Weekend Assignment #237: Spending Spree

The economy being what it is, I was going to ask about luxuries you'd give up if necessary. But that's too depressing! Let's go in the opposite direction, and indulge in a little harmless fantasy.

Weekend Assignment #237: A long-lost relative dies and leaves you $10,000. But there's a catch: the will states that it cannot be saved, invested, given to charity or used to pay bills. You've got a week (sorry, let's make it two weeks) to spend it all. (Anything left over will be used to buy tiny wheelchairs for injured pigeons.) What will you do with the dough?

Extra Credit: Excluding food and necessities, what is the most recent thing you've bought for yourself?

Hmm. Well, I know how John would want me to spend it. The house is full of long-delayed home improvement projects: the bathroom walls that were never repaired after mold remediation, John's shower, the wall of my bathtub, new lighting for the kitchen, new floors, new doors, and new doggy door. And yes, sure, we do need all that stuff.

But you know what? Right now I have no work obligations except job hunting, which can be done with a laptop, a phone and an internet connection. And I haven't been outside the U.S. in a decade or so, and that's too long. So if I have $10,000 to squander, I'm going to travel.

Let's see; where shall we go? We've been to England, but barely made it out of London. I want to see Yorkshire and Cornwall and probably other places, and range out from there to the rest of the British Isles. I want to see David Tennant play Shakespeare, but depending on the timing I'd be equally delighted to see him film one of the 2009 Doctor Who specials in Cardiff, Wales. Scotland and the Republic of Ireland also deserve a stop. While in the UK I'll buy some Doctor Who merchandise as well.

Is there any money left? If so, let's stop at Walt Disney World on the way home. The last time I was there for more than a day, there was no Disney-MGM Studios, no Animal Kingdom. And I knew that even in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot there are lots of attractions that have been built or upgraded in the last 15 years.

The last thing I bought myself? Nice slacks to wear to the job interviews I haven't had.

Your turn! What would you do with $10,000 and a mandate not to use it for anything sensible? Spend your fantasy cash in your blog or journal, and please include a link back to this entry. Then leave a link to your entry in the comments below. I'll be back in a week to celebrate your spending spree!

Karen