My oldest niece Katelyn... err Kate, sorry… refuses to answer to anything other than "Kate." She won't even answer to the nickname I have been referring to her as – Katertots – since she was born five years ago. She’s always quick to point out that “it’s NOT Katelyn, it’s Kate” complete with an attitude to match to anyone who dares refer to her by her full first name.
My nieces have always been princesses, but never more so since they donned pink and purple Disney princess pajamas for a princess pajama party to watch Kate Middleton marry Prince William. Kate Middleton then became Princess Kate, and, according to my niece, Kate, so did she.
Little girls fantasize about growing up to be a princess, but unless you happen to find your very own and very real Prince Charming, you’re going to have to accept that your childhood dream is going to continue to be an unattainable fantasy.
That is, of course, unless you have a heck of a lot of disposable income and a whole lot of friends. Airbnb, a service that describes itself as an “eBay for space” recently partnered with Rent a Village by Xnet to offer entire villages, towns, and even an entire country for rent. That’s right – you can rent and run the entire Principality of Liechtenstein for a mere $70,000 per night.
That’s right – if you can afford it, you could rule a country. The rental permits renters to rename the city streets and town squares, print up their own temporary currency, and carve logos in the snow on the mountainside. If they so choose, they could be welcomed with a custom festival, greeted by a marching band, be handed the key to the city, and sip wine at a prince’s estate beneath a fireworks show. Those are just suggestions and that’s just the beginning.
And here’s the beginning of a weekly Wednesday segment I’m calling “If I Ruled Liechtenstein…” where I’ll be sharing my ideas for my utopian society (and the fact that this blog post coincides with spoiled rich girl Paris Hilton's World According to Paris debut today - not that I'm watching it - is completely coincidental).
First things first, in my country I will be referred to as “Empress Erika Joy Of Liechtensteinville” and several random events, objects, and a landform will be banned from my country because I hate them. In no particular order, there will not be parades, sci-fi films, sand, and coffee tables in Liechtenstein as long as I’m empress.
Therefore, I’ll have to drum up more awesome ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day, and Macy’s will definitely not be involved as they sponsor one of the most well-known parades in the United States.
There are plenty of other genres to watch if one of my residents is a sci-fi fan, including the Jurassic Park franchise, which is an exception to the “no sci-fi rule” because hey, it could happen – seriously.
Children will have to find other ways to amuse themselves on the sandbox-free playgrounds, and adults could swim in one of the many indoor or outdoor swimming pools if a beach is what they’re after.
And I will not be modest in taking credit for everyone suddenly realizing just how awesome it is to have so much more room in their living rooms once their coffee tables are removed and thrown into a pile for a ruler-change celebratory bonfire underneath a fireworks show (the fireworks of which will happen every night – rain or shine).
I think we’re off to a good start. Stay tuned.
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