I suck at wish lists. For one, I don’t feel comfortable accepting gifts. Also, I generally want things that I have no right asking someone else to purchase for me, like a guitar. My birthday wish list for my parents this year was:

1. A car, which I have asked for every Christmas and birthday since I was 16 and have never received. Gotta stick with tradition!
2. Money, so I could buy some things for the new apartment.
3. A 24” Cinema Display, knowing I would never get it, further ensuring that I would receive money.

Well, my parents are way too thoughtful to give money. They put a lot of pride in the gifts they give their children, and so this year I received the incredible following gifts:

1. Two boxes of food and necessities for the new place.
2. A $25 Subway gift card
3. A lamp, which I had planned to purchase with the money they were going to give me.

So really, things worked out in the end. Except…

It happens every year; I think of what I want for my birthday days after the gifts have been bought and opened. And so this year I have decided to write down what I should have asked for, with the intent of asking for these items at the next appropriate occasion (or so my mom can surprise me at any point throughout the year):

1. A cook book. Gordon Ramsay’s “Fast Food” or Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” seem to have recipes I would be interested in.
2. A Nike Plus system. I want to start tracking my runs better than I do now, and this seems to be the best solution.
3. A Nalgene Fitness bottle, so I don’t spill water down my shirt while I run and drink from my normal Nalgene bottle.

Three simple, small ideas that I really should have asked for. Oh well, there’s always Christmas.