Out of the Body

I am specifically wanting to get some more observations on exteriorization and past lives. When we drop a body, it seems evident we exteriorize and then pick up a new body. We do not, however, take a lot with us. I for one did not enjoy waking up in a baby body, needing to relearn how to talk, speak English, do math. history, reading, play guitar, relate to girls, make a living. I would like to view others experience with exteriorization, and with the PR and fantasy as much out of the way as possible. The few times I have been exterior with perception, I was able to see and hear things that were going on where I was, well away from and out of the body's range of mechanical perception. I was not however AWARE of being exterior at the time I was exterior. I was not OPERATING exterior, I was just there. What does it take to OPERATE ext? Be out, know who you are, and what you are doing? (What a way to cheat at cards!). And if you can get to where you can leave the body at will, and OPERATE exterior, knowingly and volitionally go around and see and hear things, well then maybe when the body gets old, one could pack up what he wanted to take along, (say what he has learned about dealing with girls, a language or two, some math, how to play guitar, how to make a living, etc) go out and pick out a new body (or maybe you already have one scoped out, you have even been introduced to your new mother) and move on in. Would take a bit I imagine to get good at operating the motor controls, but in a few years of practice you can pick up where you left off. I seem to be able to recall the plot line of several of my past lives, but I cannot recall how to speak German ( I was in Austria last time around If I have that correctly). Seems to me I ought to have a knowledge ROM or something "GERMAN" but I can't seem to find it. Maybe I just need to learn how to find it. That is something else: Has anybody ever really functionally recovered specific, useable past life knowledge? I imagine that is what prodigies do unknowingly, but how do we do it knowingly?