My wife has been asking me for my Christmas list. And, since there are now only 6 shopping days left before Christmas, I thought I had better get it published before it becomes too late.

I have nine items on my list.

The first item is a Mini Cooper S. I always wanted one of these cars when I was a kid. Santa never brought me one. Well, Santa, if you are out there, I would like to have a fully loaded Mini Cooper S. Approximately $40,000.

The next item on my list is a new Taylor 914CE acoustic guitar. The sleek lines of its Grand Auditorium body are accentuated by a softly-rounded Venetian cutaway, which complement the 914ce’s shimmering appointments. This guitar features the finest Indian rosewood and Sitka spruce and it delivers a tone that can only be described as “an experience.” You get the idea. A real deal for about $5,000.

Next up is an item for the studio. An API 1608 analog console. This looks like one sweet, tone machine. I suspect that everything passing through its circuits comes out sounding perfectly phat. A bargain Christmas gift at a mere $50,000.

Unfortunately, household revenues dropped somewhat dramatically over the past year, so I would accept a substitute for the above console. A D-Command console, although lacking an analog path, would be a step up from my C24 on my Pro Tools HD rig.

If you have followed my blog for a while, you know that I periodically write about retirement planning. I am interested in retirement. Particularly as I am only a few years away from hanging up the waveforms. However, like most baby boomers, I have been spending my money on Mini Coopers, Taylor guitars, API consoles and D-Commands. I need to top up the retirement fund. Next on my list is a Lotto 649 ticket. I feel lucky. And it costs only 2 dollars.

This next item was pretty easy. So much so, I am a bit surprised that my wife had not already purchased this for Christmas. A Nikon D3. Think of all the really sweet pictures I could take with this camera. A mere $4,000. Of course, we might have to add a few lenses to go along with the camera body.

With all of the hard work comes a need to take a well deserved break. And what better gift than a nice Hawaiian cruise? Especially with all of the cold and snow this year. No ordinary cruise mind you. I want one of those high-end suites and the air travel has to be included as well. Business class. Probably $25,000 or so would cover it.

I have always loved going to Arizona. The sun and warmth. The stunning landscapes. The desert. So why not get a new estate home in Arizona? It is Christmas after all. I found one fairly nice property. This tropical, fully furnished custom home is designed with the Scottsdale climate in mind. A modest 10,000 square foot home. With the Canadian dollar at par, there has never been a better time to make the investment. Asking price is only 6.7 million.

So there it is. My Christmas list.

All kidding aside, I am really not looking for anything in particular. I will be happy to celebrate Christmas with my family at home.

Although a new Nikon would be pretty cool.

I took a few steps down memory lane yesterday. I was doing some research that led me, quite indirectly, to the website of my old high school. I had no idea that someone was maintaining such a website. Nor did I know that many of my old classmates from the early 70s had been updating their journey in life on the site.

One close friend from those years wound up tree farming and writing books about crystals. He lives in the southwest of the United States. Another is an accomplished professor at an Anglican Seminary college. There were a dozen people that I once considered good friends who had posted. They were able to summarize their life journey in a couple of sentences.

It made me think about the dreams that we have when we are young. And where we wind up. A surprising number had followed their aspirations. One person had wanted to pursue a career in music and audio. He currently manages the audio/visual group for a fleet of cruise ships.

Could I summarize my own journey in a couple of sentences? Am I happy with where things turned out?

I made my choices in life. Some thrilled me. Others haven’t. I guess that is life. Here is a photo of me from the 1970s.

Someone passed me an email with a list of unusual things that can be done with a cellphone. Included in the list was the ability to unlock your car remotely:

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk). Editor’s Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!”

I am sure that it works. Provided that the person at home is within range of the car. In other words, the cellphone plays no role in unlocking the door.

Cellphones operate on signals above 800 MHz. Remote locks operate between 300 and 500 MHz. Cellphones transmit voice and data. A remote door lock works by sending a low-power radio signal to a receiver in the car. The radio signal is encrypted to work specifically with a car.

I suppose I could test this out myself, but why bother? Life is short for such foolishness.

However, some folks persist in perpetuating this urban legend. The comments on this post are amusing to read.