All this talk of death, abortion and genetically modified cauliflower is starting to ruin my buzz, so let me offer to you a slightly lighter topic ...

If some kind soul gave you a credit card with a - say - #10,000 ($10,000) balance on it, and instructed you to have a blast, where would you go? What would you do?

(Don't tell me you'd pay your bills or feed the starving hordes ... this is strictly fun money.)

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

Answers

Oh, it's obvious-- probably drop a thousand or so at Amazon.com and then head off to north Italy....

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

First class trip to Hawaii. If anything is leftover, stereo upgrade.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

A bengal kitten and everything the kitten needs. If anything is left I'll use that as a downpayment on another bengal kitten.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

I'd hop on a plane to London -- I have always wanted to go there.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

Four smokin' computers and everything it takes to network them together, a stack of games for each one, a complete set of leather armor, monster TV and home entertainment system, a big stack of DVD's... yes, I think the people at Best Buy would be very happy with me.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

I would publish a book and barnstorm for it, making a spectacle of myself to draw a crowd, then selling the book, afterwards. A sort of a latter-day Chautauqua.

This has never worked for me before, but hope springs eternal.

Also, I was ambivalent, about coming out of the closet, because, when my money was gone, I'd have to look for a straight-person job again.

A genius grant would be more the ticket.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

I'd go to New York or Chicago and buy a bunch of sexy clothes.....buy myself a Palm VIIx.....go meet up with my boyfriend in northern Italy

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

I'm with the guy who said he'd go to amazon.... I'd probably also buy *ANOTHER* bookcase(s).

And then I think I'd want to hop over to France for a weekend to practice my french. (Maybe pick up some books in french while I'm there... The selection here in Houston stinks.... I can't even find Harry Potter in French. German & Spanish, yes. French, no.)

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

A new computer. Some jewelry. Hire someone to build our fence for us and someone to landscape the yard.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

A new computer. A new laptop. Trip to Netherlands, Finland, Scotland & Greece. An air-conditioned dog house for my dog. New clothes to replace my five-year old work clothes that are falling apart. A four-wheeler. Furniture. Specifically: end tables and bookshelves I'd get a day at the spa, too, although I don't think I could do all of this for $10,000.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

Come on, let us Merkins have pounds! that's a lot more than 10 Grand....

I'd go to Asia till half the money ran out, then spend a couple of weeks in France living it up. Possessions don't turn me on nearly as much as travel.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

I want the 10,000 pounds!

Lessee... new computer. No, computers. A G4 Mac and a Linux box (all SCSI, of course). A new TV -- Sony flat screen. DVD player. Reciever/Dolby decoder. New VCR. CD player. Good speakers. A color Palm. With what money's left over (ha!) I'd get a stack of DVD's and CD's to play. Oh, yeah, and an entertainment armoire to stick all of my new stuff in.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

New computer, with scanner, printer, and digital camera.

Books, book, and more books.

Something fun for my sister and her kids.

An ass-kicking kitty condo for Casey the wonder cat.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

Well, season tickets for hockey. Sorry, I always say that when someone asks this sort of question, but it's something that I really want.

One of those Puli dogs. I've been looking at them on the internet, and I'm in love with them.

A trip to Chicago and then on to Toronto.

Then, I'd spend whatever was left on books.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

Relocate to Europe... forever!

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

Travel. I would go to Slovenia to see my family, I would party in London, I would see the Eiffel Tower, I would drink in the Cote d'Azure, I would study the olive branches in the light of a Provence sunset, I would go crazy along with all the other Italian drivers, I would go to see the cherry trees blooming in Japan and ride the bullet train and experience sensory overload in Tokyo, I would walk the Great Wall of China, I would have afternoon tea at Raffles in Singapore and feel the humidity of that island frizzing my hair, I would see those temples in Thailand, I would swim on the Great Barrier Reef and re- visit the Sydney Opera house and finally swim with the dolphins in Monkey Mia in Western Australia, I would ride the Orient Express, I would walk the tan streets of Cairo and crane my neck to see the pyramids and smell the water of the Nile, I would fly over the Sahara, I would stand on the edge of the white cliffs of Dover, I would experience the hot springs in Rekjavik, I would cross the bridges of Stockholm, I would ride the gondola's in Venice.

And last but not least and definitely not the only other thing - I would go to Tiffany's in New York and find out what you can buy for $10.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2000

Get my last band back together and finally record a proper cd, instead of the haphazard collection of demos I have now.

-- Anonymous, July 14, 2000

I'd save up my vacation and go back to India for a while, and take some yoga classes with Iyengar; if there was any left over I'd buy everything in my wish list at CDNOW, and get the Bug a fun custom paint job.

It's really much more fun to think about winning the lottery, though.

-- Anonymous, July 14, 2000

Jennifer, if you could swing that trip on #10,000 I want the name of your travel agent!!

Me? I'd take my #10,000, go to New Zealand and trade it for NZ$30,000, and then shop like a fiend for a couple of weeks. All those electrical goods other people have mentioned are cheaper down there anyway. And then I'd fly home to London and wonder where the hell to put them all in my flat.

-- Anonymous, July 14, 2000