I’ve also got some style, if I do say so myself. So this post is a listing of gifts I’ve received, gifts I would love to receive, or items you should buy for yourself or brother or dad or yo man. They just need to be a little hip-geek.

You need a good casual winter coat. My wife already gave me this gift for my birthday this year. Think North Face but cooler. If it got Luke Skywalker through a cold night, I’m pretty sure this will get me from my house, to my car, and through the checkout line at Fresh Market. Easily holds your new iPhone 4S, a Cliff Bar, your VW keys and potentially a light saber.

Jacket purchased, image stolen from Adidas.com

I love watches. And unfortunately I can’t afford my dream watch – Tag Heuer Monaco (unless I have a rich Uncle reading this), so an alternative is Tokyo Flash. I own one of their watches, aptly named the Pimp watch. Check out their site – you too can cling onto youth, like I’m apparently doing. And the prices are great.

Steve McQueen sporting the Tag Heuer Monaco

My Tokyo Flash Pimp Watch

If you adore Hip Hop and you know I do, invest in some good headphones. I got a pair of Beats by Dr.Dre last Christmas and they have honestly enhanced my life. Hip Hop has never sounded better, but so has everything else. So whether you’re listening to Lupe Fiasco’s The Show Goes On, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue or Cars Hiss By My Window by The Doors – you’ll find a deeper connection to your music library. Probably doesn’t work with Garth Brooks though. Or at least, they better not.

White Beats by Dr Dre

Every man should roll with a money clip, cigar case, flask, sturdy glasses case and a handkerchief. Go with simplicity – silver, brown or black. And get ready to spread the gospel on this. I feel very strongly about all of these and every man should. I’ve run with this Tiffany and Co. money clip now for a good five years. I’m still working on some of the other items.

Classically simple

Embrace an author. Everyone should have their go-to author. Someone they can turn to for inspiration, or a book to reread during tough times, or a quote that applies to your path in your life. Interestingly, I’ve turned to a lot of authors that are destructive, petulant, selfish, addicts, depressed and fiercely independent. Who knew. Anyway, go buy a bunch of Hemingway books for your dad, boyfriend or little sister.

Writing away

Invest in a camera. My dream camera? Check out this Leica:

The beautiful Leica M9

But you can still take great photos with anything. Buy yourself a camera. Carry it with you at all times. Put the viewfinder to your eye and frame your perspective. Click the button. You just created a moment in life. And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Toys aren’t just for kids. In fact, I have tons that I won’t let my son play with. Go visit Mass Ave Toys and splurge. Seriously, stay in one night and abstain from drinking (3) drinks at The Libertine. That will easily get you some cool robots, Ugly Dolls, or a slinky. You’ll probably also avoid a hangover too – so you’re welcome.

Speaking of toys – LEGO. Pick your favorite collection and build it. The obvious recommendation is the Architecture Series, but you can also build your Star Wars Empire, go all Hufflepuff with the Harry Potter Collection or the laughable Pirates of Caribbean. Seriously, I will laugh at you if you buy a LEGO Jack Sparrow. Don’t be an idiot.

Yavin 4's Massassi Temple

Of course I’m going to plug RobotoWear. It’s our local clothing company, inspired by Robots and totally geek hip. I plan on owning the entire collection. And you should own at least one piece. Sure, your closet is packed with Lacoste and Nautica polos, but wouldn’t a Robot polo be cooler? I rest my case. And honestly you have enough disposable income. Just buy something. “The 22-hour polo. Wear it 14 hours at your startup, then head out for 8 hours of sushi, cigars and late night texting.”

The Standard: For Men

Sunglasses. Own a lot of them. Mix them up according to your mood, style, occasion, or weather. Own a pair of aviators and then go crazy. I like sunglasses because when I run errands I can match them with a hoodie and headphones. I’m guaranteed to not run into or talk to anyone.

And finally. No birthday would be complete without a good dessert. And I am a god damn expert on desserts. Acceptable birthday sweets are Carrot Cake, Coconut or Banana Cream Pie, Raspberry Napoleon Cake, something with Marzipan and in very rare cases, a Cannoli shipped from southern Italy. Don’t buy the horribly processed cake from a supermarket. It may look good, but so do a lot of things in the right light. You know what I’m talking about.

Carrot Cake I made

Thanks for reading. I’m off to rework my birthday list.

A cannoli from Rome

So of course I took this sugar appreciation to the next level. I created a Flickr group.

It’s simply called Cannoli, and you can access it, here. I started this group almost three years ago during a long layover at La Guardia airport. I adore Flickr and I was thinking of creating a group that would be fairly unique. Surprisingly, cannoli was available. I formed it and searched through Flickr looking for cannoli images, but not finding many. I invited as many as I could to the new group.

From Flickr user lismi171

There a reason I’m writing about Flickr. I started my new job at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week and I’ve been thinking a lot about digital content and online outlets – such as Flickr, and I’ve already started devising some unique approaches for involving Flickr in our online strategies – specifically how we can engage fans in innovative ways. Stay tuned for updates on IMS and the online arena (especially Flickr sets and groups). But back to the cannoli (wiki definition, here).

Since the group launched, the number of cannoli images has increased dramatically. I spent part of tonight viewing some of the images, selecting my favorites and inviting them to join this group. It’s already growing. I like Flickr for this reason. It’s members are committed, community-driven and willing to participate. Not to mention the talented photographers.

The cannoli is a simple yet complicated dessert. It’s delicate and robust. It’s crunchy yet soft. It’s like life.

So enjoy my dorky Flickr group, upload some images and in the words of Peter Clemenza:

“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”