Shameless Holiday Gimme List

What RantWoman wants for Christmas, hopefully striking a balance between modest and totally shameless requests.



In the realm of customer service

--grocery clerks who know how to pack groceries so that:

--weight is evenly distributed in the bags presented

--the cold things are all packed together to preserve the cool

--soap and non-edibles are packed together rather than with edibles

--the produce arrives home more or less intact instead of well on its way to smoothies. Hint: Bananas NEVER belong on the bottom of anything and neither do avocados.RahtWoman thankfully has trained most of the clerks she sees regularly just to give the bananas to RantWoman and let RantWoman take responsibility for their fate

--Technology salespeople who KNOW HOW TO TURN ON things like Voiceover and other accessibility features of the products they stock, iDevices, Apple notebooks.... RantWoman admits she is a bit of a sadist: RantWoman tends to walk into retail outlets at random times and watch the salesperson fumble when faced with this question. RantWoman does not apologize. A salesperson who can actually meet RantWoman's performance needs in this area is drastically more likely to get RantWoman's money when there is money to be gotten


In the realm of information technology

--a new internet portal, either a laptop, ultrabook, or iDevice. See further specifications:

--upgrades of assistive technology and demos of additional screen readers if the device is a laptop

--a tactile keyboard (see below) if an iDevice

--budget for connectivity if needed.

--tactile keyboard. In a spirit of research related to the above desire, RantWoman has been visiting purveyors of electronic devices and conducting hands-on tests of keyboards. The first screening component: can RantWoman reliably feel the keys without having to look. RantWoman mentions this point becuase she really likes the keys on an aging Gateway laptop. But RantWoman has been laying hands on a whole bund of brands of super-thin devices where RantWoman is finding the keyboards way too flat and texturally non-distinguishable for her comfort and ease of use.


Appliances, non-computer

--A new mixer but...

RantWoman is mourning a death in her kitchen. RantWoman has a wonderful Braun mixer that came with dough hooks and an attachment that works just like a small food processor. RantWoman occasionally bakes bread but considers kneading part of the exercise package. The food processor attachment though delighted RantWoman and RantWoman kitchen groupies because it enabled RantWoman to produce a steady stream of cranberry relish and hummus and occasionally other ground and chopped food blends. RantWoman SO liked having all these capabilities in one device. RantWoman would SO prefer, rather than allocate counter, shelf or drawer space to multiple devices, to intersect with a device that does all the same things as her old one.

--Various forms of improved lighting. RantWoman is going to work on this and does not really expect potential gift-givers to want to wade in. If anyone does. contact RantWoman


Kitchen, non-electrical:

RantWoman's kitchen has an assortment of consumable products she is running out of

Supplies:

--One or more new crocheted netting scrubbies. NO ONE at the crafts sale at RantWoman's faith community makes netting scrubbies. RantMom has not brought new ones home from her church's holiday bazaar. RantWoman's scrubbies are sad and feeble and need to retire! RantWoman has good intentions about figuring out how to make her own darn netting scrubbies, but they remain good intentions....
--A package of muffin tin liners. RantWoman prefers paper to foil; RantWoman has no strong preference about holiday-themed or plain designs.


Food:

--8 ounce or so package of name brand or preferably free trade,shae-grown cocoa

--a quart of good olive oil

--good popcorn for an air popper


--If RantWoman were offered some dried apricots and dried pineapple and yellow raisins and nuts, RantWoman would bake a family favorite version of a blond fruitcake


Clothing:

New shoes. RantWoman has several desires in this area:

--RantWoman wants a pair of good walking shoes with lights in her soles that flash when she walks. RantWoman has serious shoe envy for all the toddlers she sees with shoes like this and would be thrilled, thrilled to find flasher shoes in grownup sizes.

--RantWoman needs more dress shoes and a new pair of walking shoes, one that does NOT have flashing lights in the soles

New Hat: RantWoman needs to power clean her best off-white canvas hat from Bernie Utz Hats, but RantWoman also wants a darker colored heavy weight one with a cord or strap for when the wind howls. RantWoman would also like water resistance and reflectivity features. In other words, RantWoman is modest in her desires...

A winter trenchcoat with reflectivity features. RantWoman is feeling nostalgic for a trenchcoat she had years ago. It was water resistant and navy and adorned at wrists, epaulets, pockets, back with patches of reflective tape RantWoman sewed on. That coat has long worn out; RantWoman keeps looking in her fave online clothing emporia and sees nothing even remotely analogous to the original coat, never mind anything with the desired reflectivity features. Word!

More reflective gear: zipper pulls, customized shopping bags, ... Oh Wait, RantWoman is probably going to generate some of these and inflict them on all the RantFamily!

Gift cards or gift certificates to RantWoman's favorite online shopping domains. RantWoman prefers gift cards because a time or two RantWoman has sent really specific SUGGESTIONS and been expected to be grateful for completely different offerings RantWoman considers it good for her sou to put up with maybe A FEW shattered expectations, but RantWoman does NOT recommend overdoing that.

Oh Wait. The season is about GIVING? You mean RantWoman is supposed to be attending to OTHERS' gift lists...?