I placed an order with Amazon.com yesterday, and took advantage of the free Amazon Prime express shipping trial. I figured that since this was such a large order, and I was very excited about many of the new purchases, it might be fun to get them early. Early is an understatement: I placed my order late yesterday afternoon, and I already had more than half of the items before noon today. A girl could get used to this kind of service.
The new presents include:
- The Sagas of Iceland, a behemoth 700-page sampling of Viking-era epics set specifically in Iceland. I figured it would be good to have some Icelandic literature and history under my belt before our trip, and since Seamus Heaney, Jane Smiley, and Milan Kundera all approved of this volume, into the cart it went. I really liked the Iliad and Beowulf and the Canterbury Tales and learning Latin, so I hope I will also like this particular strain of Old European Storytelling. I better read this before November, though, since there is no way this brick is coming with me on the plane.
- Tomorrow Never Dies and You Only Live Twice on DVD. Because they are rarely hailed as the best of the franchise (out-worsted only by the Bond films made in the 80s), these two movies can usually be found on sale. Which is perfect, since I am one of the eight people who actually enjoys them. Eventually, I want to own the entire 007 collection, but since I manage to catch The World Is Not Enough and Goldfinger every time they air during Bond marathons on cable, I figured it was best to start with a pairing I hadn’t seen in a while.
- Teach Yourself Icelandic: Complete Audio CD Program. With this trusty book and pronunciation guide, I will now be able to understand what Sigur Rós and Björk are really singing. So far, Icelandic looks even more miserable than German: in addition to being a declined language with grammar rules developed in ye olden days, it has a wide range of new letters and accent marks to master. Well, at least I’ll always be able to understand the English-language Björk songs…
- Some (surprise) gifts for a few friends. I can’t wait to get them in the mail! I think I love giving presents even more than receiving them.
Still On The Way:
- Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom. Maybe I’ll be more likely to capture photographic evidence of my daily adventures with a portable point-and-shoot digital camera. I’ll just carry it around in my purse, and when the moment strikes, I will be prepared. Unlike now, where I often think “Damn, it would be great to take a picture of that midget dressed as Michael Jackson doing the moonwalk in Grand Central… too bad my cumbersome camera kit is at home on a shelf.” (Sucked in by the lush advertisements depicting happy people comfortably toting around their Nikon D-SLRs as if life was an impromptu photo shoot, I forgot one of the key lessons of high school Yearbook: you never go out with just a camera strapped around your neck–you’ll need the padded carrying case, the lenses, the spare film or memory cards, the flash, the flash batteries, the chargers…)
- Electrical outlet adapters for our upcoming Europe. Now my appliances will not want for charging while we are abroad.
Things I Did Not Get Because They Were Unfortunately Out Of Stock/Otherwise Unavailable:
- Bulk containers of “Just Tomatoes”-brand freeze-dried fruit. Seriously, the “Tropical Treats” mix (with little chunks of mango, kiwi, pineapple, and banana) is so good. They use some magical process to dry the fruit pieces until they reach the consistancy of Lucky Charms marshmallows. BEST. IDEA. EVER. Now Amazon just needs to order more, since they’re one of only a few stores that sell this stuff by the pound.
- A pocket guidebook to Iceland. More specifically, a travel-friendly guide to Iceland or Reykjavik that met all three of the following criteria: 1. A user rating greater than one star; 2. Price well under $45; 3. Published by at least a marginally respectable source.
