Odd Christmas presents

Thread Starter

Markd77

Joined Sep 7, 2009
2,806
For some reason I got a jar of tahini and a bag of dried chickpeas in my stocking. Obviously there is only one use for them, which is making hummus, so I've just finished making around 2.5 kilos of it. Tastes OK. Apparently it freezes well, which is good news, because that's a huge pile of hummus.

Did anyone else get anything unexpected or unusual?
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,706
I got a unicycle for Christmas. Now I have to learn to ride the darn thing before the little bit of vestibulocochlear nerve that I have left runs out.
 

DerStrom8

Joined Feb 20, 2011
2,390
Mine's not so strange, but I got an African mug that was hand-made by a man in Dublin, Ireland, an Ivy hat and matching sweater (from two different sources), and $130 cash. I still have another family Christmas gathering to attend, so that's not all. I've also been given a 10-amp Variac :D

Yup, I've had a good Christmas this year :)
 

Ron H

Joined Apr 14, 2005
7,063
I got a pair of fuzzy pink slippers from my 7 year old granddaughter. She thought it was enormously funny, and she was right.:D
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
I tend to get a watch every year for Christmas. However, I just don't find wearing a watch to be very comfortable. They usually pinch, they get knocked into things I pass closely by, and for a couple of decades now are completely superfluous as every electronic device one owns has a clock on/in it.

For some reason people frequently notice I do not wear a watch.

For some reason people never ask me why I don't wear a watch.

For some reason people keep buying me watches.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
Are they nice watches? I need to get some cheapos to show how to modify them for 24 hour timer, or weekly timers.
 

steveb

Joined Jul 3, 2008
2,436
I got a very odd present. My wife knows that I have an old VCR tape of the cult classic Sci Fi movie. "Robinson Crusoe on Mars"

I bought this on EBAY years ago because I have fond memories of watching this movie many times as a kid. I wasn't able to find official VHS or DVD releases at the time, so I tracked down an EBAY offer from a guy that just taped it off his TV.

Well, the damn tape got eaten by the machine this past year, which disappointed me. However, my wife found out that it was released on Blue Ray and gave it to me for Christmas.
 

Attachments

thatoneguy

Joined Feb 19, 2009
6,359
I'm pretty sure nobody has any clue what to get me for Christmas.

That or I have lazy relatives. Ended up with just a bunch of cash, and I'm not sure what I want. :confused:
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
I'm pretty sure nobody has any clue what to get me for Christmas.

That or I have lazy relatives. Ended up with just a bunch of cash, and I'm not sure what I want. :confused:
Similar here, I have the weirdest tastes and most "normal" things don't impress me. Friends, if I need a piece of clothing I buy it when I need it, no need to get me any. I was hoping someone would get me one of those new RC helicopters but no deal.

I did have a list this year. Finally got the camera I've been asking for 3 years now. It's a very good camera too, better then I would have bought myself so I am very happy.

I also got 3 books. 2 are about specific train stations. The third is about the Helvetica font.
 

thatoneguy

Joined Feb 19, 2009
6,359
Go to JC Penny's, they have a sale on those IR Helicopters for $30, they have an internal gyroscope and are super-easy to fly.

Marked down from $100 for for post-Christmas clearout.
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
They fly them in the mall. the little kiosk guys. I always thought that was pretty brave. I've seen dash-mount camera footage of people walking out into traffic and throwing their bodies against the hood of cars for insurance claims. I can just see someone waiting until the heli gets low enough and then intenionally walking into it.
 

thatoneguy

Joined Feb 19, 2009
6,359
They fly them in the mall. the little kiosk guys. I always thought that was pretty brave. I've seen dash-mount camera footage of people walking out into traffic and throwing their bodies against the hood of cars for insurance claims. I can just see someone waiting until the heli gets low enough and then intenionally walking into it.
The gyro ones are nearly impossible to crash. If they lose signal, they simply hover where they lost signal, it's pretty awesome. You can also do perfect 90 degree turns with them.

I have a few of the non-gyro stabilized ones, and though it is kind of fun, you are continually fighting the trim as the battery gets low, and you need a fast thumb to do a snap 90 degree turn, which isn't very good, think "undamped oscillator", while the gyro ones (marked as 3.5 channel) are critically damped oscilators.

They are a hoot to fly, and amazingly resilient, when another helo flies over yours, you lose all lift and it hits the ground quick (when at 8 feet), you could probably recover if in a mall or similar and had 3 stories of airspace to play with.
 

DerStrom8

Joined Feb 20, 2011
2,390
Go to JC Penny's, they have a sale on those IR Helicopters for $30, they have an internal gyroscope and are super-easy to fly.

Marked down from $100 for for post-Christmas clearout.
That sounds awesome, but my local JCPenny's got flooded during Hurricane Irene. Had 8 feet of water in the building, and they don't plan to reopen until March or April :eek:

Would have been an awesome gift to give the kids, though :p
 
Top