**No time to teach**

Yep, it is official. I no longer have time to teach. There are too many other things to do. Plan the new television building, advise the radio station, watch old episodes of Star Trek, and plan trips to other places.

This week, I join the "fun group" in Tahoe for skiing, snowboard, snowshoeing, eating, drinking hot tubbing, and other wholesome, possibly slightly inebriated fun. I thought that would be the last hurrah for the semester and then I could really focus in on teaching. But now I am presented with an opportunity to attend the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas. Not having ever been to the conference, or to Las Vegas, the reasons for going are self-evident, even without bringing up the fact that it will mean two less lectures to give.

But the real fun of this trip is that I might be able to help my dear friend spend an ENORMOUS amount of money outfitting his new Nigerian film company. Yes, he goes back and forth to Nigeria several times a year, which brings up another enticement: He is convinced that NW Airlines will be out of business in the not-to-distant future, so he is trying to use up a ton of frequent flyer miles. Translated, that means a free ticket for yours truly. It would be an absolute blast to hang out with him as we always have fun together. Are there any possible reasons, short of being fired, that I shouldn't go?

Add to this a couple of planned camping trips this spring and I am running out of weekends, which is when I do household chores and take care of the lawn. Unlike a certain niece of mine, I actually like the yard covered in something from the grass family and generally not higher than my knees. Plus, there are other essential weekend chores like playing with the dog, hiking with the dog, sleeping in, making espresso and relaxing, that must be done on a regular and frequent basis. So all these trips would push those essential domestic chores into the work week. I already have to sacrifice Fridays to extra sleep and the occasional horseback ride, so all that is left is to start canceling classes.