Birthday Gift Suggestions, Amazing Feminist Nerd Lady Edition
April 15, 2017 8:35 AM Subscribe
A dear friend and roommate of many years is about to have a milestone birthday. She's had a rough year, so I'd like to make this gift something truly awesome and delightful for her. Unfortunately, I'm feeling stuck.
In past years, I've given her nerdy T-shirts from Etsy or Society6, or books, which were usually well received, but I'd like to step up my game. I've listed her interests below along with things she already has. I would especially love a gift that could allude to her character - she has a generosity of spirit, a tendency give a shit when it isn't her turn, and a willingness to set tough goals and work her butt off for them. She's also the kind of person who can get down on herself when she shoots for the sun and only reaches the moon, so a gift that could symbolically honor her effort versus achievement would be especially meaningful. She also has a majorly great sense of humor so something with a funny side (but not too gag-gifty) would be cool.
My budget tops out at a couple hundred. We're in the Boston area. I can get to any brick-and-mortar store that is accessible by public transportation. Also happy to purchase online (non-Amazon shopping preferred.) Experience gifts would be cool too, but I'm wary of classes just because I don't fully know her schedule or if she would find it stressful to attend when she's already taking classes on top of working full-time. We're taking her out to dinner on her birthday and I know she's planning to throw herself a big cookout later in the summer when she's done with class.
(I suspect any Mefi readers who know either of us in real life may be able to identify us from this question, since her interests are so idiosyncratic - if so, please don't let that stop you if you have any suggestions! I would love to hear from you.)
Stuff she does:
-works full time in a STEM field.
-Takes classes towards a master's degree
-Works part time at our local science museum
-Serves as our local election warden
-Cohosts a nerdy podcast
-Acts in productions with our local radio drama group
-Mods a longrunning fanfiction based role-playing game
Stuff she's into (not an exhaustive list):
-Turtles! She has turtle pets and loves most anything turtle-related (as a result we already have quite a few turtle-themed decor items)
-Cats. We just welcomed a new cat into our house after her much loved cat died several months ago.
-TMNT: fan since childhood. The trouble with TMNT-related gifts is she already owns a ton of comics, art and related merch and I know she's actively looking to cut down on collectibles.
-Attending cons: she's not going to make it to San Diego ComicCon this year but she's attended several years in a row
-Many other fandoms, including but not limited to Steven universe, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Legend of Korra
-Reads quite a bit, I believe mostly comics, nonfiction (pop science, memoir,) and graphic novels. I don't know exactly which ones but she's mentioned Lumberjanes on occasion
-Knitting (I don't knit so it's tough to say what level she's at or if she needs any gear. She has needles, a yarn bowl and several books.)
-Birds: she has a birdfeeder on her window which she enjoys watching, but new cat is less stealthy than old cat and scares off the birdlife. She has a bird handbook but I'm not sure if she is interested in birdwatching out-of-doors.
-Science: animals, anatomy, neuroscience. I got her an anatomically themed apron once which was a hit.
-Cooking/baking: she enjoys food but already has a subscription to Blue Apron, kitchen gadgets, and Penzey's spices.
-Movies, TV, media: She's watches all kinds of stuff. I know she loved the all-ladies Ghostbusters, Gilmore Girls, Blackish, Switched at Birth, Hamilton, most of the Pixar movies.
-Handy-person stuff: she does some gardening and fixing/refurbishing of things, but also has a very extensive tool set. Not interested in making stuff from scratch for the most part. We have a yard and a porch.
She's active in the resistance and supports a bunch of causes, so I may make a donation to a worthy cause in her name, but I'd like a big part of the gift to be something just for her.
Many thanks for any and all suggestions!
In past years, I've given her nerdy T-shirts from Etsy or Society6, or books, which were usually well received, but I'd like to step up my game. I've listed her interests below along with things she already has. I would especially love a gift that could allude to her character - she has a generosity of spirit, a tendency give a shit when it isn't her turn, and a willingness to set tough goals and work her butt off for them. She's also the kind of person who can get down on herself when she shoots for the sun and only reaches the moon, so a gift that could symbolically honor her effort versus achievement would be especially meaningful. She also has a majorly great sense of humor so something with a funny side (but not too gag-gifty) would be cool.
My budget tops out at a couple hundred. We're in the Boston area. I can get to any brick-and-mortar store that is accessible by public transportation. Also happy to purchase online (non-Amazon shopping preferred.) Experience gifts would be cool too, but I'm wary of classes just because I don't fully know her schedule or if she would find it stressful to attend when she's already taking classes on top of working full-time. We're taking her out to dinner on her birthday and I know she's planning to throw herself a big cookout later in the summer when she's done with class.
(I suspect any Mefi readers who know either of us in real life may be able to identify us from this question, since her interests are so idiosyncratic - if so, please don't let that stop you if you have any suggestions! I would love to hear from you.)
Stuff she does:
-works full time in a STEM field.
-Takes classes towards a master's degree
-Works part time at our local science museum
-Serves as our local election warden
-Cohosts a nerdy podcast
-Acts in productions with our local radio drama group
-Mods a longrunning fanfiction based role-playing game
Stuff she's into (not an exhaustive list):
-Turtles! She has turtle pets and loves most anything turtle-related (as a result we already have quite a few turtle-themed decor items)
-Cats. We just welcomed a new cat into our house after her much loved cat died several months ago.
-TMNT: fan since childhood. The trouble with TMNT-related gifts is she already owns a ton of comics, art and related merch and I know she's actively looking to cut down on collectibles.
-Attending cons: she's not going to make it to San Diego ComicCon this year but she's attended several years in a row
-Many other fandoms, including but not limited to Steven universe, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Legend of Korra
-Reads quite a bit, I believe mostly comics, nonfiction (pop science, memoir,) and graphic novels. I don't know exactly which ones but she's mentioned Lumberjanes on occasion
-Knitting (I don't knit so it's tough to say what level she's at or if she needs any gear. She has needles, a yarn bowl and several books.)
-Birds: she has a birdfeeder on her window which she enjoys watching, but new cat is less stealthy than old cat and scares off the birdlife. She has a bird handbook but I'm not sure if she is interested in birdwatching out-of-doors.
-Science: animals, anatomy, neuroscience. I got her an anatomically themed apron once which was a hit.
-Cooking/baking: she enjoys food but already has a subscription to Blue Apron, kitchen gadgets, and Penzey's spices.
-Movies, TV, media: She's watches all kinds of stuff. I know she loved the all-ladies Ghostbusters, Gilmore Girls, Blackish, Switched at Birth, Hamilton, most of the Pixar movies.
-Handy-person stuff: she does some gardening and fixing/refurbishing of things, but also has a very extensive tool set. Not interested in making stuff from scratch for the most part. We have a yard and a porch.
She's active in the resistance and supports a bunch of causes, so I may make a donation to a worthy cause in her name, but I'd like a big part of the gift to be something just for her.
Many thanks for any and all suggestions!
Best answer: Would she be interested in a DNA analysis similar to 23andme?
I got a star "named after me" which was always cool.
If she doesn't mind the crowds you could get her a ticket to Dragon Con in Atlanta.
Also check shutupandtakemymoney.com
posted by crunchy potato at 9:54 AM on April 15, 2017
I got a star "named after me" which was always cool.
If she doesn't mind the crowds you could get her a ticket to Dragon Con in Atlanta.
Also check shutupandtakemymoney.com
posted by crunchy potato at 9:54 AM on April 15, 2017
Best answer: A Bathsheba math sculpture? They're wonderful to feel and look wonderful in SFnal displays.
posted by clew at 10:48 AM on April 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by clew at 10:48 AM on April 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Nebula Glassware at ThinkGeek. More science-themed housewares, etc. at The Scientific Home on etsy, including oven mitts to match the apron. Or maybe this anatomically-correct heart pillow for your big-hearted friend.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:52 AM on April 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:52 AM on April 15, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I absolutely love Empire Magazine. It's a nice subscription splurge (around $75 for the year or even cheaper at under $6/month if you do a recurring subscription). Wonderful heavy and glossy magazine, high quality content, based in the UK but ships to the US. It's fun when you find it in your mail and it doesn't junk up the house because it's easy to recycle or give away without guilt.
posted by belau at 11:21 AM on April 15, 2017
posted by belau at 11:21 AM on April 15, 2017
Best answer: If you can get figure out her knitting preferences, there are a lot of Etsy stores that sell hand-dyed/spun yarn themed after various fandoms. Since yarn has a practical use, it (mostly) avoids the problem of collectibles piling up, and at ~$20-30 a skein it feels like a nice gift without getting into "oh god, this is too nice, no pattern will ever be worthy of it" territory.
Some examples: a Steven Universe gem duo from a shop that has a ton of other geeky yarns, a shop with Hamilton yarn, and (of course!) a skein of lime green TMNT sock yarn
posted by mcfighty at 12:24 PM on April 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
Some examples: a Steven Universe gem duo from a shop that has a ton of other geeky yarns, a shop with Hamilton yarn, and (of course!) a skein of lime green TMNT sock yarn
posted by mcfighty at 12:24 PM on April 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: These are all wonderful, thank you!
posted by prewar lemonade at 12:43 PM on April 15, 2017
posted by prewar lemonade at 12:43 PM on April 15, 2017
I think whatever else you ultimately get for her, one of the nicest things you could do for her this birthday is write her a nice letter or note (or even get a bunch of her friends/colleagues/classmates to write her notes or letters as well if that's feasible!) telling her in no uncertain terms how much of a rock star you think she is and how happy you are that you are her friend. Bonus points if you find a gorgeous and/or nerdy card that could be framed or otherwise repurposed as wall art so she can think about that wonderful note every time she sees it. :)
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:31 AM on April 17, 2017
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:31 AM on April 17, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
Then put it on her (you are within your rights as a roommate to insist that she wear something specific for her gift presentation, it's fine if you compromise the surprise). Then ask that she remember, every time she looks at this piece or puts it on, or, if it happens to be lost someday, every time she remembers it or this moment, that she remember how good and strong and wonderful she is.
Put something related in a beautiful card that she can look at every day for a few days.
Then take her out to a meal or cafe with some other people who will also appreciate her.
posted by amtho at 9:22 AM on April 15, 2017 [5 favorites]