Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Well here I am again
Well, here I am again. As someone who has essentially a cyclical life, I find myself preparing for the end of my summer by planning a trip. Time is of the essence, as I go back on Monday the 15th. At that point all Hell will begin breaking loose, and I’m grounded until October. None of this means I should travel, just that I’m about to get cut off. I call it a natural reaction to a deadline, and I’m hoping online to find bargain airfares and packages. Ostensibly, I could drive to most places, as I’m presently in possession of a car able to handle the trip. The 2001 Corolla begs to be driven, but with time running out, I’m really not in the mood to drive all the way to Florida, only to turn around and start driving back. There was a time when I would have, but I seem to be getting slightly saner lately. (Please cue me starting the car and hitting I-95 South). Anyway, all this internal debate has had my brain hurting somewhat. Why shouldn’t I go? Well, money is a sizable issue. However, I cannot say I wouldn’t drive at least half the distance to Miami by next Monday. Also, I will probably spend nearly the same amount just hanging out and meeting up with friends. Let’s check the math, shall we? The cost of gas from Mamaroneck to Key West is as follows: 1484 miles using the most direct route. As I’ll average 38 miles per gallon, I’ll purchase 39 gallons of gas at about 2.75 per gallon on average. That’s $107 each way. Also needing inclusion: I’ll pay tolls equaling $50 each way. Keep in mind I can drive 100 miles out of my way to avoid nearly all the tolls, so let’s do that. We’ll assume 220 in gas and 7 in tolls. Now for food: The drive back and forth really is no more than 40 in total. Once in Key West the price jumps. Assume 50 bucks a day for Thursday and Friday. Now we’re at 100. Entertainment: well, Key West has some fine strip clubs, but I’ll dispense this time. Assume another c-note. The housing for the trip is likewise relatively cheap: 50 plus tax for the 2 nights. Keep in mind I’m assuming I’ll sleep in my car on the drive back and forth. If not, I can add another 80, give or take. Thus, the total cost of the trip is 532 or 612. I could deduct 50 for entertainment and another 50 for food. As a busman’s holiday, the price could be 432 to 512.
All of the above computing is all well and good, but misses the point. The real question is as follows: how much would I spend here at home? Here we go. Figure that I’ll drive back and forth to Yorktown 4 times, with an extended trip to Orange County as one of the drives. We’ll assume 1 tank of gas by Sunday. This is a safe assumption and normal for me. That is 36 dollars. Tolls for my trips are negligible at either $2 or $10. Now add all the times I eat out as an additional 35 per day, totaling $140. This is extreme, I know, but the point of the exercise is an honest appraisal, not an effort to limit my spending. Entertainment is much more variable here at home than in Key West. I could spend $80 just hanging out with Scott in Starbucks and Borders. Then again, I could spend $20 just hanging here in Mamaroneck Starbucks by myself. Split the difference and you have $50. This is safe figure if I don’t go nuts in a bookstore. The total for staying home is $236, although I have much greater control than if I hit the road. The difference is $196 based on the cheapest Key West calculation and $276 for the most expensive. Ergo, the trip is around 200 or so. Thus, money really isn’t the issue.
OK, so money really isn’t the biggest reason to stay home, but that doesn’t mean I should go. There’s part of me that just wants to chill out and stay local to the point I’m dismissing a drive to the Poconos, which would be 15 dollars in gas and 50 bucks for hotel room. The food and entertainment costs are high, and there’s really nothing available in Stroudsburg that isn’t available at home. The draw is that it is not home and I am therefore doing something with my dwindling vacation time. Another reason to ignore PA is the knowledge I could go next weekend with little planning. If I had someone to go with me, things might be a little different. There in lies the rub, I suppose. Karl cannot go with me, as he’s back out on the job, and I’m not dating anyone. My trip 2 years ago to Las Vegas, with the attendant drama and subtext, was essentially a solo affair while I struggled with what I felt was impending termination. I was ready to freefall into moving to Vegas, and convinced myself I needed to explore the area. This turned out to be correct, but not for the reasons I expected. As such, I’m very glad I went.
The correct answer to the question is to say that there is no reason for me to go. I could afford the trip, I suppose, but I could also then afford a very expensive night in NYC, or even another trip to Vegas. Both could be loads of fun under the right circumstances, so why aren’t I going? The question is then not “Why shouldn’t I go?” but “Why should I?” There is no good answer to the latter question. True, that may mean I wouldn’t do lots of things, such as see a movie, ask a chick out on a date, or buy a book. Any of these can be done for the wrong reasons, and if I’m playing the big shot, then I shouldn’t do it. Going to Key West is playing the big shot; a chance to show off in front of my desk-bound friends and coworkers. With that revelation, it’s time to publish and close my laptop. I’ve been typing for nearly an hour. I will close by saying my trip to Vegas did result in a decent short story. With no other avenue for showing to the world, I believe I’ll post it here, as well as a synopsis of my July 4th weekend. As always, more later.
All of the above computing is all well and good, but misses the point. The real question is as follows: how much would I spend here at home? Here we go. Figure that I’ll drive back and forth to Yorktown 4 times, with an extended trip to Orange County as one of the drives. We’ll assume 1 tank of gas by Sunday. This is a safe assumption and normal for me. That is 36 dollars. Tolls for my trips are negligible at either $2 or $10. Now add all the times I eat out as an additional 35 per day, totaling $140. This is extreme, I know, but the point of the exercise is an honest appraisal, not an effort to limit my spending. Entertainment is much more variable here at home than in Key West. I could spend $80 just hanging out with Scott in Starbucks and Borders. Then again, I could spend $20 just hanging here in Mamaroneck Starbucks by myself. Split the difference and you have $50. This is safe figure if I don’t go nuts in a bookstore. The total for staying home is $236, although I have much greater control than if I hit the road. The difference is $196 based on the cheapest Key West calculation and $276 for the most expensive. Ergo, the trip is around 200 or so. Thus, money really isn’t the issue.
OK, so money really isn’t the biggest reason to stay home, but that doesn’t mean I should go. There’s part of me that just wants to chill out and stay local to the point I’m dismissing a drive to the Poconos, which would be 15 dollars in gas and 50 bucks for hotel room. The food and entertainment costs are high, and there’s really nothing available in Stroudsburg that isn’t available at home. The draw is that it is not home and I am therefore doing something with my dwindling vacation time. Another reason to ignore PA is the knowledge I could go next weekend with little planning. If I had someone to go with me, things might be a little different. There in lies the rub, I suppose. Karl cannot go with me, as he’s back out on the job, and I’m not dating anyone. My trip 2 years ago to Las Vegas, with the attendant drama and subtext, was essentially a solo affair while I struggled with what I felt was impending termination. I was ready to freefall into moving to Vegas, and convinced myself I needed to explore the area. This turned out to be correct, but not for the reasons I expected. As such, I’m very glad I went.
The correct answer to the question is to say that there is no reason for me to go. I could afford the trip, I suppose, but I could also then afford a very expensive night in NYC, or even another trip to Vegas. Both could be loads of fun under the right circumstances, so why aren’t I going? The question is then not “Why shouldn’t I go?” but “Why should I?” There is no good answer to the latter question. True, that may mean I wouldn’t do lots of things, such as see a movie, ask a chick out on a date, or buy a book. Any of these can be done for the wrong reasons, and if I’m playing the big shot, then I shouldn’t do it. Going to Key West is playing the big shot; a chance to show off in front of my desk-bound friends and coworkers. With that revelation, it’s time to publish and close my laptop. I’ve been typing for nearly an hour. I will close by saying my trip to Vegas did result in a decent short story. With no other avenue for showing to the world, I believe I’ll post it here, as well as a synopsis of my July 4th weekend. As always, more later.
