Looking Ahead, Way Ahead

I have been back to work, from vacation, for one week. I am looking up flights for next year's vacation. Instead of going to California, I'm thinking of going to Illinois. Some friends recently relocated to Carbondale. At first, I thought that it would be fun to drive, especially through states that I haven't been to, but then, reality set in with the realization that I would burn six days of vacation in the car for the roundtrip and probably an additional two days if I decided to drive over and see some family in Marion, OH. Perhaps flying to St Louis and renting a car is a better option. I have a wedding to go to in May in Santa Cruz so if I go to that, I can detour to Santa Barbara and see family and friends there. Or, conversely, I can say, "Screw 'em, if they want to see me, they can get off of their lazy asseseses and come see me." You know, either way.