Gifts

I just read a "Father's Day" do-and-don't article on AOL. I don't know who writes these articles, or why, but they're goofy as the dickens. But this one is more insidious than the rest, because all the gift ideas are, basically, Sharper Image gewgaws and the article contains links to the AOL Marketplace where they can be ordered without hesitation. It's advertising disguised as an advice column, and it's idiotic.

It seems that every year the experts recommend ever more expensive gifts. This article mentioned such things as a blazer, silver and diamond cufflinks, a GPS unit, a Nintendo DS, and a 13-piece garden tool set complete with a plastic carrying case. I guess the days when one carried one's garden tools in a five-gallon bucket are over; now we need a custom-made plastic case in hunter green. Ugh.

Still, I can't help but think that there's something severely wrong with me. I read the list of suggested gifts and not a single one of them really jumped out at me. Ask me what I really want and I'll say a dozen tamales or a farm jack. What's wrong with me? Why would I want a farm jack instead of silver and diamond cufflinks? And tamales! Criminy; I might as well ask for indigestion and get it over with.

Note: For those who don't know what a farm jack is, consult this link:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=6530