2024, why are you like this?

[parachuteinjune]

The year 2024 is challenging me in ways which deeply annoy me.
Seriously. Why does everything have to happen all at once?!

It's such a big year in many aspects. Lots of which require me traveling. Lost of which require me being glued to the TV for hours and hours. You've guessed it: coincidentally, many of those happenings will coincide. Meh.

The timing of the Easter holidays had already been slightly annoying because I had to get back home on Easter Monday and I was shocked that the ticket prices were so high. I had therefore decided to get to my family a few days early and work from there in order to get at least one cheaper ticket. I also told myself (after my arm nearly fell off because of the weight of all the work equipment plus my private laptop in my laptop bag) that the other appointments I'll have in Hamburg will just be weekend trips without work.

Tonight's research revealed (in addition to what I already knew):

• Lisa's 40+1/4th birthday celebration not only falls on a date which also forces me to leave on the following day (Sunday). It coincides with both the Tour de France and the UEFA Euro. Oh, and even though it's several months in the future, the train tickets are already much more expensive than I expected, so I'm contemplating a bus ride for the way home, but tbh that would be taking quite long and if I want to see and catch up on at least some of the sport, I may have to chose the train (and leave much earlier on Sunday than planned).
• The class reunion (that may finally take place after 20 years of nothingness) does not interfere with my work schedule as much as Easter or Lisa's celebrations do/did (yay!), BUT with the Paralympics. I have no clue yet about the amount of TV coverage, but it has usually been quite nice (several hours a day), so coming early and working from my mom's during the Paralympics is not an option. Maybe staying longer could be an alternative, provided I could get my mom to have me watch the Closing Ceremony. Otherwise I'd have to leave early that Sunday, too, to make it back home in time. Oh, and the costs? Also higher than expected. We're talking about September in April - why on Earth is everything already so expensive???

I can smell a lot of sacrifices and that just sucks. I will already have to make sacrifices during the Olympic Games because it's another of those events that's taking place over the turn of the month and because my dear colleague failed to organize her family holidays around mine, so we'll both compromise and work half a day during our vacations. I also expect a birthday invitation which I won't be able to turn down this time (from my friend the actress), which will surely interfere with my Olympics watching, too. If she's not celebrating here, though, I'm definitely out. If she does celebrate here, and she comes up with something bigger for her own 40th birthday, it might mean that our friends come for a visit and demand even more of my time. I'm not really willing to sacrifice much.

Long story short, I'm having a hard time coordinating my travels in terms of time, money, and what's acceptable to miss out on.
I have no clue what I'm about to do, but I kinda see myself spending too much money on train rides that'll get me to my destination late Friday night and get me back home Sunday afternoon and I'll be gone most of Saturday. My mom will hardly see me.