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I Know You, Chang

(The title is a reference to a running gag my siblings & I have. Usually, that line is preceded by something like, "Whatever, you're the troublemaker in the family." This usually leads to a bout of calling each other "Chang" for a while. Should this happen in public, hilarity is likely to ensue)

My siblings and I have known each other for over 20 years, so we've had some time to more or less figure each other out. That makes for all sorts of fun when we all hang out at family events, but it also makes gift-buying slightly problematic. We can usually figure out what the other person wants, but that also means that the person is likely to purchase it before receiving the gift.

Take my sister's Christmas gift this year. She is a fan of Steve Nash, and as a result, she likes to watch the (Phoenix) Suns. So I figured I'd get her tickets to a Warriors game when the Suns are in town. Short of her actually going to Arizona, that's probably the best way for her to watch the team play. Well, my sister went to Arizona about a week ago. Dammit.

On the flip side, I've been considering getting myself a Kindle for a few weeks. My brother & sister got me a pocket Sony Reader (side note: it actually does fit in my pocket - we tested this). Good call, guys. Though my sister did cheat slightly, in that she barred me from buying anything for myself for about a month. She apparently thought ahead and predicted that I might steal her/their thunder (overachiever).

Next year, I'm going to have to run interference somehow. Hopefully I can get by with a little bit of trickery, but I may have to resort to laying down the law. Who knew gift-giving could be so Machiavellian?

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