With several of the major religious holidays behind us and 2011 hurtling toward us like an asteroid, let everyone know what you got for geek gift swag in the last month!
For Christmas I received:
A Sauder Edge Water Desk
This might seem like an unlikely gift for a geek. I assure it is the best one I received. I spend almost as much time in front of my iMac as I do sleeping and all of the authors who visit to sign for The Signed Page do so on my desk. I’ve had an ugly Ikea desk for 8 years. It was time for an upgrade I can sit at comfortably, one authors deserve to also sit comfortably at as well.
Inception Blu-ray
I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan. When he was tapped to direct Batman Begins I knew he would do a great job. Turned out he did even a better job than I could have imagined and hasn’t stopped with The Dark Knight and Inception. Having Memento already, I needed the latter to complete my Nolan library on Blu-ray. And since I have several friends who haven’t seen Inception—I know, I know, blasphemy—I get to have them over for dinner and share the best movie of 2010!
Star Wars: Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber
I loved last year’s Star Wars: Death Troopers. Those at Del Rey knew that so they sent me an early hardcover copy of its prequel Star Wars: Red Harvest, which ironically is released in fine bookstores today! The first book was great fun and I’m really looking forward to see what Joe does with the Sith in the new book.
Jacque Torres Chocolates
Ever since I had cancer ten years ago, I’ve craved chocolate. It’s just one of those things that happened when my taste buds changed going through chemo. Chocolate became god’s nectar. I can’t describe it. One of my wonderful friends in NYC bought me a box of Jacque Torres chocolates and had them shipped to me here in Seattle. I’m saving them for New Year’s Eve, right before I get my butt back to the gym. Ha!
Original Brom artwork from Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks
This is one of those things I should have done a long time ago but never got around to until my recent remodel. In 2003, I bought the original Brom painting for the cover to Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks. Terry is always hard to buy for, as you can imagine being a well to do author, so I did something special for him that Christmas. He loved the painting and it is now in his possession. But before Brom painted it, he drew out his idea for the cover on trace paper that Del Rey eventually looked at and signed off on. I kept that trace paper, which is the same size as the painting. I received a gift certificate to finally get it professionally framed, to hang above my new desk! As a Terry Brooks fan, I can’t wait for it to be finished and up on my wall!
For the record, it’s hard buying me gifts. If I want something, I buy it. And I live such a simple buddhist life that I don’t like knick knacks and the like. But thanks to my parents and some wonderful friends, I had a bountiful holiday season! Hope you did too!
So what did you get? Share! I want to have geek envy!
Now bring it, 2011! Can’t wait!
My wife and sons got me Arkham Horror and two expansions, The Lurker at the Threshold and Kingsport. We’ve played two games so far and I already have my eye on the Innsmouth expansion.
Matt
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, a TARDIS cookie jar (it makes the sound!), and a rayguns shirt from threadless.
First sawed Harvest chapters releases last nignt, downloaded them and was all set to read. My public library sent me a email and let me know the book was in! Now I am getting off my computer and am going to get into this book right now! YES!