all over the map

I just printed out another map. And I just checked condo prices in Chicago. I’ve only scratched off a third of the things on my To Do list but overall I’m having a productive break. There’s been a lot of binge watching series on Netflix but I also finished my first haibun and tidied up a couple of other poems that I started earlier in the year but never finished. I answered all of Chani’s questions for winter solstice and I posted my goals for 2020 above my desk. I haven’t worked out my five- or ten-year plans but I’ll get to those eventually. I’m printing maps because I realize I don’t know Pennsylvania very well and I’m thinking about going to Pittsburgh in February. I also agreed to visit Detroit with a friend so I’m not booking anything just yet. I said I would travel less in the new year and I intend to honor that. What can we do to help the planet? Fly less. Could I get through the year with just three flights? I’ll be flying to Seattle and Toronto in January so that would leave just one more trip for the rest of the year and I’m scheduled to present at a library conference in Texas in March. It’s easy for me to give up meat and I turn down the bottled water offered at every conference and school I visit. But travel is tricky. If I want to spend more time in Canada, then moving to Detroit makes sense. But Detroit is a city that doesn’t have strong public transit, which means buying a car. I don’t need a car here in Lancaster—would I need one in Pittsburgh? I think I could do without a car in Chicago but then the cost of renting or buying a home goes back up. What if I get an electric vehicle or a tiny fuel-efficient car? It’s not just where I live but how I live that matters. I started the online application for US citizenship but then stopped because once you apply, you can’t leave the country for three months. Another reason to stop flying…

I read for three hours today and I’m still not done this 450-page novel! Will take a break to watch the news, then it’s back to the book! I finished 3 books of poetry last week but my TBR stack is still too high. Time to start my research reading so I can finally get back to work on Carlisle…