What I Want for Christmas

For the extended Meadors' family, we are drawing names for Christmas gifts. I am posting my list on my website since what you treasure reveals your heart. Also, if any other loyal reader checks this out, he or she is welcome to get me one of these gifts as an appreciation for my wonderful writing and how it deeply enriches his or her life. Here is my list with commentary.

1. Kingston DTI 4 GB USB Flash Drive. I think flash drives are just very cool. I move between 4 different computers, 1 work, 1 personal, Shannon's laptop and Shannon's office, not to mention different computers of various friends and colleagues, so being able to move files around is important. With 4Gig, I can load applications, music files and other things I want to "take" with me. Kingston has a good reputation. Amazon.com sells it for $25 dollars which is an incredible price for 4GB flash.

2. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (Paperback) by Neil Postman. I have read several articles in Christianity Today where they reference the late Mr. Postman's work. I am pretty sure he is not a Christian, but his insight in to popular culture and the way is dumbs down ideas and as a result people is much in line with the Christian worldview of keeping yourself pure from the world. The typical negative reaction by Christians to our culture is on the more surface issues: sex, bad language, etc., which this reaction is not wrong. But Postman goes deeper in the way ideas are presented, manipulated and sold as good and true. Those are the things we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves on. Amazon sells this book for $11.20 but you can get it used around $6 (I don't mind used books in good condition).

3. Reveal: Where Are You? by Greg Hawkins, executive pastor at Willow Creek. New book out from Willow Creek that explores the false idea of more church activities equal more mature Christians. Here is a Christianity Today blog post talking about it. I admire Willow Creek in its willingness to always reevaluate and look where they can do better. You can get it for $13 at the Willow Creek site or other bookstores may have it.

4. A slightly boring but needed gift is white crew socks. My only commentary is that I have 2 feet and I appreciate them. If you choose this gift in lieu of my other cool gifts from my list, I will take it as a clear sign you do not find my writing enriching or wonderful.

5. The Very Best Men: Four Who Dared: The Early Years of the CIA (Paperback) by Evan Thomas. I really enjoyed "The Good Shepherd" with Matt Damon and Robert De Niro. The film looked at the early years of the CIA. This book is consider the best historical source for the early years of this clandestine agency. Amazon marketplace had several copies of this book in very good condition starting at $4.

6. How Bill James Changed Our View of the Game of Baseball (Hardcover) editted by Rob Neyer. I have always loved sports stats and good analysis on them. Bill James is the godfather of statistical analysis in baseball (and all sports really). Stat analysis is looking at the stat line and other statistical measurements and actually analysing them to make sense of how they truly impact the game. Classic case is how batting average, long the staple of what defines a successful hitter, is not nearly as critical as slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Some of my best memories from a kid are pouring over his yearly "Baseball Abstract" books. This is a book of collected essays on him and his influence. Looks very interesting. Another book which you can find for $14 or less.

7. Marvel Legends 6-Inch Maestro Hulk Figure. Check out this bad boy. You have to scroll down on this page to find him . Yes, I am still very much a kid at heart, and a geeky kid at that. I think this toy is really cool. Jacob and I like playing with my other Marvel figures, especially my other Hulk character. We have this reoccurring thing where I get the Hulk to drink coffee and fight with his Cranky the Crane from Thomas. It sounds a little weird just describing it in words, but we have a blast with them. You would need to order this online since it is no longer in toy stores, but you can get it for about $9-$10.