10 "Things" Michelle and I like

Mandy wrote a blog recently that discussed the things (that would be nouns that are not people or places) that she really liked in 2010. As I read her post I started thinking about my four and a half inch angle grinder and it was clear to me that it was a thing worthy of a blog post all by itself. Following my little daughter's lead I decided I would come up with a list of things I liked this year.

As I started to think of them it occurred to me that maybe I didn't have enough things to come up with a list all by myself ... so I asked my other half to help me by combining her list.

DSLR Camera - Jim - I know I opened with the angle grinder but I decided the DSLR has to go on the top of my list because without a doubt the Nikon D-90 has been my favorite toy this year. I have 3 lenses that give me most any picture I want (and a 4th that I use from time to time). I suppose they are things too but I'm including them in this list. The lenses (in order of preference)

Nikor 18-200 - I like this lens because it a zoom lens that really should be two lens
Nikor 10-24 - Ultra wide angle. I'm consistently stunned by how much picture this grabs
Nikor f1.8 35 - This prime lens is fast. Really fast (i.e. lots of depth of field)

4.5 Inch Angle Grinder - Jim (duh). I started body work on my 54 Chevy this year and initially I was using sand paper, a wire brush, and a die grinder. As I sit here on January 2nd of 2011 I am a much wiser man with the knowledge that a 4.5 inch angle grinder is SO MUCH better than those other tools for removing rust or metal that you think shouldn't be there. I also learned it removes skin and meat so I gained some additional wisdom around that feature.

Droid Phone - Both - I actually had the phone on the list prior to inviting Michelle for her entries but if Michelle loves her phone, my phone affection is little more than a grade school crush. Truth be told, my perspective is that if she had to choose between me and that phone ... well, let's hope she doesn't have to make that choice (moving is stressful).

15,000 Pound Automotive Lift - Jim - When I built the toy box in the back yard I designed it so I could put an automotive lift in it. It's quite surprising how the folks in China have brought the cost of having such a thing from over $10,000 to under $1,500. I figured it would be handy to have the capacity to lift a car and walk under it, but I had no idea how a device like that coupled with some out of the box creativity could do so many things (that have nothing to do with lifting cars).

Kindle - Both - I sit in the lazy boy chair. Michelle lays on the couch. I read and the device shows me the pages of my book without the burden of book marks, losing my place, or turning pages. For Michelle in the same time window the Kindle displays a screen saver and, using the new technology in this new version, prevents her from snoring

Hobart 140 MIG Welder - I haven't welded for 25 or 30 years. I may have forgotten but it seemed to me that arch welders threw sparks everywhere and (among other things)set your cloths on fire. If the stick got to close, it stuck to the weld. If it got too far away the arc ceased to exist. Let me tell you, folks, the world has changed. Shielding gas does wonderful things to the sparks. Wire feed makes a stick more or less barbaric. Technology made welding much more fun.

"That Picture" - Michelle has been frustrated for years at her inability to get a picture of the whole family. She forces us all into a pose from time to time but it never seems to go the way she wants it and she always comes up short. This year the kids (and their spouses who, from my perspective, shouldn't be singled out separately because the spouses are part of "the kids") met in Vail Colorado for a vacation together. While there they created some excellent pictures and played a cruel trick on their mother. I'm a little slow (because I never figured out what the trick was) but it must have been mean because the picture made her cry.

Scroll Saw - Michelle - Michelle started a new wood working hobby this year. We already have many woodworking devices (table saw, compound mitre saw, table sander, drill press, router table, etc) but we didn't have a scroll saw and she wanted to cut out wooden turkeys (and you aren't doing the feet with any of those tools).

So there you have it. The things we liked in 2010.