22 November 2009

Christmas wishlist

So it's the time of year when we have things that we want, but the realities of finance and responsible spending preclude our ability to get them. This post is my personal "fantasy wishlist" of things I'd like but realistically would feel guilty spending the money to acquire.

A New Gaming Laptop
The Toshiba Qosmio is really tempting. I've been really tempted to get a few PC games lately and I have never really had a decent gaming computer. DragonAge: Origins has been getting alot of good reviews and I've been very tempted by previews of Starcraft II and Mass Effect II. I've often really liked Toshiba computers and this one in particular have a few features that light up the geek in me. Things like solid state hard drives, multitouch track pads, and light up keyboards are really cool. Unfortunately I already have a Netbook and a dedicated work laptop that I use very much. A third computer would be a bit overboard in luxuries.

A Smartphone
Now that I'm a professional academic always on the go, I've found that I have a need to stay connected 24 hours and have the ability to access information while I'm traveling between WiFi zones. OK, that's mostly a lie. I mostly want a toy that I can play around with Android 2.0 software because I love Google so much and use everything they have (send me a Google Wave invite please.) I've heard alot of good things about the new Droid phone and my Verizon plan is up for a phone upgrade in January. Although this would mean an additional 30 dollars a month in service charges and that I'll be "that guy" that has all these crazy gadgets on his phone. Right now I have the Juke I love it because it's small, red and flips out like a switchblade. How much more phone do I really need.

New Wheels
Right now I my mode of transportation is through my feet. (Or riding The Bus) The idea of having something I can ride to the beach is very tempting. Zipping along on my little two wheeled thing might be fun and appropriate for my new island life. Also there is the raging desire to get an El Camino. For some reason I've been really interested in getting a muscle car, and one with a truck bed would be infinitely useful. (Also it's a freaking El Camino, that's just coolness on four wheels.) But to be honest the cost of gas, parking and other environmental factors are not optimal. I should just get a beach cruiser bike and get awesome abs from all the working out I could be doing.