Lani's Blog

Trading Places

If you could trade places with someone for a week, who would it be?








I can’t say that I want to trade places with anyone in real life. I wouldn’t mind traveling to the past and changing a few things for my teenage self but then again there is the time paradox issue. Would I be the same person? Would I come back to the same life, that for better or worse is mine and I like it.





What about fiction? Who would I trade places with in fiction? Is a week in real time the same as fiction time? Do I get to finish the story? Do I get the happy ever after? Let’s think about this.





I love reading Jane Austen. I loved her even before she was cool. But to live in 18th-19th centuries? No indoor plumbing, no antibiotics, no microwaves. I don’t think so. Some might think Austen’s heroes would be worth it. Again I don’t think so. Darcy maybe right for Elizabeth but he is a prick before his transformation. If I was in Pride & Prejudice, I would have slugged him after overhearing his “not pretty enough to tempt me" remark.  And then later, I would flirted outrageously with his cousin Col. Fitzwilliam. Probably not a good idea to jump into Pride & Prejudice.





Persuasion is my favorite Austen because the heroine is older and the happy ending takes time. Cpt. Wentworth is an angry man. He is angry that Anne (the heroine) rejected his proposal 8 years earlier. She rejected him because her family persuaded her throw over the poor Lieutenant. He is now rich, in the neighborhood, and flirting with her younger relatives. Personally after a few in your face moments that happened between Wentworth and Louisa Musgrove, I would pull him aside and tell him that he is making a jackass out of himself. And then I would drop the bomb that everyone expects  he is ready to offer marriage for Louisa. I’m sure my story would not have the happy ending that Austen planned.





Being a Nora Roberts heroine might be fun. Her characters are always a little quirky, that’d be me. Her stories always involve some mystery or magic.  And to have some lantern jaw sculpted muscle guy chasing after me might be entertaining and sexy. Of course I dunno how dear hubby would feel about that unless he was the hero and lantern jaw was the escaped felon/stalker that was after me. Never mind.





Okay if I was going to trade places with someone it would be Uhura in Star Trek the new version with Chris Pine & Zoe Saldana. She is a badass. She tells Jim Kirk where to go and is confident enough to boss around Mr. Spock in their relationship. Uhura has a talent for languages and gets to explore space. And she looks hot in the uniform!

Make it so….