The rite of the material

At the behest of relatives, I am composing a Christmas wish list. I am doing this as a favor to my family, who otherwise might have a difficult time deciding what to buy for me -- naturally, I want to make life as pleasant as possible for them.

So I have asked myself, "What does one get for a history major who has everything?" ("Everything," that is, except time sufficient to read all of the books he owns already.)

Oddly enough, I am friends with other history majors (and other liberal arts majors, too) who have been asked to compose similar wish lists. It occurs to me that we should coordinate a little. If we write complementary lists, we can all get (for example) different DVDs for Christmas, maximizing our combined cinematic resources. Efficiency aside, we may be able to inspire each other with creative suggestions for wish-list line items.

So, my friends (especially liberal arts majors, but everybody's welcome), I should like to hear your thoughts. Is something missing from my list? Does one of our number already own something I have put down? Let's brainstorm a little.

Here is my list of DVD choices so far, in rough order of preference:

1 Rashōmon
2 Gandhi
3 Bridge on the River Kwai
4 Lawrence of Arabia
5 A Man For All Seasons
6 Chariots of Fire
7 A Passage to India

So far, this list comprises films I have seen before and therefore wish to own permanently. I strongly prefer DVD to VHS format, of course; foreign-language films must be subtitled, not dubbed; and a film shot for wide screens should never be chopped up to fit inside a television (i.e., I love widescreen and hate fullscreen).

My music requests so far lean heavily toward jazz -- particularly the all-time greats of jazz, little of whose work I own. The first names to run through my head include Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Ella Fitzgerald.

I noticed that Oxford University Press is having a holiday sale. Practically anything from this sale would be entirely welcome (it would be difficult to go wrong). It looks as if one can be billed for the order by mail.

Discuss.

| Posted by Wilson at 13:38 Central | TrackBack
| Report submitted to the Life Desk