality Natural Gas Range - a tad pricy, but so shiny... please don't get us this before we move, though.
toys and games for Tod
- tod's wishlist from funagain games
- in particular, i'd like to call your attention to Settlers of Catan 3-D edition. isn't it cool looking? and really really really really expensive, so we don't seriously expect anyone to get it, but i wanted to point it out anyway. and yes, it's on the wishlist.
- plasma mug - an 8 oz mug that acts like one of those plasma spheres that respond when you touch them. isn't it cool?
- USB Powered WMD - from Think Geek. i'm afraid.
- Wii! - tod's not sure if he wants a Nintendo Wii or not, but it sure sounds like a cute console system.
- Playstation 2 - if cheap; if he gets it, we'd love either of the Katamari games, DDR (but only if you want to buy us Cobalt Flux DDR mats... they're so nice, and worth the rediculously high price).
- World of Warcraft - tod's getting distracted, so pre-paid cards so he can play online could be nice.
- Plush Microbes - available via Think Geek or at the Healthspace Cleveland gift store. We already have beer yeast and mono.
- Microbe Liquid Soap Dispenser - it's just like those cute plush microbes, only soapy!