I covet...

I am shamelessly borrowing from Connie's blog, her posts about things she likes are interesting as well as a great help when it comes time to buy presents. No more guessing, simply hit the latest 'I covet...' post and start going through the list. Very convenient.

Mine is going to be a wee bit different however. There are two types of things you can covet. First there are things that you can covet all you like but you'll never be able to actually afford them. Then there are things you can covet, knowing that you can afford them but are simply bound by practicalities such as budgets and cash flows. The former is of course the most fun. When Kai and I talk cars, he usually jumps straight to the ulimate, the Bugatti Veyron. This is the most excessive automobile on the planet right now, they go for around $2 million dollars. Once you have dropped that, the spending is far from over.The tires cost $10,000 each, can only be changed in France and Bugatti recommends changing them every 4000 kilometers! A routine maintenance costs around $20,000. This is so extremely out there that even if I had unlimited funds I'd be very hesitant to drop $2M on a Veyron. I'd go for the Ferrari 458 and donate the other $1.75M to charity. But we are firmly in fantasy territory now.

The things on my 'purchase at some point' list are a little different. No cars, I am deliriously happy with my TT-RS which has been getting many accolades in the automotive press. Some other things then...let's start with Connie's camera. She is a great photographer and given where she is at now I think it is time to get a bit more serious about lenses. About a year ago I upgraded her stock lens toa 15-85 IS which has enabled her to take some amazing shots. Next up is a better zoom lens, I am thinking the 70-300 IS.



Then there are some prime (non-zoom) lenses for closer up work that can handle much lower light conditions without resorting to a flash. But let's limit things to the zoom for now, good lenses are really, really expensive.

I like watching movies, especially with thunderous, house-shaking sound. To get the house-shaking bit, you need a subwoofer. This is a loudspeaker that specializes in very low frequency bass. I used to have a nice Velodyne SPL1200 that worked very well, generating truly earthquake-inducing bass with the help of a 2,000 watt digital amplifier. After a few years however its power supply failed. I had it fixed but every other year after that, it would fail again. The third time around I decided it was time to retire the thing and get a new sub. The problem is that Connie is very resistant to getting another one (subs tend to be big and ugly, thus have a very low WAF - Wife Acceptance Factor, the bane of every home theater enthusiast) and the good ones tend to be expense. I currently have my eye on a Definive Technology Supercube 6000. Quite the mouthful and only to be repeated in fellow tech-nerd company. Even I have to admit it isn't pretty though so I'll have to work the WAF angle hard before getting one of these...

It comes with a remote for added geek factor!

Next, something for my car :-). Having a black car is cool and stealthy but also lethal when it comes to rock chips. I remember my poor SLK looking like it had been sand-blasted after a spirited summer drive on the BC back roads. The front bumper and fenders needed to be repainted (at considerable cost) after which I had a clear film applied to them. This is also refered to as a 'clearbra', the idea is that the film (invisible when applied properly) stops any rocks and other small debris from pockmarking your car. I am going to pre-empt the summer and have it applied to the TT. The only problem is of course that this tends to be...expensive.

Let's see what else...I love my Dyson handheld vacuum so much that at some point I want to replace the big lumbering main vacuum we have with a Dyson as well. I am patiently waiting until the old girl gives up the ghost but I may just at some point do an impulse buy. Maybe when I am back in the States sometimes since gadgets do tend to be a lot cheaper there...

The iPad 3 is rumoured to come out in March. We are still and iPad-free family. I know Connie wants one...(and her iPhone 3G could use an upgrade of course)

Finally, I find myself traveling for work quite a bit lately. Usually Redmond, sometimes other destinations. Usually short term, a couple of days tops. A nice bag would work for this, we do have an assortment of bags but being into fine things as I am, a Tumi bag would be great. One of these:

Oh, Japanese knives. Always good for in the kitchen!