Gary Dell'Abate

It seems like it was only yesterday that I was writing this very column about Hurricane Irene for our November 2011 issue. And now we’ve just lived through Hurricane Sandy, which came with huge warnings and delivered much devastation. Me, I was without power, landline phones, Internet, and cable for 6 days.

The guys at S&V asked me to put together my holiday wish list. So, in no particular order, here goes:

Whenever I'm going to a big event that I want to document for all posterity - like my sons' concerts or championship football games - I find myself staring at my arsenal of weapons. For these events, a really good video camera is a must. I already have several on hand, so I usually take the one that has a good zoom and takes high-quality video.

A s many of you know, I built a house a little over 3 years ago and wired it to the hilt. I thought I had my future-proof bases well covered, but 3 years is a lifetime in today's techie world. When we first moved in there, my sons were 12 and 8 years old. They liked music to some degree, but since it wasn't a prioirty for them, I didn't bother to wire their rooms for speakers. Fast forward: My kids are now veterans in using iPods, iPod touches, and the Sonos wireless multiroom music system. It's no surprise, then, that my iTunes bill is through the roof.