Thursday Thirteen...on Friday

Yesterday both Amanda and zero_zero_one took on an interesting Thursday Thirteen theme (how alliterative, eh?) - "13 Wants I Can't Classify as Needs (Yet)." Since I'd already written my post for the day, I decided to fire up the old time machine, pretend today is Thursday again, and take a stab at this topic. Here's what Bilbo wants, but really doesn't need...

1. A new laptop computer. There's nothing wrong with the one I have, except that it's fairly old (4 years or so), slow, and a little balky. But since I only use it when I travel on business, and I don't travel very much any more, this classifies as a want, rather than a need...at least, unless I start traveling again.

2. A new car...preferably something sleek, sporty, and comfortable, with great gas mileage and an enormous trunk. My car has the advantage of being paid off, but is showing its age. I don't need a new car, but it would be nice to have one.

3. A door on my study. I had to take the door off in order to fit in more bookshelves. I don't need the door, but it would be nice to have.

4. A cruise to a new destination every year. As vacations go, cruises are wonderful, and not all that expensive if you manage to control your spending once you're on board (since all your meals and services are included in the cruise price).

5. A really huge house. I grew up in a fairly small house with three brothers and sisters sharing two bathrooms. I don't need the burden of a huge mortgage payment, and I certainly don't need the agony of cleaning it, but I would love to have lots of rooms to roam.

6. A top-of-the-line, professional digital camera. I have a perfectly good Canon Digital Rebel XT that takes great pictures, so I don't need a new camera...but I'd sure like to have the latest and best.

7. A second, high-end desktop computer, running Windows XP (not Vista!). My Mac is great, but it would be nice to have a PC on which I can run all the software that won't work on the Mac.

8. An unlimited shopping spree in the local Borders Bookstore. The last thing in the world I need is more books...but then, you can never have too many books...

9. Visit Hungary. That's where my paternal grandparents came from, where I'm descended from a long and impressive line of ... well ... peasants.

10. Visit Florence. All that art and culture in one place waiting for me to come and see it...

11. A renewed membership at the local Gold's Gym, and someone to force me to go there and work out regularly.

12. A good wide-angle lens for my trusty camera. The four lenses I have cover pretty much all my needs, but we're talking about wants, here...

13. One more grandchild. Four is a nice, even number, but five would be nice, too. It would be nice to need that wide-angle lens (see number 12) to take the family picture...

And that's my Thursday Thirteen, on Friday. Actually, it was pretty hard to come up with 13 wants. On balance, I'm happy with what I have, and there really isn't much I want beyond that. Nevertheless, it's fun to dream.

Well, let's get on with Friday. Today, there's work to be done. Tonight, there are ladies to be danced with. And tomorrow, the Bonneville goes back to the dealer for more service. Ugh.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo