Free Form Friday: Time Machine Time

Fridays are laid back. Fridays are as cool as the 11th Doctor’s bow ties. Coincidental that I bring up the Doctor when we’re speaking of Time Machine Time. The Doctor and his TARDIS can travel throughout time and space and for that I am truly envious. In my high school English class, I give out journal prompts every day and one of my favorites is “If you could host a dinner party and had access to a time machine; whom, from any point and time in history, would you invite and why?” The students seem to really enjoy it but throughout all of these years, I have never actually sat down and thought about whom I would actually want to invite to my dinner party if I had access to a time machine. SOOOO…since its Time Machine Time again, I figured that it’s time for me to answer my own writing prompt:

If you could host a dinner party and had access to a time machine; whom, from any point and time in history, would you invite and why?

If I were hosting a dinner party and had access to a time machine, the people that I would chose to invite would definitely be a diverse group. Being a diverse and eclectic person has its advantages because I do not like being pigeon-holed (but there is nothing wrong with just being a specific way). My meal would be something classic but respecting of all nationalities and religious backgrounds.

My first stop after entering the time machine would be to 1945 and pick up a certain German-born theoretical physicist named Albert Einstein. Yes, I know its cliche that almost everyone would want to meet and talk to Einstein but the man was truly an amazing character. Between his love of music, his support of civil rights, his work in the realm of science or the fact that he was a purely amazing person would make me want him to be one of the attendees of my dinner party.

After picking up Einstein (that sounds so cool to say!!!), I would venture some time before 2007 to pick up Kurt Vonnegut. Kurt Vonnegut wrote one of my favorite books, Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (that I spoke about in my Top Ten Blog), and I would love to pick his mind about his life, experiences, and get explanations about the book that I love so much.

So, we’re in 2007, and I guess we could just shoot back about 11 years and pick up one of my favorite people in the entire universe: comedian and actor Chris Farley. Chris Farley starred in many memorable movies but I will never forget the time that he spent from 1990 to 1995 on Saturday Night Live. My parents finally let me start staying up late on the weekends and I would always stay up late on Saturday nights to watch Chris Farley on SNL. Chris Farley sadly died in 1997 as the result of a drug overdose and I know it is dangerous meddling with history but I would hope that the guests of this dinner party and myself could help Chris deal with the demons that he had in his life. But selfishly, more than anything, I would just want to goof around and do impersonations with him. I’d hope that me telling him how much his life meant to me growing up, that it could save his life.

Speaking of saving lives. There are so many countless people that I would love to sit down and talk to but I’d have to say that I’d love to talk to Kurt Cobain. The lead singer of Nirvana’s life was cut short and I think a lot of his genius was never known. (I don’t think he commited suicide but this really isn’t the place to discuss something like that.) His death hurt so many of us in the 90s and I think that he should know how much his life impacted the world.

After picking up Kurt, we would take a trip to a recent Comicon and pick up the one and only Stan Lee. Stan Lee, the comic-book writer/creator; editor; publisher; media producer; television host; actor; and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics, would make one of the best dinner guests ever. The charismatic 93 year old has lived through a lot and his exuberant personality has kept Stan Lee in the limelight for ages. Stan Lee would make the nerd in me ask so many questions which would make for great conversation.

Part of that conversation would be about the actor who put the real life face to one of Stan Lee’s created characters: Iron Man. I would definitely want Robert Downey Jr. at my dinner party. His intelligence, personality and versatility as a phenomenal actor would make for great conversation. I have loved RDJ’s work from when I first saw him in Rodney Dangerfield’s Back to School to his amazing rendition of Charlie Chaplin to his becoming Tony Stark. Just discussing his life and trials would keep all of the dinner party enthralled in intelligent conversation.

The last person that I would go pick up in my time machine would be Jesus Christ. I know its cliche that people would want to go see Jesus but just imagining being able to sit down and talk, with whom I believe is the son of God; would be truly breathtaking. I would not want to see miracles as proof or investigate nail scarred hands; I would just love to sit down and hear his words. The powerful, love-filled words that he would speak to us all. Whether you believe in God or not, being able to speak to Jesus in that capacity would be absolutely amazing. I’m sure the atheist, agnostic or scientists at the dinner party would have plenty of questions though; which would be part of the greatness of the dinner party.

I would want that dinner party to last as long as possible. My dinner party is extremely diverse but its made up of people who have interested or influenced me along life’s path. I’d hope that after dessert, Kurt Cobain could acoustically play and sing my favorite song after Albert Einstein played the violin and discussed his thoughts on the atomic bomb after Stan Lee tells us about his influences for the character that Robert Downey Jr brought to life on screen after Kurt Vonnegut discusses his time at war and the characters he created in his infamous books after we all contemplate and make our own individual realizations of who Jesus is just by listening to him speak while Chris Farley and I would just be there trying to soak it all in and hopefully make someone laugh along the way.