Things I Want That I Can't (&^&*%! Find

So lately it seems like there a ton of things I want to buy but can't for the life of me actually find. I've decided to post a running list here on my blog in the hopes that some kind soul will stumble upon it and send me these things. Come on Internet!

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1. Maps from inside the metro cars in Prague

This one seems so simple, and yet has proven to be so maddeningly elusive. I even wrote the Czech transit authority offering to buy them. No dice. My friends in Prague haven't been able to get them for me, either.

Haven't the Czechs embraced capitalism? Don't they know EVERYTHING is for sale?

Actually, as this list proves, not everything is for sale, after all.

Two examples:




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2. A print of a Max Svabinsky painting I saw once but don't know the name of

I saw a particular painting by the celebrated Czech artist at an exhibit when I was living in Prague. It was of a couple (I believe) walking around the bend of a hill. It was perfect.

Apparently, it doesn't exist on the Internet -- and maybe even anywhere else anymore, for that matter.

Now I know what you're thinking: Perhaps, idiot, if you knew the f-ing name of the painting, you'd be able to find it. But that wouldn't help me, I can guarantee you.



Because I would GLADLY SETTLE FOR A PRINT OF "The Poor Region" -- shown above -- which is also awesome, and which I can't even get a hi-res jpeg of for smazak's sake.

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3. A print of my favorite Ed Ruscha painting, "Home Power"

I saw this one live in Atlanta and the High Museum:


It rules.

It also cannot be purchased.

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4. A vintage Panasonic model RC 6025 alarm clock

I believe this is exact model Bill Murray wakes up to in the movie Groundhog Day.



Which is why I want it.

I was looking for a cool, arty, conversation-piece of an alarm clock so I didn't have to sleep next to my iPhone anymore. I did a lot of searching -- and then it occurred to me. Groundhog Day!

Can't find one, though.

Of course.

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5. An awesome vintage wireframe record shelf

When my parents were cleaning out my grandparents' house in the Bronx during their move to assisted living, they asked me if I wanted any of their stuff. I pawed through their record collection, was mostly unmoved, and said no.

What I failed to notice was the wire shelf they were stored on. Which makes me a moron.

Why?

Because, as I've since learned, they're extremely tough to find.

I want and need one (maybe two) and preferably -- nay, definitely -- one with vintage/ironic genre labels, sort of like the one below.



That's it for now, but feel free to keep checking back here. I will add more stuff as I think of it.

If anyone has any leads on the current crop, please let me know!