(no subject)

[mllelaurel]

rigel has brought up a very good question:

If you had effectively infinite resources, what would you do with your life?


For starters, I would make sure that my parents were comfortably situated. House or apartment - up to them, though a house would have to come with full staff, as neither Mom nor Dad knows what to do with plumbing, landscaping or what have you. And yes, there'd be a jacuzzi somewhere in there. Mom would insist.

As for myself, I'd buy a house in Belmont, Watertown or the Camberville area. A two-level, if at all possible. I'll take the second floor and have friends living on the first. Rent-free, since I'm assuming I don't need to raise money by renting it out. This way, I can have the best of both worlds - my own space, and friends close by.

And if Mom gets a hot tub, I damn well do too!

I'd donate as much money as I reasonably could to medical, psychiatric and genetic research, literacy programs, environmental organizations local theaters, and whatever else came up. I'd make sure the organizations I donated to were legit and non-harmful to their own cause, of course.

I'd travel all over the world - staying at either the best hotels or the local hostels, depending on my mood. Russia and Ukraine are definites, though I can't decide whether visiting my old neighborhood in Kiev would be fun or depressing. Also on my short list are Great Britain, Japan, Australia and Israel (provided the fighting isn't as much of a hazard as it is now).

I don't much like getting my information secondhand, so I'd want to brush up on my foreign languages before I go traveling. My Russian's already pretty good; it just needs to be solidified, but I'd have to effectively relearn Spanish and Japanese. Beyond that, I'd also like to try my hand at Hebrew and Greek. I think Chinese might require a better sense of pitch than I have, but it's still worth a shot.

I assume I'd already have my college degree at this point - let's say a PhD in Psychology. I don't think I'd go back to school full time, but I might enjoy taking an occasional class along with the languages. Voice lessons are also a possibility, though considering how long it's been and the state my voice is in now, I might give my poor voice teacher a coronary. If possible, I'd also try to get into a major writing workshop like Clarion.

Like rigel, I'd take the opportunity to take better care of my health. Take my vitamins more regularly. Eat real food instead of the TV dinners I mostly live on now. Hell, I enjoy cooking, given the time and lack of stress. I'd definitely start getting regular massages - and wouldn't have to worry about health insurance covering them. Maybe then my back won't be such a mess thanks to the Amazing Jewish Boobs. I'm not sure that I trust plastic surgeons enough to get a breast reduction, however small, though it would definitely go in the 'better for my health' category. I probably should look at laser-correction for my eyes, though it's not a priority as I'm quite fond of wearing glasses. Less fond of being near-blind should I lose said glasses, however. Eating better and getting the chance to exercise (privately - one of the things that put me off gyms is the 'on display' factor) would help me to lose weight, which may or may not be a health issue, but would definitely leave me looking better. I'd also go back to therapy. Even if there's no emotional crisis, it's good to have someone to unload at once a week or so.

Having my own place means I don't have to worry about pet policies. I think I'd like two-three cats and a dog. Maybe not all at once, but gradually. They'll be very, very spoiled beasties in record time.

Meanwhile, I'd keep writing and LARPing. Occasionally combining the two. :) My costumes for said LARPs will be more impressive, since I'll no longer have to rely on what's already in my closet. I don't know that I'd want to get involved in LARP politics - that sort of thing tends to be a bit of a killjoy, but I'll definitely help the organizations out financially.

If I go back to volunteering - and I'll likely will - I'll make sure to space out my time working for hotlines, as it's all too easy to burn out. I'll definitely get involved with the local LGBT organizations, and try to find poly equivalents of same. The food pantry, local women's shelter, Planned Parenthood and the library are also strong contenders.

This would also be my excuse to go nuts on the books, DVDs, music, BPAL and what-have-you. Yay stuff!

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot, but my fingers are starting to cramp. Time to post.