1) What do you think of going to a conference that would put you out of class for an entire week? The conference is W-F and I would have to travel on the Tuesday, which means missing four weekdays. On the one hand, it is research. On the other, that is a week of class.
2) What do you think of going to a conference when there is no conference money from the university and I do not foresee having the savings to pay for it … which means some of the cost will sit on a card?
♦ The obvious answer is do not go, but the conference is attractive. There is other business I want to do at that university, and I enjoy the town. I do not know what scandalizes me more about this — the money or missing a week of class.
♦ I have not decided, but let me see. If I travel on the weekend I could Skype my Tuesday classes. I could have two of them covered on the Thursday, and give the third one that day off. Have you ever done anything like this?
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
Some people, with the amount they travel, must be missing class more than I do. I can’t tell you what to do. I miss very little class for travel, but that is the only reason I miss. The skyping sounds like a good idea.
If I do this, it might be what I have to do. There are already no seats on plane T or W — I would have to leave Monday afternoon at the latest, to fly directly to conference city.
I should more sensibly send this to LASA in Chicago, which is in 2014 so over a year away, and not during school, but the timing is so good for this little thing. I might send abstract and see what happens, decide then.
AHA here is how to do it. Teach all classes Tuesday and then go directly to airport, I can be there at 3:30 and leave for Mex DF at 5:10. Get in 9:24 PM.
Then either find a way to spend night or, just get to TAPO and bus. This is all more trabajoso, but it is the way to do it without missing class.
I will just have to see.
Honestly, I’ve never felt guilty canceling classes for traveling. In fact, I’ll cancel a whole week the third week of April. The Civ class will have an assignment to complete. The language class will be very happy that they have a week off. Somehow, the fact that the university is not even paying for it would make me feel even less guilty.
Well, perhaps I will follow your lead. It really is too expensive not to do in a pleasant way, and flights are about 30% cheaper if one stays seven days.
I’d go if I were interested in the subject and knew I would enjoy it.
But in the spirit of full disclosure, I’m still paying off debt accumulated during high school because of this way of thinking. 🙂
Yes, I learned to think this way when I was about 35 and am paying off debt from it now. On the other hand — if I do not spend $ on the things I want to, it seems that something weird and expensive happens due to my having stayed home. I must find a way to fund this.