The Debate Rages

First off, between the camps who think that Jake's owners don't know how much he likes to fetch and the ones who think this is something new that he discovered with me.

But far mor importantly, the debate rages about whether or not I go on FC tour to the Southeast this winter break. Here are the facts:

I can legitimately escape campus on the 5th of Dec., right after my last workshop.
Jake just got trapped by a vicious newspaper and is now tearing around the room trying to escape.
Folk Choir Tour begins on the 4th of January, which means arriving back at ND on the 3rd.
The spring semester begins on the 16th.

And now, the pros of going on FC Tour:

• There are many people who won't be going, due to things like orchestra tours and bowl games and an overall lack of desire to take time away from le family to hang out with Folkheads for 11 days. The pro part of this is that a) there's the potential for solos ;) and b) I think I'll be legitimately needed as a strong alto, now that I don't have throat cancer.
• Since I want to participate in ACE after graduation, this would be an ideal time for me to get the lay of the land, as it were, to see if these were the kinds of places I'd be willing to go.
• Steve wants me to go. A lot.
• I genuinely like the people in Folk Choir, and this would allow more bonding with the newbies, should they decide to come.
• I would still get to spend about a month home, from Dec. 6 to Jan. 3.

And now the cons:

• I can leave on the 6th regardless, which gives me about 6 weeks of vacation that I could potentially spend with my parents and brothers and choir after only two weeks at home this summer. I also don't know how long I'll get to be home this summer, depending upon what next year's plans turn out to be, so this could be it until Christmas 2007.
• Do I really want to be on a bus with 50 other people for 11 days? To somewhere where it's not snowy or cold? In January? Particularly if Jen is off somewhere doing football things and not being my grad school buddy...
• Hypthetically: we go to the National Championship. Do I want to be watching it in Busch Gardens with a bunch of ND people, or at the crazy party that my parents will throw at the house with all of my loved ones?
• Costs: how many meals are we going to be paying for? Flying back to school on the 3rd, two days after New Years when everyone and their monkey will be recovered and flying home, costs almost $200 more than waiting until the 13th. It won't be a hardship then, because I'll have my PFD money, but it's going to make things a little tight right now.

So that's where we are right now. Feel free to weigh in, because it's causing me no end of headaches.

Song of the moment: "Here Come the Irish!"~Unknown woman who sounds like the lead singer of the Corrs