This year was suppose to be different.<\/p>\n

This year, I was going to utterly decimate SharkBoy with a gift so left field and unpredictable that he was going to fall down unconscious and I would rejoice and dance around his prone body with a cup of egg nog. And we’d sing carols and upload videos to Youtube and eat mince meat pies.<\/p>\n

Alas, I have been found out and my reputation as a shitty gift giver stays intact<\/a>. SharkBoy knows what he’s getting for Xmas. But in my own defense, not by my hand!<\/p>\n

I started this amazing gift bonanza early. Back in the summer, our friend BobaDoug<\/a> had been trolling the 501st web forums<\/a> to see if anyone was selling their Stormtrooper armor for cheap. A couple weeks back he sends me an email from some chap in the US who is offloading his gear, attached with this picture (see right)
\n<\/a>Of course my mind goes a million miles a minute. Doable! And fun! After about 25 emails back and forth, the cheque is in the mail, the suit is on it’s way to sister-in-law Sylvie, in Vermont, and I make the most solemn vow not to say one word. This time was different. The effort was being made!<\/p>\n

To explain the chunk of cash missing from the joint account I said some yarn about how I wanted extra money on my credit card for our upcoming New York trip. Bait taken. No suspecty!<\/p>\n

A week later, BobaDoug sends me another picture. See above. No it’s not a dead trooper, it’s a pristine SandTrooper outfit with full gear – was I interested? HELLS YEAH! Sandtroopers are my fave! How could I pass it up! Somehow I had to move another chunk of cash around our savings. They say the best lie is the closest to the truth so I came clean. I showed SharkBoy the picture and said, “This is my Xmas gift to me. I can’t pass this deal up. It’s done.” To which he asked if Doug could look for a suit for himself as well. Oh yes,<\/em> dear! Of course we will. Little do you know!<\/p>\n

All is good. I’ve told Sylvie in Vermont that another<\/em> suit is on it’s way and hush hush on the first one and that SharkBoy knew that I had bought one for myself. We giggle like school girls.<\/p>\n

In moving this second chunk of cash, PayPal was a bit slow. I told SharkBoy not to be alarmed by the amount of money hanging around. Last night, after dinner I checked the bank accounts and it was still there. I briefly mentioned to it to him and he grunted in reply. The phone rings and SharkBoy picks it up. It’s Sylvie.<\/p>\n

“Tell DeadRobot his suit is here!”<\/p>\n

“Wut,” says SharkBoy.<\/p>\n

“Ah…Wow! ha! That was…fast…?” I say.<\/p>\n

“How did your suit… get to…” SharkBoy Pauses. A light goes on. “YES!!!”<\/p>\n

I hear a tinny, tiny “Oh Shit!” come from the phone ear piece.<\/p>\n

I don’t blame Sylvie. I should have kept her in the loop about the *timeline* of the payments and deliveries. It wasn’t her fault at all.<\/p>\n

But I’m back to being a shitty gift giver. At least that’s no surprise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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