My birthday is coming up on the 24th of November. Twenty-six. In the tradition of my friend Rebecca, below is a list of things I would like.

Intangibles can be emailed to me at bensheldon@gmail.com

Tangibles can be mailed to me at the address below (email me if you need postage/shipping subsidy):

GEO: 42.315195, -71.102057

Consumables (singular)

Please leave your name in the comments if you plan on getting me one of these, so I can take it off the list and not get a bajillion of them.

1. Sack of beans for pie crust pre-baking (ie, I want the SACK, not necessarily the beans)
2. Colorful ~4 cup teapot (not kettle) with tea strainer
3. Banana Fruit Case (a lightweight case for carrying bananas unscathed)
4. Silicon Baking Mat (for cookies, etc.)
5. Ceramic loaf pan

Consumables (multiple)

1. Small ~1" buttons--- fun, emblamatic or colorful... but not ironic
2. 1.5-2" ribbon (~2 feet worth) for brim of hat
3. Multicolored v5 pens (red, yellow, green, etc.)
4. Loose mint, kukicha, jasmine tea
5. Smartwool socks (medium and heavy weight) for normal size foot (US 10½)
6. Small wind-up toys

Mixed Media

1. The name of a book (or a physical copy if you're feeling generous) you like that is about (or contributes to a better understanding of) design, color theory, visual literacy or with magical realist (basically any spectacle that gives you giddy chills) themes
2. A drawing of a bicycle (or other bio-motivated vehicle) you love or would love to have
3. A sticker, postcard or primary scrap that represents or espouses an idea or ethos you both believe in and would defend to your grandma (or equivalent old-timey values stereotype... and no irony: it's too complicated and she wouldn't find it funny anyways---she'd tell you to say what you mean)
4. A picture of an animal (or animals) that you regularly see

Geo-Contextual Bonus

Find a public spot in your neighborhood or regular route. Compose a short (~300+ word) real or imagined anonymous first-person narrative that begins "On this spot, ..." (update: I removed the requirement to write the statement in the first-person.) Write the narrative such that it gives a potential reader the same sense of hope, wonder, and authentic symbolism that you would have should you, on that very spot, look down to find a fresh copper penny heads-up and, picking it from the pavement, find a perfectly minted heart upon the other side... and then putting it back on the ground, heads-up, for someone else to discover (i.e. write a story whose reading equates to that experience, not a story retelling of such an experience). Securely post with tape or staples your story to that spot in an easily viewable place. Send me the location (street address or cross-streets), a photograph of the posted story, and a copy of the story.)

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