Michael Gravel Edmonton Writer

What I got for Christmas 2009

My first post of the new decade details what I got for Christmas in 2009. I realize such a list might be in questionable taste. After all, who cares what I got for Christmas? I guess this post is as much for me than anyone else. My memory is about as good as a colander these days, so I need all the help I can get.

This Christmas was a great one. We held the big meal blowout in our tiny 800 sqft home. It was a tight fit for ten people but it was a ton of fun. Gifts were exchanged and spirits were high everywhere.

Here’s a list of my favorite gifts this year.

Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far by Stefan Sagmeister

This is a thoroughly unique book that showcases twenty aphorisms penned by the thoroughly unique designer / artist Stefan Sagmeister. It’s difficult to describe this book adequately – photos and words don’t really do it justice. It must be viewed and, more importantly, held to be fully appreciated. Consisting of 15 unique signatures (stitch-bound portions or sections of the book), the book is unbound in the traditional bookbinding sense, and truly unbound in terms of content and inspiration. It documents graphic design installations made to house twenty aphorisms – small nuggets of wisdom – that Sagmeister came up with on one of his famous year-long sabbaticals. The nuggets themselves are deceptively simple, e.g. “Assuming is stifling” or “Helping other people helps me”, but they are powerful and not cynical. There is a refreshing optimism and sense of wonder in this publication, and it is damn inspiring.

The packaging is nothing short of stunning. A heavyweight die-cut slipcase holds the 15 little books as a unit and provides a different book cover depending on which signature faces the exterior of the package.

This is a book that does not merely depict amazing and moving artwork, but it itself is a piece of art. If you’ve got any appreciation for art, design, and books, you should pick up this piece of art (Amazon – Chapters).

Field Notes Notebooks

Like most writers, I have a fetish for notebooks and writing instruments. I’ve got a swiftly growing collection of note holding devices in various sizes, finishes, and degrees of practicality. The notebooks I use daily – the ones that truly get filled as opposed to just looking good on my bookshelf – are ones that I carry with me.

For a guy like me who likes to write down many things, Field Notes notebooks fit the bill nicely. They’re pocket-sized with a card cover that is stiff enough for writing yet flexible enough to fold into your pocket.

One nice little surprise is that every order comes with a few goodies. My order of three 3-pack notebooks came with a 1 inch button, a ballpoint pen, and a pencil. Not a ton of swag, but it’s these little accoutrements, and a dedication to fast shipping, that makes the brand so excellent. (Field Notes Notebooks)

Shampoo and a Rudolph Mug

These two quirky gifts came courtesy of my stepdaughter. We’re big fans of the claymation holiday special Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, especially Rudolph’s obnoxiously loud nose.

Despite years of trying to rid myself of it, I must confess a weakness for “quality” grooming products (see combs below). I put quality in quotes because I’m no sucker. I know the expensive shit performs no better than the drugstore specials. Usually, scent is what reels me in. Most shampoos smell quite feminine so it’s nice to use something that smells somewhat manly. Isn’t scent the main criteria for shampoo purchases (seeing as how there’s no objective way to determine if one shampoo is better than another)? Am I wrong?

A Set of Speert combs

For years I used my hands to style my hair and didn’t own a brush or comb (I actually bragged about this once, if you can believe it). But deep down, like I said, I have an affinity for grooming products. I don’t think anyone makes a comb like Speert does, or has the depth of selection that they do. Hand made in Switzerland, they’re a gorgeous tortoise shell design with a bit of heft to them. You will not find these in your local drug store.

I received three pieces – one for the gym bag, one for the bathroom, and a little one for the back pocket. I like ‘em.

Professional Books

I love books in general but especially adore books about typography and design.

Ellen Lupton’s Thinking with Type (Amazon) is one of the best books on typographic design I’ve ever picked up. Far from “a book about fonts”, the slim but packed volume guides the reader through a bit of type history and moves from character to text to a full grid-bound document. An excellent read, and a great resource.

Information Architecture, Blueprints for the Web (Amazon) is a decent guide to designing information hierarchies for websites and web applications. Tons of basic and advanced information on organizing information on websites with a strong emphasis on understanding users (i.e. research and observation). This is not a book of code samples or the like – it’s strictly a theory-based text with a case study and tons of screenshots. I haven’t got too deep into this one yet, but it’s a decent read so far. I find the authorial voice to be a little to “hip” for my liking, but the book is packed with good information.

Books of Poetry

Christmas would not be complete without receiving the latest volume of “The Best American Poetry”, in this case the 2009 edition.

I also received a great book by the British poet John Hegley, entitled My Dog is a Carrot. It’s filled with hilariously absurd poems with no small dash of acerbic wit.

Letterpress Calendar

I’ve become a huge fan of letterpress items (where the letters are pressed into or embossed into the paper). The tactile sensation of holding a book with a letterpress cover is something to be savoured. Imagine my delight when I unwrapped this on Christmas morning:

It’s made by Ille Papergoods out of Seattle. Really excellent stuff. The month placards are loose but held together by a plexiglass case. Each card is unique in color, type, and layout. Each is exquisitely designed.

Font Cards

Some good friends of ours just returned from a year-long sabbatical in Europe. In their travels, they happened across a deck of “font cards” that had my name written all over them.

They’re slightly larger than a deck of playing cards, and infinitely more informative. Each card has a type sample on one side, and a brief history on the other.

There are 48 cards in all. Although this is largely a whimsical item, they can be treated as small type samples for side-by-side comparison.

You can buy the font cards here if you’re so inclined.

The Lee Valley Sample Kit

Possibly the most unexpected and interesting gift I received this Xmas was the Lee Valley Sample Kit. Inside a diminutive transparent clamshell case lay a multitude of small tools and devices, all from the venerable assortment of Lee Valley Tools. If you’ve never been to Lee Valley Tools (Edmonton location), man, you are missing out. It’s a gadget hound’s paradise with a vast assortment coveted by men and women alike. With an emphasis on woodworking and gardening, Lee Valley has carved out a niche for themselves as the premier purveyors of every non-power tool you will ever need in your life. Their retail store employs a system similar to Consumers Distributing. You look up your item in a catalog, someone goes to get it from the warehouse, you pay the cashier if you want it.

The kit is set in unassuming packaging:

But that little box holds a ton of shit. And I gotta confess that I love stuff like this. I don’t even know what half the things do, but it’s super cool. I would have LOVED this item as a ten year old boy. It’s very reminiscent of the spy/detective kits we used to make out of cardboard boxes.

I’m really excited for this item. Time to start up the Ace Detective Agency again, eh Scotty?

Daring Fireball T-Shirts

These were a gift to me, from me. One morning when I was still half asleep I ordered these shirts and went back to bed immediately thereafter. When I woke up, I had forgotten that I placed the order until I checked my email later that day and noticed a confirmation message from PayPal. Truthfully, I thought the order had been a dream.

No matter, because I am glad to support a site like Daring Fireball and it’s author John Gruber. The site is mostly about Apple nerdery, but Gruber jumps around subject-wise just enough to make it interesting. Now, I’m not a Mac aficionado by any stretch. The only Apple products in our household are iPods. For every day computing, I would say that for many reasons I’m actually a Windows fan, although not by much. It’s Gruber’s writing that keeps me reading the site. He’s got just the right balance of pissy, potentially arrogant intelligence that I like. His blog is a prime example of someone who started something out of love and grew it into something of world-wide repute and acclaim. Inspiring.

Wacky Packages Boxers

I know they’re painfully cheesy, but hey, I absolutely LOVE Wacky Packages, and what better way to manifest that love that with a pair of gaudy, fucking repulsive boxer shorts?

Check out the Wacky Packages resource site for the real rundown on everything Wacky.

And Some Small Stuff

To round out this list, a few smaller items that also please me greatly:

If you’ve made it this far, thanks! And what did you get for Christmas that you absolutely loved?

Entry #116 · January 1, 2010 in