Shallow me.

So I was planning to stay here in July at the RWA national conference. I was just starting to feel a little shivery excitement about it after I posted the thing about sending in the contest entries for the Arkansas Writers Conference. I mean I am getting very close to June and thusly to July. I decided to go since it was Nashville, driving distance and all, even though I don't have a completed book or anything. I mean, anything can happen by the end of July, right? After all, I have completed the tour of Arkansas' conferences (all 3 or 4 of them) so a big national thing is the next logical step, right? Probably not, but when have I ever let a thing like logic stop me?

And to stay at the Opryland Hotel? I was so going to do it all in style.

And then the rains came. And Nashville flooded. And the conference is up in the air. And I am sad. First, the news was that they were looking at other Gaylord properties: Dallas, Orlando, and Baltimore. And Dallas would be better, closer to home, since I was going to try to do a crazy thing and drive home on the last day instead of staying and starting fresh...less time for precious Darcy with the babysitter, a little less expensive. Dallas would be better (although being there are worse things than being forced to go to Orlando, even in July). But now, it seems that other locations are being considered. Nashville was just right. I am sad.

And yes, I am shallow but not so shallow that I don't know that I am shallow. Many people are actually suffering from the flooding, not just rearranging plans. I haven't forgotten how lucky I am either.

Here's the thing: I don't want to fly any more than I have to for Leisure Arts: Minneapolis, Houston. I don't like airports. I can't really afford it on top of the registration and luxe hotel fees. I want to drive. Wah! Wah, wah! As my father would say, "What you have here is a high-class problem."

What do you think? Should I just stay home? I'm really too poor to travel in this sort of style anyway. Unless Leisure Arts is sending me, I'm way more Econolodge than Opryland hotel. Or perhaps get a second job to fund my hobbies? Hmm. Maybe just keep your fingers crossed for Dallas because I wanna go (say that in a whiny, 13-year-old girl's voice because I perfected that a long time ago and maybe throw in a petulant kick of your foot).