The Modernish Father

This page exists primarily for The Wife. Invariably, around my birthday or Christmas, she asks what I want and I get can’t think of anything to tell her. So here’s a running list of stuff I would like.

The links provided are just to show you the product. Most everything on this list is available through multiple retailers and probably for less than the example I linked to.

The Most Wanted List

Texas Flags – I’ll admit it. I like vexillology.

Lego Star Destroyer - No, I don’t really expect to see anyone drop $250 on one of these. But if you see it on sale…

Civilization V – In college, I wasted many hours playing Civ2. I’ve decided it’s time to start wasting them again.

Punch-Out!! – Probably the game I loved the most for the old Nintendo, all gussied up for the Wii. 007 373 5963.

Star Wars Lego III: The Clone Wars – Doesn’t come out until just after my birthday. Still…

Donkey Kong Country Returns – This one doesn’t come out until after Christmas, but it definitely goes on the list.

Olsen Field at Night art print or the Historical Aggie Baseball print – I need stuff to put up on the walls in my office, yo.

Gift Cards

Amazon iTunes Half Price Books Barnes & Noble

Home Depot ThinkGeek Flickr IKEA

Music

I’ve kicked CDs to the curb, so iTunes or Amazon gift cards are the best bet.

Wii Games

Super Mario Galaxy 2 The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess Mario Kart Wii

NCAA Football ’09 The Price is Right Super Paper Mario

DVDs

The Civil War The Fantasia Anthology The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection – The Essentials (Manos, the Hands of Fate/Santa Claus Conquers the Martians)

Star Trek: TOS Remastered Star Trek

Books

31 Days: The Crisis That Gave Us the Government We Have Today by Barry Werth The Affirmative Action Empire: Nations and Nationalism in the Soviet Union, 1923-1939 by Terry Martin The Assault on Reason by Al Gore Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew Blog Wars: The New Political Battleground by David D. Perlmutter Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq by Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale by Russell T. Davis and Benjamin Cook Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug Empire of Nations: Ethnographic Knowledge and the Making of the Soviet Union by Francine Hirsch Energiya-Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle by Bart Hendrickx and Bert Vis Game Six: Cincinnati, Boston and the 1975 World Series The Triumph of America’s Pastime by Mark Frost Hatless Jack: The President, the Fedora and the History of American Style by Neil Steinberg A History of Britain, Volume II: The Wars of the British 1603-1776 by Simon Schama A History of Britain, Volume III: The Fate of Empire 1776-2000 by Simon Schama Is This a Great Game or What? From A-Rod’s Heart to Zim’s Head: My 25 Years in Baseball by Tim Kurkjian The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty: The Game, The Team, and the Cost of Greatness by Buster Olney Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick The London Underground by Douglas Rose The Longest Night: The Bombing of London on May 10, 1941 by Gavin Mortimer Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by Jeffrey Kluger and James Lovell

Making Airwaves: 60+ Years at Milo’s Microphone by Milo Hamilton and Dan Schlossberg Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis Oh, Waiter! One Order of Crow! Inside the Strangest Presidential Election Finish in American History by Jeff Greenfield Our Dumb World: The Onion’s Atlas of the Planet Earth, 73rd Edition by The Onion Resurrection by David Remnick Rough Crossings: Britain, Slaves and the American Revolution by Simon Schama A Six-Gun Salute: An Illustrated History of the Houston Colt .45s by Robert Reed The Stark Truth: The Most Overrated and Underrated Players in Baseball History by Jayson Stark The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification by Julian Montague Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed This Ain’t Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant Without Losing Your Mind by Larry Dierker Underground London: Travels Beneath the City Streets by Stephen Smith Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987 by Bob Woodward Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom: Andres Reiner and Scouting on the New Frontier by Milton H. Jamail White House Ghosts: Presidents and Their Speechwriters by Robert Schlesinger Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission by Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci

Miscellaneous

• Keyless Entry Pad for Garage (my garage opener is finicky though, so a hardware store gift card might be better)
• Wall switch timer (I really need two)
• Leather Bookmark Weight
• A nice (high quality) American flag with a 3/4″ or 1″ wooden pole