No, I don’t want a Zhu Zhu pet but my Christmas list has gone online for family members.

The thing I want most for Christmas is a few good books and maybe some new lenses for my camera.  Lenses are those things that are hard to justify in cost…. at a few hundred bucks it’s hard for me to drop the money and if a bunch of family members help me get to a lens that is awesome.

I’m also going on a theme this year of retro objects.  I have a manual typewriter and a mechanical keyswitch keyboard (clicky IBM keyboard) on my list (although it was just purchased!).  I love using functional, late technology.  It makes me happy.  I need to find a an old mechanical typeset print machine.

And what about you?  If you celebrate Christmas what are you hoping for?  If you don’t celebrate Christmas what is something on your mind?

I have a bunch of little news.  Bullet points seem appropriate.

• Thanks for all the Christmas Tree names.  So many names.  A few really good ones in there.  Bagel has managed to remove half the balls from the trees (or at least has been framed by Muffin).  Picture above depicts our tree en-route to our house.
• I’m playing Super Mario Bros Wii right now.  So far… so good!  I love me the Mario.  I just beat the first dungeon of World 3.  I have 55 lives.  I’m going to survive I think.
• My game (working title FlipSide) has had a bit of a changeup.  The game as it stood wasn’t going the way I planned.  I have instead decided to simplify the game down to something a bit less complicated.  The game (before it got changed) was a minigame compilation of rapid-fire games that each had two goals (for example, in one game you were chasing and the next you were being chased).  That’s great and all, but it doesn’t work very well at all since 5 second long gameplay doesn’t cater to understanding and beating AI.  It’s too fast, too complicated for such small bites.  Instead I have decided to make things a bit easier on the mind; simpler, swifter, faster.  Objectives are off/on challenges… you either do the challenge or you don’t do the challenge, depending on what the game tells you to do.  The game is much more fun, trust me.  Should be done this week.
• Took my motorcycle class this evening.  I am not planning on any sort of bike or ride yet… just taking the class.  Took it with Dan, I’ve got my practical riding on Saturday and Sunday.
• Dr. Pepper shortage at the office.  Frowns.
• Christmas shopping.

Have a good Wednesday/Thursday!

I got a 7-foot-tall Christmas tree with Carlie this evening.  It’s name is currently Admiral David Farragut but Carlie and I can’t agree on whether this is a good name or not.

So maybe you can come up with a good name.  We’re not 100% on it being a boy tree so if you find a good girl name that works too.