Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The broccoli of travel

Conferences are the broccoli of travel. Want proof?

  • Although I will dutifully eat broccoli without much enthusiasm for it, some madness causes me to buy it because I always think I will like it better than I do. Ditto for responding to a CFP.
  • Everyone I know and respect seems to be enthusiastic about eating broccoli, and I thus believe that I should share this feeling. Ditto conferences.
  • When it comes right down to looking at the broccoli on the plate, though, I secretly wish that I had a nice, ripe tomato instead. I eat it because there's no way of getting around it. (Professional development and conferences, anyone?)
  • Once I've eaten the broccoli, I feel as though I have Done a Good Thing for my health and all that. I don't enjoy eating the broccoli, but I enjoy knowing that I have eaten it. In conference world, this translates into getting back and knowing that you don't have to do it again for a while.

    At least it's not the brussels sprouts of faculty meetings that I'm facing.
  • 3 comments:

    heu mihi said...

    I just had broccoli for dinner. I totally hear you.

    (Although I do like conferences.)

    (But maybe I only think that because I'm not about to go sit through one?)

    (See, your analogy holds. Well done!)

    Anonymous said...

    Excellent analogy and post. And I agree with you on both counts! Apparently I keep thinking that at some point I'm going to become a completely different person who relishes doing/eating the things that are good for her, a la conferences and broccoli. Hasn't happened yet.

    Fortunately, the conference I'm going to this weekend (is my paper finished? It is not.) is this year held right here in Adventure City, such that I'll get to sleep in my own bed each night. A much better arrangement.

    undine said...

    I'm glad it holds for others, too. Hope springs eternal that some day I will wake up craving the stuff (conferences or broccoli, take your pick) and become that mythical good person who likes both.