10.26.2016

If I Had Nine Lives....

I would like to live these other 8 lives:

1. Gazillionaire eccentric philanthropist. Philanthropy because I obviously could not live with a clean conscience as a gazillionaire without trying to do my part to make the world better. And, aside from that, I mean, come on, what's not to like? I could fund batman. I could bring back the TV show Firefly. I could go to a bookstore and buy all the books I want to read and then sit in a boat and read them while eating cookie dough. The possibilities are endless.

2. Genius mathematician. I suck at math so I feel that it would be extremely gratifying to know that in some other life, I could stand in front of a room of awed college professors and dazzle them with my theories and algorithms. Plus, I feel like I could totally pull off the whole lovably absent minded genius thing if given the chance. Maybe a sad backstory, but not too sad, just sort of haunting. And I could drink a lot of tea.

3. Warrior princess. Mostly because I'm curious to see how I would actually be as a warrior princess type. Based on how persistently clumsy I am and how I react when toast pops out of the toaster, I would never in this life be able to give Mulan a run for her money. But, if it was another life, perhaps I would be born with an innate sense of dignity and fearlessness. Those would be great qualities when it comes time to take out the trash after dark like an actual adult.

4. Someone from another culture. Just for the sake of perspective. A cool accent (and maybe a skin tone other than marshmallow-except-when-exposed-to-two-seconds-of-sun-then-turns-to-tomato-wash-rinse-repeat) would be fun too. I could learn another language fluently.

5. Astronaut. To see the stars and the planets.

6. Movie Director. Mostly so I can sit in a tall chair with sunglasses and a megaphone and yell at people. But also because making movies is cool, and I love the way art and technology intersect in the film industry. And I like stories.

7. Carpenter/woodcarver. I have way too many great ideas of tables and drawers and little toys and doll house furniture and stuff I'd like to build for my bus, but when it comes to measuring and cutting, I always tend to screw something up. The irrational fear that saw blades might just fall apart like a dremel tool blade and slice off my arms doesn't help. But of course, I would not be afraid of that if I was a masterful carpenter, now would I?

8. Me. Who wouldn't love a do-over of all their mistakes, right? Plus it would be pretty cool to start over as a baby, back in 1998, with full knowledge of how the next eighteen years would play out. Hindsight truly is 20/20, and I'd get a chance to spend more time with people I have loved that have passed away and ask the things I have wondered since and also would be more able to see the things I could be doing to prepare for high school and college and beyond. I could also shock the socks off my parents by "learning" how to read or play piano etc. at the age of two or something, that would be fun. :)

Cat Stevens - Morning has Broken [song of the day]


10.23.2016

My Top 5 Guilty Pleasures

1. Drinking coffee past 4:00 p.m. I only do this on the rare and glorious days when I can sleep in the following morning, and it is truly decadent.

2. Watching more than one movie in a row. This is even more of a shameful indulgence because when I convince myself it's OK to watch more than one movie in a row, I usually go on a spiral of movies or TV shows lasting for hours and hours and I am a despicable human being.

3. Driving in a car in the fall with all the windows open and the heater on full blast. Yes, it's terribly wasteful to have the heater on like that and all the windows down. I don't care. It's a delicious combination of cozy and brisk and the leaves where I am are gorgeous in the fall and if you turn up the music it's perfection.

4. Pinterest. The infamous time-waster. I indulge in this one probably daily which is admittedly a little disheartening but it gives me the illusion of productivity-like buying new calendars and pens will do-and I like that. Plus, it's such a happy little world and you can make lots of little boxes full of nice things like tea and books and babies and sunshine and poems-where else do you get to do that? Nowhere, that's where.

5. Getting a hotel room instead of driving through the night when on vacation. Curling up on a nice bed with fluffy pillows and watching cooking shows and not feeling a single tinge of responsibility beyond the inherent guilt of spending that much money. Now that is a guilty pleasure.