Van's Wish List — Suggestions for 2008 Kris Kringle gift exchange

(Note: It's actually too late; I published this web page after Christmas(!), so it's largely academic. But I'm including it for completeness: if I forget again, you should be able to spot the pattern of what I'll always be yearning for at Christmas time by extrapolating from the previous years.)

The web links are for the most part up-to-date and functional. Keep updated for changes and/or corrections.

• A donation in my behalf to the Nicholas Colby Fund
  For more information, read Nicholas' website.
• A donation in my behalf to the Kyle Choi Leukemia Foundation
  I'll provide more information if the website doesn't answer it already (I'm one of the webmasters).
• Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte
  (<http://www.amazon.com/Envisioning-Information-Edward-R-Tufte/dp/0961392118/>)
  Somehow it's not available at the regular bookstores.
• The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama (ISBN-10 0307237699)
• The Referee's Survival Guide by Jeffrey Caminsky (ISBN-10 0979010608)
  Whatever helps me reduce blowing calls!
• Streetwise Spanish Dictionary/Thesaurus by Mary McVey Gill and Brenda Wegmann (ISBN-10 0071460861 and ISBN-10 0844225517)
  I'd like to throw eye tacos rather than ask where the train station is — wouldn't you?
• DVD collection of The Black Donnellys
  Perhaps one of the best new series ever, but NBC foolishly canceled it midseason.
• Season Three DVD collections of Lost and/or Veronica Mars
  (Lost is the important one though either one of them is good — Amazon.com has a good price for each.)
• Yearly subscription to Scientific American^*, Discover, and/or American Scientist magazines
  Subscriptions are always good, and always appreciated.
• Karaoke microphone (the kind that gives you a score)
  The "Dual backpack" kind that's sold at Costco is good. Unfortunately, they only sell it at Christmas time, so you have to plan ahead.
  

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(Note: I already subscribe to Scientific American under "Van S Bagnol" but it can be extended)

Ideas for Daddy

Basically, stuff I need but never get around to getting for myself:

• A decent pair of slippers/booties to keep my feet warm at home. Nothing too fancy. It just has to (a) keep my feet warm and (b) stay on when I run. (Sandal-types that force you to shuffle to walk in them won't work out.)
• A good pair of jeans. Somehow my jeans keep disappearing! I prefer ones from The Gap, because my jeans from Old Navy seem to rip easily and don't last.

But please, there are things you should not get:

• No white socks
  Unless they are the exact same brand that I already wear, I end up with a drawer full of different white socks that don't match and are hard to pair up.
• No white underwear
  I stopped wearing "tighty whities" and besides, I run around a lot and they chafe.
• Nothing dairy
  I'll share it with the rest of the family but I can't eat it. In that case, you might as well get it for them!