The next conundrum

Now that I’m just over a week away from leaving for IDRS 2012, the decision I’m going to have to make is whether or not to take the bassoon with me.  Let’s look at the pros and cons of taking it.

Pros

• There are daily sight-reading sessions (at least at lunchtime, and often before the morning sessions start as well) which are a lot of fun.  Whoever shows up, and it’s always a mixed bag of instruments and talents, is split into small groupings and given a stack of music to play.  It’s a great way to meet people and to see some new music.

Cons

• I have to deal with the bassoon.  This means carrying it in and out of hotels on the way there and the way home.  This also means lugging it around every day at the conference – I don’t mind leaving it in the hotel room for the evening when I go back for the concert, but I would have it with me as I’m traipsing from session to session all day, every day.
• There’s no opportunity to get lunch when you’re doing the sight-reading sessions – this could be considered a positive as it does help with weight loss … but it’s not necessarily fun!
• Mornings start much earlier because of the 7:30 or 8:00am sessions.
• I haven’t played since the middle of May … and have no idea whether I have functional reeds, chops, etc.!

Now that I’ve written everything down, the cons really do seem to outweigh the pros.  Still, if I have a chance to try out my reeds and chops within the next week, I may still (in a moment of weakness) take the bassoon with me.  I have to admit that the sight-reading sessions are a lot of fun!  But do I really want to carry the instrument with me all day??