When I think about the amount of traveling I am undertaking (and the amount of work that needs to simultaneously get done), it all kind of makes me want to dry heave. For the most part, I’m super lucky to be in a profession that allows me the flexibility to visit my family and friends, plan my own schedule, and generally take opportunities as they come up. I may not have health insurance, an impressive salary, or any guarantee of a stable future, but hey, there are a lot of perks to freelance writing which I enjoy and will totally own up to. So, I don’t want to whine about how it’s soooo tough to have to do a bit of back-and-forth in the next few months … except yeah, I kind of do want to whine.

I’ve become a huge homebody over the past couple years of cohabitation, especially after I moved into my current apartment in the Back Bay. Boston and I have been ensnared in a love affair ever since. I like the idea of living in close proximity to 10-15 good friends. I know all the restaurants, can get to all the restaurants on public transport, and when sick of them, am perfectly content to stay at home to consult my well-stocked pantry. I like my bed, I like my bedmate, I like the comfort of my own home. I’m fucking old, guys, and I know I sound boring … but dude, I am so glad that the days of waking up in last night’s clothes on a stranger’s couch are long past.

Except I’ve spent a lot of nights on people’s couches lately. (Like every time I’ve been to New York.) And I’ve spent the past week living in Patrick’s childhood bedroom. And this Friday, I go to pick up the doggie (once again in New York), and next week, I’ll be in my childhood bedroom, which may not be as cozy as I remembered it. None of these individual things really bother me, but taken together, I can’t help thinking, “Really? Can’t I just hibernate for the winter in my Beantown den and call it a season?”

Nope! This is what happens when you’re in a relationship and both parties have families only reachable via plane. Besides, I’ve probably spent a grand total of a month in California over the past two years … and that’s just sad. (Especially given that my parents are divorced and live in totally different cities.) So, here’s a brief travel itinerary for the next few months, not including the additional New York trips I anticipate taking. Luckily, I’m sitting on two free Jetblue round-trip award flights, or else, I’d be losing both my wallet and my sanity over the following.

October 6-13: Los Angeles for the first time since last winter. I’m terribly, terribly homesick, so I’m going solo and only for a week (really can’t afford to be away longer) even though Patrick is coming with me for Thanksgiving. My high school friends are gathering for a joint birthday dinner, the first opportunity I’ve had in over a year to see them all together. Gotta admit that I’m also really looking forward to this trip because my college roommate Tara (who I also haven’t seen in over a year) now lives in LA. Possibly going on a mother-daughter trip to San Diego too, which is just fucking darling, isn’t it? I miss my mom.

November 10-11: New York to participate on More Magazine’s young feminism panel with editor in chief Lesley Jane Seymour and Naomi Wolf (insert squeal and cartwheel). I’m sure this will be one of those situations where I’ll be really happy once I’m there, but beforehand, all I can think about is the fact that this date is also my self-imposed deadline for my book proposal. Also, still not sure about the logistics of getting from New York to …

November 12-13: Princeton for the Sexuality, Integrity, & the University Conference, run by the Love & Fidelity Network. Am obviously personally interested in the topic (hook-up culture, “natural marriage”, femininity and masculinity) but can’t really justify the trip unless I can wrangle a freelance assignment out of this. Let me know if you guys have ideas/leads!

Thanksgiving: Los Angeles & San Francisco (with the dude!) I hate the expense and hassle of traveling over Thanksgiving, so this is my first time since high school that I’ll actually be home. I originally wanted to do a feast in Boston (like last year’s Thanksgiving potluck), but I should really go see my dad, my grandparents, my godparents, and the other 300 Bay Area Chinese people to whom I’m tangentially related.

Mid-December to mid-January: Germany/Austria with Patrick and Hamlet. I cringe when I think about the six-hour time difference and the accompanying effect on my business hours. (Just ask Patrick; I’m frantically checking email starting from 3pm and right up until the moment I go to bed.) But then again, Christmas! (Which my own family does not celebrate.) There will be Reibekuchen and doggie holiday sweaters and other sickeningly festive practices.

February: Three-week trip to California, this time with dude AND dog. It will be Hamlet’s long-awaited first trip to my birthplace and also his first time celebrating Chinese New Year. The ultimate challenge: can I turn my mother’s house into an effective work environment for a writer and a graduate student? Regardless, am sure I’ll be happy to visit home again since it’s going to be frostbite-on-your-ass cold in Boston. Maybe when I return, the city will vaguely resemble something livable?

With proper planning and some stockpiling of freelance assignments, I just may get through the next five months with career and bank accounts intact. Off to Frankfurt Airport and back in Boston in a few hours! Deutschland, bis Weihnachten …