In which we plan ahead. Way ahead.

Seeing that as often as not I’m planning the running of tournaments, as compared to simply planning attendance at tournaments, it’s not unfair to say that I tend to arrange things well in advance. Nevertheless, in our present tournament environment, where there are only just so many slots to go around, there are also usually just so many hotel rooms to go around as well, so it behooves one and all to also think well in advance. You can always find something, somewhere, but as a general rule, you probably want to stay in the tournament hotel because of its location and, if you’re lucky, its price. And, of course, there’s the negotiation of plane tickets for some tournaments, something I didn’t do much the last few years. I sort of molded a calendar that mostly kept me within driving distance, aside from the big events at the end of the year. And I managed to weasel out of them because, well, a week at NSDA? The Day Job simply would never allow it. I mean, there’s vacations and there’s vacations. A week at NatNats would seem to be anything but.

So I’ve been thinking everything through up to and including UPenn, which is close to the end of the season (I'll probably train it down and stay until Monday). But then there’s NDCA in April, a couple of weeks after Easter. Did I mention that it’s in Orlando? Think about that. All I have to do is add a couple of days to the trip—which I feel obligated to make, given that it will be my last tournament as a board member—and I can enjoy a solo Disney adventure. I can leisurely work my way through a bunch of things that we attacked commando-style at the DisAd. I can stop and smell the roses once in a while. I can even, if the spirit moves me, do a backstage tour. And while I’m at it, I can pop over and see Diagon Alley again. And again, more leisurely.

Oh, yeah.

I’ve thought it through at great length, and concluded that I will do it. And I’ve gone so far as to make virtually all the necessary arrangements. I mean, who knows when I’ll get back there otherwise? I have no compelling need for another family trip, and if you’ve been following all the announcements, you’re aware that all the new stuff, especially Star Wars, won’t be around for five years or so. Not to mention all the new stuff announced for Universal. It will be awhile before the spirit gets one moving again, either with family or friends. So why not take advantage of this? I’m going to be there anyhow. Why not take another spin on the old Doom Buggies and the like?

That’s the thing about Disney planning. It needs to be done as early as possible. April is only 8 months away. Time’s a wastin’.