# What do you wish you could do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 4, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352 "2003-04-04T01:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/1 "2003-04-04T01:46:01Z")
I know this [that] thread [title] is about as original as a Pit thread about coworkers (not the kind that ork cows) but I haven’t actually seen one, so here’s one… I wish I could play the piano well. I believe I have the fingers and the brain for it (I can almost unconciously type fast on a keyboard while looking at the TV on the wall), but not the age and willingness to go through the learning process. (other thing I wish I could do - martial arts, juggling, speak a foreign language fluently etc…) What do you wish you could do? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/2 "2003-04-04T01:48:18Z")
Oh, and in the spirit of annoying [**StarvingButStrong**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=174836) ‘thing’ should have been ‘things’ ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/3 "2003-04-04T01:50:00Z")
Sing well. I have a three-octave range and a complete inability to find and stick with one key. If I could play guitar too, that’d be the bestest. Then I would run away and join the Renaissance Faire. And that would be even bestester. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/4 "2003-04-04T01:51:14Z")
I wish I could afford to own my own helicopter and fly it whenever I want. ---
**Author:** ![ChalkPit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@ChalkPit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChalkPit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/5 "2003-04-04T01:55:11Z")
I wish I could turn invisible at will. Geeez the fun you could have… ---
**Author:** ![DEVA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@DEVA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DEVA)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/6 "2003-04-04T01:58:01Z")
I, too, wish to be invisible. ---
**Author:** ![SumLurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@SumLurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SumLurker)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/7 "2003-04-04T02:01:42Z")
I wish i could program in C++ and get a job i loved that involved that ability…oh, and it would/could be done sitting at home in my underwear if i so chose. I wish i could see without glasses. And playing the guitar is something i’ve always wanted to be able to do also. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/8 "2003-04-04T02:08:18Z")
My best friend is dying. My dog. I wish I could change it. I wish that I didn’t have to make the decision I’m going to have to. ---
**Author:** ![Calladair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Calladair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calladair)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/9 "2003-04-04T02:25:11Z")
I’m sorry to hear that, **enipla**. May you find strength. ---
**Author:** ![Pelleas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e8c25b/32.png) [@Pelleas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pelleas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/10 "2003-04-04T02:45:09Z")
I wish I understood better how computers work. I am what one might call technologically challenged. A few of the many other things I wish I could do. Speak a foreign language. Play a musical instrument. Be able to speak well in public. Have a good singing voice. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/11 "2003-04-04T03:04:16Z")
I’m sticking to realistic things I wish, because if I went off on fantasy wishes, I’d be here all day. I wish I could speak fluent German, Spanish, and Japanese. I wish I was able to come off as sweet and nice and compliant when I needed to instead of prickly and tough all the time. I wish I could really understand the Theory of Relativity, well enough to teach it so other people could understand it. I wish I knew how to develop pictures on my own, in a darkroom. I wish I could play a musical instrument. ANY instrument. Or sing. My brother got all the musical talent in the family. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/12 "2003-04-04T03:17:26Z")
I wish I could add. Numbers make little sense to me. Even when asked to, say, add the prices of two items together, I’m paralyzed. (It’s strange, but I can’t “picture” numbers in my head. They become all jumbled.) This, of course, has led to some incredibly embarassing situations. ---
**Author:** ![ChrystinP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@ChrystinP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrystinP)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/13 "2003-04-04T05:06:19Z")
I wish I could speak spanish. I have 5 computer programs for spanish and haven’t even loaded one of them on my computer. I don’t know why I don’t make an effort to learn it. I wish I could build things and knew a lot about carpentry and house repairs. ---
**Author:** ![ChrystinP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@ChrystinP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrystinP)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/14 "2003-04-04T05:06:19Z")
I wish I could speak spanish. I have 5 computer programs for spanish and haven’t even loaded one of them on my computer. I don’t know why I don’t make an effort to learn it. I wish I could build things and knew a lot about carpentry and house repairs. ---
**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/15 "2003-04-04T05:15:05Z")
As Dane Cook said in his stand-up routine, I wish I could travel back in time and slap my dad’s ass while they’re conceiving me. You know, to warn them of the future and all that. In a similar vein, I wouldn’t mind going back in time and coaching my younger self through all of the poor decisions I made. As long as I’m being fanciful, I might as well include winning the lottery. I the very least, I just want to hurry up and graduate so that I can get out of this school. And win like $50,000 dollars in the lottery to settle my student loans immediately. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/16 "2003-04-04T05:19:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*Oh, and in the spirit of annoying [**StarvingButStrong**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=174836) ‘thing’ should have been ‘things’ \*\* Oh, dear, Miss Thistlebottom. Why don’t you love me anymore? 😉 As for what I wish I could do: In the realm of reality, I’d love to be able to draw. Well, I _can_ draw, of course, but I’d like to be able to draw so that other people could tell what I was trying to draw, and ideally even enjoy looking at it. If the realm of fantasy, I want to be able to teleport. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/17 "2003-04-04T05:32:58Z")
I am sure you already know this, but I am just playing with ya **StarvingButString** 😃 (I agree that people need’nt correct their small errors) I also would like to be able to draw. - Cartoons mainly. I would find serious drawing (landscapes, portraits) to be boring, but cartoon drawing to be both fun and very expressive and a good outlet for creativity. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/18 "2003-04-04T06:23:59Z")
I wish I could whistle. I always have a song on my mind and just plain humming it gets a bit dull after a while. No matter how hard I try, I cannot whistle. It really bugs me. I also wish I could snap my fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Latino\_Yoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Latino\_Yoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latino_Yoshi)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/19 "2003-04-04T07:04:30Z")
**Yumblie,** I also wish I could whistle. As for snapping, I am only just learning how to do that. What I finally figured out is that the sound comes from your finger crashing into the tissue just below your thumb. Think finger as stretched rubberband wanting to be released, thumb holding it in place, until thumb gets pulled out of the way. I also wish I could play a harmonica and just start playing the blues. And fly. Flying would be oh so much fun. ---
**Author:** ![Latino\_Yoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Latino\_Yoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latino_Yoshi)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352/20 "2003-04-04T07:11:56Z")
**Yumblie,** I also wish I could whistle. As for snapping, I am only just learning how to do that. What I finally figured out is that the sound comes from your finger crashing into the tissue just below your thumb. Think finger as stretched rubberband wanting to be released, thumb holding it in place, until thumb gets pulled out of the way. I also wish I could play a harmonica and just start playing the blues. And fly. Flying would be oh so much fun. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-wish-you-could-do/166352.md?page=2)