If you could travel back in time, where and when would you go?

[mr_a500]

Imagine that while you are walking down the street, there is some strange once-in-a-billion-years tear in the fabric of space-time and you get ripped out of 2006 and thrown into the past somewhere. You didn't take anything with you - except the clothes you're wearing. You can't ever return (and you must go back at least 10 years). Where and when would you like to end up? Would you want to end up at a key moment in history and prevent a tragedy (like killing baby Hitler, trying to prevent WWII) or would you want to go somewhere you could have the most fun?

Realistically consider all implications such as how you'll live, how you can communicate, the current state of medicine (and dentistry!) at that time and even the availability of toilet paper. ;-)

(Try to be realistic. You can't just go back and suddenly be a king somewhere or sleep with movie stars. You have to work your way up from nothing using your current knowledge. You might be instantly burned at the stake as a heretic or thrown in prison.)

[mr_a500]

I considered killing Hitler (before he became too powerful to get to), but I think it would be even better attempting to prevent the first World War (because this was the origin of the second). I suppose you could attempt to stop the assassination that started WWI, but war was probably inevitable. All the European nations were building their armies at that time (and still thought war was glorious) and maybe there would be another assassination attempt or some other start to the war. Still, I think this would be my first choice. If I could somehow stop the first World War, the world would be a much better place. WWI ruined everything. Also, 1914 was a pretty nice time - some modern conveniences, but not too overcrowded or polluted (as long as you're not near a factory - no pollution laws) and there was still some mystery in the world.

My second choice would probably be early 1700's - maybe 1720 or around there somewhere. I'd want to visit Bach, Vivaldi or Handel and try to weasel my way into a position as assistant or something (maybe by "composing" pieces I already know ;-)). Why? Well, a court position at this time was one hell of a luxury and a musical position would be the easiest and most fun court position to get (and I like baroque music). I don't know German or Italian, but Handel spoke English so maybe it would be best to visit him. Chocolate already existed - which is a major prerequisite for any time I'd like to visit. If I got bored, I could go on a voyage of exploration somewhere or set up a plantation in the Caribbean. I wonder about the personal hygiene of people at that time though. Everybody probably had major B.O. And I'd hate to get sick or injured in this time period. If you stub your toe, you'd probably end up losing the leg. Doctors didn't even wash their hands before operating.

My third choice would probably be the early 1950's. I could experience the whole range from suited conformity and nice cars of the 50's to the radical hippie 60's to the early computer age. I'd also get nice symmetry that way - I'd probably die around 2006.

[mr_a500]

And two... somehow making an effort to preserve the large amount of Bach's work that has been lost over the years. In fact, after his death, some of his autographs made their way from the Tomaskirche to the local butchers, where they were used to wrap meat. What an absolutely tragic loss. There was another composer (the name of which I can't recall ATM, but someone that Bach studied and was quite familiar with), who's entire, completely preserved musical output was destroyed when an allied bomb obliterated the basement of the church they were stored in. Makes me want to cry just thinking about it.

That is tragic. There are probably lots of amazing things that were lost forever because of wars or other stupidity.

Now that I think of it, maybe I should go back to the ancient library at Alexandria and get them to build a hidden underground bunker to hide all the scrolls before the library was destroyed by invaders. Who knows what amazing ancient knowledge was lost when those many thousands of scrolls were destroyed. I have no idea how I could tell them to build a bunker and it would probably take years to learn the language. I'd probably be killed as a sacrifice or shipped off to be a slave somewhere before I could tell them. ;-)

I also managed to make it to see my favorite pianist, Andras Schiff, perform at Zellerbach Hall in Berkely last October.

Nice. I like the Andras Schiff Bach Piano Concertos. Last month, I went to the Jeanne Lamon Tafelmusik 25th Anniversary Concert (Tafelmusik - Toronto baroque orchestra that plays on period instruments). I was in the front row centre, about 10 feet from Jeanne Lamon.

[mr_a500]

You can't reinhabit your previous body, just travel in time. If that was an option, then I'd go back to when I was a baby - with my current knowledge. Everyone would think I'm a super genius and I'd get scholarships and free grants to any university I wanted (instead of working full-time while going to school, then paying back student loans for 10 years). I could get a bachelor degree at age 9, a doctorate at age 13 and then basically do anything I wanted after that. I'd also make sure to get a karate blackbelt and learn the cello by age 13 too (things you're "too old" to start after 20).

Oh yes, I'd definitely do more shagging too. :-D

[mr_a500]

Can I just say that you people have no respect for women whatsoever and you've made my blood boil...

What?? We said that if we were young again, we'd have more sex than we did. How is that disrespectful to women??

Stop boiling your blood. (it's not good for you)