future travels, some foreboding.
i'm wincing slightly as i'm clicking my mouse.
you see, today is the day that i stop procrastinating and buy that trans-atlantic flight to attend a conference.
it's in two weeks, and yes:
i sound completely, fiscally irresponsible;
on the other hand, there are still plenty of flights under $850;
the low fares remind me of 2002 or so,
when george w. declared war on iraq. [1]
as for why i'm wincing, i'm thinking of
the lesson plan(s) that i must write in advance for my substitute ..
the city bus ride to the airport
(~1 hr, each way ..)
the atlantic crossings
(8+ hr, each way ..)
what german i will have to relearn,
in case of emergencies [φ] ..
the groggy fumble towards der Bahnhof,
looking for my travel companions on the way [2] ..
how long the jet-lag will last;
lately, going east means a week of bad sleep ..
my talk, which is third in a 3-part series;
it means, of course, that i might have to rewrite it,
if only to keep compatible the topics from the other two speakers ..
maybe i'm making much of this, but it's been .. [counts] .. 7 [*] trips across the atlantic, in my life. i'm starting to develop an opinion about it.
as some sort of balance --- if only to convince myself that, yes, this trip is worth taking --- there are many good points:
i get to see some old friends;
i get to experience a november without an american thanksgiving. i've often had fun, but that holiday has nothing but stress and overeating associated to it.
so a change might be good. besides, i suspect that i'm trading turkey and cranberries, in favor of sausage and cheese and good bread and good beer.
anyway, a few more clicks to go. let's see what happens.
[1] perhaps i'm mistaken here. it's been years since i sat in an american history class, but isn't declaring war a legislative power (vs. an executive one)?
[φ] it never fails. the few languages i've learnt a little come back to haunt me. last year i was amongst a crowd for dinner in barcelona, none of whom spoke any spanish, and i essentially had to order for the whole table. luckily, everyone liked botifarra.
[2] lately i've been traveling with colleagues. the last time a grad school friend and i hopped from the u.s. to europe and then to india on (essentially) the same itinerary, which summed to 36+ hours of door-to-door traveling. to her credit, she tolerated me the whole way.
this time around, it's a meetup at der Flughafen and then a 3+ hour train ride. i hear that german trains are quite fine. on the other hand, i think that neither of my companions -- both grad students -- speak any german.
[*] there was a trip to india, where i had a layover in brussels. i think it's fair to count that one as a crossing.
you see, today is the day that i stop procrastinating and buy that trans-atlantic flight to attend a conference.
it's in two weeks, and yes:
i sound completely, fiscally irresponsible;
on the other hand, there are still plenty of flights under $850;
the low fares remind me of 2002 or so,
when george w. declared war on iraq. [1]
as for why i'm wincing, i'm thinking of
the lesson plan(s) that i must write in advance for my substitute ..
the city bus ride to the airport
(~1 hr, each way ..)
the atlantic crossings
(8+ hr, each way ..)
what german i will have to relearn,
in case of emergencies [φ] ..
the groggy fumble towards der Bahnhof,
looking for my travel companions on the way [2] ..
how long the jet-lag will last;
lately, going east means a week of bad sleep ..
my talk, which is third in a 3-part series;
it means, of course, that i might have to rewrite it,
if only to keep compatible the topics from the other two speakers ..
maybe i'm making much of this, but it's been .. [counts] .. 7 [*] trips across the atlantic, in my life. i'm starting to develop an opinion about it.
as some sort of balance --- if only to convince myself that, yes, this trip is worth taking --- there are many good points:
i get to see some old friends;
i get to experience a november without an american thanksgiving. i've often had fun, but that holiday has nothing but stress and overeating associated to it.
so a change might be good. besides, i suspect that i'm trading turkey and cranberries, in favor of sausage and cheese and good bread and good beer.
anyway, a few more clicks to go. let's see what happens.
[1] perhaps i'm mistaken here. it's been years since i sat in an american history class, but isn't declaring war a legislative power (vs. an executive one)?
[φ] it never fails. the few languages i've learnt a little come back to haunt me. last year i was amongst a crowd for dinner in barcelona, none of whom spoke any spanish, and i essentially had to order for the whole table. luckily, everyone liked botifarra.
[2] lately i've been traveling with colleagues. the last time a grad school friend and i hopped from the u.s. to europe and then to india on (essentially) the same itinerary, which summed to 36+ hours of door-to-door traveling. to her credit, she tolerated me the whole way.
this time around, it's a meetup at der Flughafen and then a 3+ hour train ride. i hear that german trains are quite fine. on the other hand, i think that neither of my companions -- both grad students -- speak any german.
[*] there was a trip to india, where i had a layover in brussels. i think it's fair to count that one as a crossing.