Birthday gifts

Eric's birthday is coming up pretty soon, so I've begun to ask him what he wants. We'll be in Washington, D.C. for his birthday this year, which thrills him to no end. Because it means he'll get to pick and choose where we go and what we do for a whole day of our vacation. Anyway, in preparation for his birthday, I've begun asking him what it is exactly he's hoping to receive from me. I'm, unfortunately, rather hopeless when it comes to buying gifts for anybody. If you do not tell me specifically what you want, you will likely get something you do not like or find useful, or else nothing altogether. The last four years have had ups and downs as far as Eric's birthdays, but he still hasn't caught on that he needs to tell me exactly what he wants if he expects to get something really cool. I really do try to think of good gifts, but ultimately I find myself wandering around some store and finally settling on something that I think he might like.

As with all previous years, I'm asking now what he wants. So far, he has not been very helpful:

Me: What do you want for you birthday this year?
Eric: I don't know.
Me: Oh, I remember. You want that new Beatles album that is coming out.
Eric: Yeah. And to go to Arlington and the Air and Space Museum.
Me: Right, well, that is not so much something tangible that I can give you. What else do you want?
Eric: I don't know.
Me: Oh, I remember. You want a pastry knife.
Eric: I don't think so.
Me: And the Shel Silverstein books of poems.
Eric: No, not that.
Me: And, let's see. You already got a bundt pan, but you also want the America's Test Kitchen cookbook.
Eric: Hmmm... I don't think this list is going too well.
Me: What are you talking about? It's going great.

Well, at least Eric will know what to get me in a couple of months.