…that is the question.

it’s usually around this time every year that i begin looking forward a week or two of vacation. in just a couple of weeks (plus maybe a day or two for wrap up) my busiest time of year will finally come to an end; july 8 marks the day when every bill passed by the legislature with have either become law, or vetoed. my workload shrinks to nil for a short time before we begin gearing up for the next session.

as this is an election year, it’s a little different, as there are campaigns to work on and candidates to support, including my employer, the governor of hawaii. his real battle, as i see it, exists during the primary election, which is in the second week of august. if he wins, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. if he loses, not only do i worry about the next guy, but it also means i’m out of a job. no pressure or anything.

despite all this, i was planning to take my usual vacation to minnesota to spend time with my niece and nephew (and my parents and their parents), but i’m reconsidering. i saw them all just about a month ago at my brother’s wedding. on the one hand, it was good to see them and i did get to play with the kids a bit. on the other hand, we were gathered for a wedding which came with certain obligation of my time. not to mention the whole trip lasted for just a few days.

the wedding event was also an efficient reminder of my own bachelorhood (not to mention a nagging loneliness).

i predict a vacation to visit family will only reinforce these feelings, so i was contemplating a trip to visit friends in ohio, or d.c., or kansas city (where i also have family), until i remembered that i have no money for such trips.

so now, for the first time in years, i’m thinking about skipping a real vacation altogether. maybe i’ll take a day off here and there between now and september, but since i’d likely just spend it lying on the couch, i’m not sure there’d be much point.

you may think i’m wallowing a bit in self-pity (maybe i am a bit). whether i am or not is for another time. for now, all i can say is a proper vacation might not be in the cards this year.