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                Birthday
                  You know what's funny?  People seem to avoid getting me anything from this page.
                  Not sure what to get me for my birthday?  That’s a common problem.  I don’t want much, but here are some things that are special treats for me.  Let me repeat myself:  I DON'T WANT MUCH.
            I won't check this site, and that way it’ll still be a surprise when I get the present.  Seriously.  I won’t remember that I put this here.  They’re not in order.  And they’re messy.
 
1.         Garment bag good for air travel
2.        Rose, Jacqueline.  The Case of Peter Pan or The Impossibility of Children’s Fiction.  London:  Macmillan Press Ltd., 1984.
3.         Dolly Parton’s album "Little Sparrow"
4.         Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits
5.         Said Chraibi’s album "Ud" 1997
6.         Sets #4 and #3 of  Homies figurines
7.         4 Guveche pots (single serving Bulgarian covered crock pot-type thing)
8.         4 Korean stone bowls for cooking that bi bim bop-style fried-in-the-stone-bowl dish
9.         Help me fund every public radio station I’ve lived near and never contributed to.
10.       Port glasses
11.       Hard shell ‘ud case
12.       Help me fund refurbishing my art (reframing, restoration)
13.       Negativland’s cd recording of  Dick Vaughn
14.       Belle & Sebastian's 1993 album "Dear Catastrophe Waitress"
15.       2 really good jelly roll sheet pans (steel)
16.       Help pay for Dov to visit
17.     Take me out to a restaurant I love or will love (Soul Vegetarian, far Belmont Italian places, Caro Mio, Sai Cafe when I'm eating fish).  I love an adventure!
18.       Gourmet food ingredients I never get for myself (e. g., truffles, seafood market, specialty food market)
19.     Donations in my name to the Albany Park Theater Project or The Old Town School of Folk Music.
20.       Help me fund a house concert in my home.
21.      The movie "Afterlife" on DVD. 
             http://www.reel.com/movie.asp?MID=45717&PID=10088099&Tab=reviews&CID=18
22.      www.foundmagazine.com:  Get me a subscription, get me the book, this is great stuff.
23.      A subscription to POETRY magazine.
24.      High end chocolates.  Godiva is overrated, though.  I like dark, milk, semi, nuts, caramels.
25.      Poetry by Sharon Olds except for "Blood, Tin, Straw"  I have that.
26.      The biggest iPod in the world.
27.      Latest issue of FOUND magazine (if I don't have it already)
28.      The Postsecret book
29.      DVDs by John Cassavetes:  Faces, A Woman Under the Influence, Husbands
30.      The Exploding Dog book, Thinking of You II

These are wines that I like.  If you can't match the year, no biggie.  These are big treats for me.
-Plan Pégau, Sélectionné par Laurence Féraud 2004
-
Lavradores Quinta da Costa das aguaneiras 2001 (unusual, very rich douro d.o.c.)
-Vallado douro
-Falerno Rosso Villa Matilda (I had it in Orlando when I finished the second leg of the movie.)
-Dalton Merlot (Israeli Kosher, complicated light flavor, rich bouquet)
-Domaine du Tariquet, Gros Manseng 2002 (sweet but not syrupy, wonderful dessert wine, dryer than Fileo)
-McDowell Mendocino Syrah (dusty, musky, old books, & leather, had it at the Madison tasting)

-Aurore Côtes du Rhône
-Forestville Merlot (smoky, I serve it with garlic or salty dishes)
-Kenwood Merlot (always fantastic)
-Saintsbury Garnet Pinot Noir (sweet, becomes very strong)
-Ciró Librandi rosso classico 1997
-Cavit Pinot Grigio 1999 (Italian, green apples)
-Frei Weingartner Wachau Riesling Federspiel (smells mushroomy, mix of flavors, dry clean finish, changes as I taste it)
-Frankland Estate Riesling (food friendly, sharp, noticeable, light finish, floral)
-Schloss Vollrads Riesling Kabinett Rheingau (Gamey and sweet, almost smoky, not cloying)
-Amity Vineyards Dry Riesling (dry, light, tangy, almost effervescent, long light finish, go well with light flavors or alone)
-Albert Mann Riesling, Cuvee Albert Alsace (smells dopey, almost effervescent, bolder, niiice, not much finish)
-Castell del Remei ODA 2001 (rounded and rich, very oaky)

-How about a bunch of good, tawny port, maybe 20 years old, and I'll continue to age it myself?  Yum!