Marisol's Birthday List

I'm gong to preface this with two things:

• Many of you know better than I what Marisol likes, so go with that.
• We do not expect presents, so don't feel like you have to get us something!!

Amy Byer Clothes

This is the only brand of clothing that Marisol consistently likes. There are numerous labels that the brand uses, and they are pretty easy to find at local chain stores. I think she likes that the clothes look like what an adult would wear, only in girls sizes.
Here is a list of brands, and here are the stores who sell them. She's about a size 12 now. (Yikes!)

Gift cards to all kinds of places

Baskin-Robbins
Champ's
Half Price Books
Amazon
Claire's
Hot Topic

Um, this.

Check them out. (And, before you ask, OF COURSE we'd put one of these in our house!)
They sell gift certificates.

Letters

Marisol loves to correspond via USPS, so feel free to write her a letter, give her some stationery, or supply her with stamps.

Christina's Birthday List

I want A Mix Tape from YOU!

For those of you who have known me long (some as long as 30+ years), you know that I love music, and listening to music, and talking about music, and collecting music, and sharing music, and discovering new music, and rediscovering music that I listened to 20 or 30 years ago and forgot how awesome it was. (Sometimes, I even sing and play music.)


Basically, if I could support myself doing one thing, I would make mix tapes. I made my first mix tape when I was 13, and, even then, it was something I'd been wanting to do for years. As Dan Wilson, former lead singer of Trip Shakespeare, once sang,

"It's the modern equivalent Singing up to a Capulet On a balcony in your mind."

Making a mix tape, for me, has always been about celebrating the connection I have with another person.


When I get to know someone, a song list begins to form. Sometimes a song comes from a moment we shared; other times, the song chooses you, in a "this song is so so-so" kind of way. And then there are the songs that are simply me revealing myself. The list will grow until I can't imagine a world where this person is not permanently connected to these songs. It's like when Gonzo sings,

"There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met."

Suzie, my friend of 33 years, made me the last mix tape I received, the aptly named, Music That's Good To Sing Along To When You're Driving In Your Car. My heart swells when I listen to it, because every song says either "Remember me?" or "Lovely to meet you, old friend." Josh is, of course, the record holder of mixes from me, at 5 tapes, 3 CDs, and a double disc set entitled Próxima Estación. (You stick around long enough, I inundate you with music.)


I've made mix covers out of junk mail from prospective colleges in high school, used typewriters for the liner notes, and mailed mixes to other countries. I created a mix called Whale Songs that featured songs of humpback whales from a Flexi disc soundsheet inside the January 1979 issue of National Geographic magazine; I loved that one so much that I never gave it away (sorry, high school boyfriend). I'm always forming a mix for someone in my head, like a soundtrack to our friendship. Some of my favorite mixes feature original cover artwork (regardless of talent), spoken word segues by the creator, and sweet little notes tucked inside. I still have every one, and, as long as I have the equipment to do so, I'll keep listening to them.


So the challenge, if you choose to accept it, is simple: Make me a mix tape. No rules, no requirements. It's not even a challenge at all, nor does it have to be on a cassette tape (do they still make those?). You make it, I'll play it. I'll love it forever.

For those of you who are less comfortable with the above (like my husband, who prefers to write me long, beautiful letters), I've provided a few more options.

I'm old. I have everything I need most days. None of this stuff is important. Feel free to just give me a hug or donate to your favorite charity.

Cake by Maira Kalman and Barbara Scott-Goodman

ISBN-13: 978-1101981542
I love everything Maira Kalman, but this is her latest, and it's about cake, so, bonus.

Movies

I own very few movies, probably because I am of the era where you either recorded it onto a VHS tape or rented it at the video store (duh). But, in this new age, where I cannot do either, I find myself watching a few over and over again (and they aren't always available from the library).
Dan in Real Life (2007)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

Under the Cherry Moon (1986)
Margie (1946)

Wuthering Heights (1939)

Good Vodka or Cava

Chopin is my favorite. (Angelfingers)

Cards Against Humanity: A party game for horrible people.

"America's #1 gerbil coffin."

Book Club: Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman

ISBN-13: 978-0143036531
Published in 1985, this book is more relevant than ever.

"What Orwell [in 1984] feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley [in Brave New World] feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture."

This book may just be the manual for defeating the bastards who are currently dragging us down. I'd love to use this for a book to start a book club, so if you are interested, buy a copy, DON'T give it to me, start reading it, and plan to meet periodically to discuss a few chapters (with drinks and snacks, OF COURSE!).