I’m not sure whether to call this The List of Stuff I Want or the List of Stuff I Need Money For or Man, I’m Gonna Be Broke or what. It started out as a companion to my 101 things in 1001 days list that ended last year. I don’t want to think hard enough for 101 things but I’m making goals.

1. A dishwasher – Last May the SO broke the dishwasher handle. I can’t open it if it is shut. That is good as it often gives me a legitimate excuse to put off doing the dishes but it is also bad because sometimes I need something out of the dishwasher but it is trapped until he comes home. Also the whole dishwasher has an identity crisis. It seems to think that it’s purpose is to take dirt off a plate and spread it around to all the other dishes.

We’ve been browsing for a replacement for a year. Now I’m serious. I liked the one that they did a demo with for the salesguys where they put a chocolate cake in it and turned it on and it made the whole cake disappear. I don’t remember the brand though so I’m reduced to asking sales people if they have the “one that can eat a cake.” Seems a sad waste of cake.

2. A stove – When I mentioned that I was now serious about the dishwasher the SO asked about the stove. Both appliances are crappy and came with the house. I offered to bring my decent stove with me when I moved in. He said no because we’d replace his with a new one. That was a bit ago. This one never has all the burners working at the same time. When the cleaning lady comes she removes the burners to clean and can’t get them back in so it is 50/50 if they work and more likely that they are now slanted so pots aren’t sitting flat. It takes about two weeks of fussing to get them fixed and then the cleaning lady comes back. The stove also has no timer. I don’t ask for much in a stove but consistently functional, level burners and a timer seem like bare minimums.

3. A sauna – This is totally the SO’s fault. I didn’t know these existed until he told me. They are infrared saunas that just plug into normal electric plugs. They work like our beloved EdenPure heater – just heat, no moisture or anything. We wanted one for the basement but we live in an elderly house with a short basement so the 75 inch tall cabinet won’t fit. However, now that I’m obsessed I’m willing to give up sewing room space. I have a scrapbook area that I’m not using since I’ve gone mostly digital. It would fit there.

Here’s the joy of it. In the winter the house is cold. Now I put a space heater in the bathroom to warm up the air, take a shower which never feels warm in the cool air, and jump into bed under the electric blanket until I stop shivering. What I could do is turn on the sauna to let it warm up and after the shower hop inside in the blissful warmness!

I’ve looked at lots of sites and they range in price from $800- $thousands. I can’t figure out why for sure. All the descriptions seem identical. I don’t know if I’m missing something important or not. They all claim that it makes you lose weight but can’t really back that up very scientifically. Good side benefit to warmth if it is true!

4. iPad – Why? I’ve decided that I want to be James Rollins when I grow up. He’s an author who wrote his first books while being a practicing vet. He wrote 3 pages a day and was rejected 49 times before he was published. Now he writes full time and plays as a vet. I figure I have enough down time during the day to write if I had a laptop. I don’t really even care about being published. I just want to see if I can write a book. But I can imagine my Oprah author interview…

The iPad would also let me get some magazines on it’s eReader. I read way too much to use it as a primary reading device since I’d go broke from buying so many books. I’m a library girl. But it would be nice to have while traveling so lots of my suitcase isn’t taken up with books.

I hate the iPhone-like interface! It pains me to say that since I’ve been an Apple religious fanatic since the Apple II but touch screen typing sucks. The iPad has an optional keyboard that lets you use it like a laptop for less than the price of an Apple laptop.

5. Venice – I’ve always wanted to go. I figure that if I don’t start researching and figuring out costs than it will never be more than some vague thing that I want to do someday. It may not happen for years but it will be fun to learn about.

There are my five things I want right now. Anyone else looking fir something specific?