Billy's Christmas Wishlist
During Christmas time, when me and Maleea were kids, Gram would have us sit down and write out our Christmas wishlists. I usually busted out a Kerouac-esque 150 foot roll of Teletype paper and box of No. 2 pencils. Of course, I knew that Santa couldn't fit everything I wanted into his sleigh, so Gram would make me go back and circle the five things I wanted most.
Toys, toys, and more toys. Action figures. Vehicles. Playsets. Accessories. He-Man, GI Joe, Ghostbusters, Star Wars... (One Christmas I spent an entire month staring dreamily at the picture of a Ghostbusters Proton Pack in the Toys R Us catalog. That's all I could think about for weeks and weeks. When Christmas morning came, I tore into my presents with mad abandon, hoping to find a Ghostbusters Proton Pack. I opened every single present but I didn't see a Proton Pack. I had toy jets, Lamari water machineguns, battle-action He-Men, a tape deck... but no Proton Pack. Gram says she'd never seen a little boy look so sad on Christmas, until she "found" a present behind the couch... Santa must've dropped it! She handed me the box, and with the first rip of paper I saw the ever-familiar Ghostbusters logo!! One more rip, and I saw it: THE PROTON PACK! It was like something straight out of A Christmas Story. I think I broke it a week later...)
Anyway, I still write out my wishlist every year. I don't actually expect to get any of it, especially these days, but it's fun to think about all the things I'd like to have. In a way, they're still toys... just different kinds of toys! So, without further ado:
BILLY'S CHRISTMAS WISHLIST 'O4
1. my car!!
2. a new computer (w/ CD burning capabilities and broadband Internet connection).
3. digital camera.
4. new stereo (my other two stopped working!)
5. winter coat (a bomber jacket!!).
6. denim jacket.
7. tobogan, scarf, gloves.
8. binoculars/telescope (for stargazing).
9. CDs: Jet, Velvet Revolver, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
10. DVDs: The Original Star Wars Trilogy, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Hero, Spider-Man 2.
11. Books/magazines: Ian M. Banks "The Culture" novels, and any of the old pulp mags from Dark Star Books, featuring E. E. Smith, Jack Williamson, Edmond Hamilton, or James Schmitz.
12. Loose-leaf paper, pens.
13. a carton of Camel Lights.
14. a bottle of Jack Daniels.
15. typewriter/word processor (these are VERY hard to find, virtually obsolete...)
I want the typewriter most of all. My computer's downstairs in the basement. It's dark and dingy down here. In the winter it's freezing, and in the summer it's hot. There's not a lot of light. I do most of my writing during the day, so I feel like some kind of underground dweller whenever I spend too much time downstairs. A typewriter would allow me to write upstairs, in the dining room, where there is the most light (I like lots and lots and lots of sunlight). I'm not that bad a typist, so I'm not worried about typos. I can always go back and edit everything into the computer later.
What I really, really, REALLY want, more than anything in the world, hasn't been invented yet. It's a simple little device: a single-purpose mini-laptop, a portable computerized typewriter that consists of nothing but a flip-top LCD screen, a keyboard, word processor software, a recordable CD-rom or disc drive, and a printer port. That's it. It doesn't have to be fancy, or full of tricked-out features. Just an electronic typewriter. The only software you'd need would be Word for Windows and a dictionairy. Something like this doesn't exist yet... so maybe I'll invent one. It would be indespensible for writers everywhere. Not only would I buy one myself, I'd buy some for my writer friends, too.
Oh, well. I'll give it a few more years. Someone's bound to put this onto the market soon.
Toys, toys, and more toys. Action figures. Vehicles. Playsets. Accessories. He-Man, GI Joe, Ghostbusters, Star Wars... (One Christmas I spent an entire month staring dreamily at the picture of a Ghostbusters Proton Pack in the Toys R Us catalog. That's all I could think about for weeks and weeks. When Christmas morning came, I tore into my presents with mad abandon, hoping to find a Ghostbusters Proton Pack. I opened every single present but I didn't see a Proton Pack. I had toy jets, Lamari water machineguns, battle-action He-Men, a tape deck... but no Proton Pack. Gram says she'd never seen a little boy look so sad on Christmas, until she "found" a present behind the couch... Santa must've dropped it! She handed me the box, and with the first rip of paper I saw the ever-familiar Ghostbusters logo!! One more rip, and I saw it: THE PROTON PACK! It was like something straight out of A Christmas Story. I think I broke it a week later...)
Anyway, I still write out my wishlist every year. I don't actually expect to get any of it, especially these days, but it's fun to think about all the things I'd like to have. In a way, they're still toys... just different kinds of toys! So, without further ado:
BILLY'S CHRISTMAS WISHLIST 'O4
1. my car!!
2. a new computer (w/ CD burning capabilities and broadband Internet connection).
3. digital camera.
4. new stereo (my other two stopped working!)
5. winter coat (a bomber jacket!!).
6. denim jacket.
7. tobogan, scarf, gloves.
8. binoculars/telescope (for stargazing).
9. CDs: Jet, Velvet Revolver, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
10. DVDs: The Original Star Wars Trilogy, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Hero, Spider-Man 2.
11. Books/magazines: Ian M. Banks "The Culture" novels, and any of the old pulp mags from Dark Star Books, featuring E. E. Smith, Jack Williamson, Edmond Hamilton, or James Schmitz.
12. Loose-leaf paper, pens.
13. a carton of Camel Lights.
14. a bottle of Jack Daniels.
15. typewriter/word processor (these are VERY hard to find, virtually obsolete...)
I want the typewriter most of all. My computer's downstairs in the basement. It's dark and dingy down here. In the winter it's freezing, and in the summer it's hot. There's not a lot of light. I do most of my writing during the day, so I feel like some kind of underground dweller whenever I spend too much time downstairs. A typewriter would allow me to write upstairs, in the dining room, where there is the most light (I like lots and lots and lots of sunlight). I'm not that bad a typist, so I'm not worried about typos. I can always go back and edit everything into the computer later.
What I really, really, REALLY want, more than anything in the world, hasn't been invented yet. It's a simple little device: a single-purpose mini-laptop, a portable computerized typewriter that consists of nothing but a flip-top LCD screen, a keyboard, word processor software, a recordable CD-rom or disc drive, and a printer port. That's it. It doesn't have to be fancy, or full of tricked-out features. Just an electronic typewriter. The only software you'd need would be Word for Windows and a dictionairy. Something like this doesn't exist yet... so maybe I'll invent one. It would be indespensible for writers everywhere. Not only would I buy one myself, I'd buy some for my writer friends, too.
Oh, well. I'll give it a few more years. Someone's bound to put this onto the market soon.
posted by Billy at 10:57 AM
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