Lost Lifestyles

So I have realized that a lot of my life is project driven. I am motivated by all of the (sometimes) crazy ideas that come into my head. Some of them actually pan out and maybe I pick up a new hobby or I create something that is halfway decent. Sadly for every decent idea there's probably at least two that never make it to a completed state, some don't make it past the drawing board. (My New Year's Resolution is to halt the ridiculous projects in the early stages so I don't have a surplus of lumber, PVC and bikes in the basement, but that's another post)

A close cousin to all of the projects that never get finished, I was thinking the other day about all of the hobbies (or skills or lifestyles, yeah...lifestyles) that I just don't have the time or energy or other resources to devote to them. That is the heart of this post. The lives I would live with unlimited time.

Race Car Driver

This isn't really what you think. I don't want to go head to head against a well-trained army of men who get sponsored to drive 200+ miles an hour. I just kind of like to drive fast. I like to drive fast and think about the best lines through corners and how hard I can push my car off of a red light or around an offramp. I am by no means wreckless, maybe just a little aggressive sometimes.

I drive a 2000 Honda Accord LX, with 149hp. It is not very fast or fancy or powerful, but I really do like my car. I have often thought that if I had the resources (time, money, ability) it would be fun to turn my car into a sleeper. Nothing crazy, probably stiffer suspension , alter my computer for more low end torque...Stuff like that. There are definitely auto-cross races where anyone can enter any car, even a stock 2000 4 cylinder Honda Accord. Maybe one day...Maybe.

Master on the Wheels of Steel

I enjoy music, but unfortunately, I don't live music. My preferred genre is Hip-hop and as a result I have daydreamed about spinning records in my basement creating mix-tapes for myself and my friends. Scratching records in clever ways to create percussive rhythms and musical transitions to excite a crowd. I have only ever played a wind instrument but there is something about percussion and syncopated rhythms that get me excited.

I have only met two DJ's in my life. Both encounters were a little disappointing. The first was sometime in college when a friend of a friend had some turntables. He was pretty good and graciously let me take a shot at trying to synch up two beats. It was a sad, sad thing. I thought maybe...just maybe...when I put my fingertips to the vinyl I would reveal some innate talent, an untapped gift. Not so.

My second encounter with a DJ was a family friend, in London. I am not sure but I think he was a professional DJ, that's how he made his living. It was also how he lived his life. Everything he talked about, thought about, read about was music. Mostly Hip-Hop, but he knew who was going to be on who's albums, which producer was creating beats for which R&B artist, who was going to be in Missy's next remix. Basically, he knew as much about music and musicians as most of my friends know about bikes and cyclists...combined.

I guess I just don't have the passion.

Skilled Marksman

Nothing too crazy here. I would like to know how to use a firearm with great precision. Handgun, rifle, it doesn't really matter. I don't actually want to own a gun, just be a really good shot. It would probably take a lot of practice before I knew what my actual potential could be. I don't want to practice I just want to be good.

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So let's hear from you guys. What would you do/be if you had the time/money/energy to incorporate a new lifestyle. If every day were a Saturday and your debit card never ran dry, what would you do when you got out of bed?