When the academic gods give you lemons . . .

I usually give two papers at conferences per academic year. My MLA panel proposal was rejected and now it appears my panel proposal for Important Conference, where I have given papers for the past three years, has also been rejected. This is no real surprise, as I have been paying attention to the cosmos and its message has been pretty flippin' clear: "Not your year, my dear Medusa."

But, BUT, my friends, I have concocted a delightful Plan B, the very thought of which is making my entire being shiver and tingle and smile. Instead of using my travel money to go to Important Conference, I could use it to go to Medusa's Version of Heaven. Without revealing too much, I can say that it is not an academic conference, but it does have to do with one of my areas of teaching and research expertise. And I would actually be doing Actual Things Related to my Teaching and Research. I would also be in heaven. Foggy C has footed the bill for me to go once before.

It is expensive, as in my whole travel money wad for the academic year and then a little. It does mean I would miss an entire week of classes, and the timing is especially unfortunate as that week of school is the week after Spring Break. But, BUT I would have missed half of the very next week for Important Conference anyway, and this only means cancelling one additional class session. And have I mentioned that I would be in HEAVEN???

I should do it, right? I should at least try to get the proposal through, right? Right? Right? Am I right? I am right. Right?

[Edited to add, 1/8/07, 11:25 a.m.: Dammit! I can't follow the very good advice of Artichoke Heart and Wol. I just found out that there was a screw-up and that my panel was indeed accepted for Important Conference! Now that I have an excellent and more desirable Plan B! Well, I do want to go, kind of, and it is Important Conference, but but . . . I am sure there is a lesson in here somewhere, but I think it might be that lame "you will get what you want at the second you no longer care" lesson. I wish there were a way I could do both, but, alas. If only I were an heiress. I would do much more interesting things than the Paris Hiltons of the world.]