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. :)