Today I'm fantasizing about spring, and school getting out. (That's the time when my job gets really good . . . )

I'm thinking about an end-of-semester Road Trip to the east coast; Inkshed will take place from May 15-18, and although I'm tied up on campus until the 15th, I think I could leave after work and still make it to Fredericton by dinner on the 16th. I think. I could certainly get there as quickly by driving as I could by flying (since I really couldn't leave until Friday morning if I flew - unless I wanted to spend the night at La Guardia), and it would be cheaper to drive.

Plus, then I'd have a car. And I wouldn't need to be back in Lansing until the 29th. So I figure I could hang out with Rob for a while . . . and I bet I could score a place to stay in Nova Scotia, too.

I'm not all that keen on a solo road trip, but it's the 25th anniversary of Inkshed, and I don't want to miss it. And I don't want to just fly there and back; this trip will be expensive, and I want more vacation bang for my buck. (I'm hoping I can get reimbursed by the college, but I'm not sure about that yet.) I asked Emil if he'd be interested in flying out for the Memorial Day weekend, but he thinks it's too much travel in too short a time . . . and of course he doesn't have much in the way of vacation days, alas. (I really hate that part of his job change. Not as much as he hates it, but still.) When the kids were younger, I dragged them off on summer vacations without him all the time because we had summers off - I didn't think twice about it. Now, though, it feels different. (But not different enough to deter me . . . you only go around once in life, as they used to say.)

Maybe I can throw the tent in the trunk and camp along the way, or the way back. Maybe I'll stop at LL Bean on the way home and pick up a kayak . . .

Also, I've sent off my application for PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan), which always takes place during the last full week in June. I've got a colleague who's interested in going - he went last year (at my suggestion; we were going to ride together, but I thought I had heart problems and so backed out) and had a blast. I am really looking forward to the ride this year.

So that takes me up to July. Perhaps I'll sneak in a trip to Chicago later in the summer . . . Barb has invited me back. And, natch, there will be a Mackinac run at some point. It's just not summer if we don't cross the bridge . . .

Mmmm. Fun times ahead. But in the meantime, I better get some work done . . .