If there's one thing I really hate, it's a dilemma.
Next Friday marks the start of two events I've been looking forward to for months: the Con Nooga fandom convention and Tune Junkie Weekend, an annual Irish music gathering hosted by my friends in Knoxville.
I love geek culture almost as much as I love being a musician, and for the first time, I'm being forced to place those two passions head to head and decide where my loyalties really lie.
It's not a situation I relish.
Normally when it comes to events, I like to plan things out, and rest assured I have everything figured out well in advance. This is a rare occasion where I got my dates confused and now have to make a difficult choice.
I'm in a love triangle between two equally likable suitors, a situation common in pop culture and in movies ranging from "The Graduate" to "Pirates of the Caribbean." Clearly, I'm no Dustin Hoffman, but like him, I can't have both things I want, however much I would like it to be possible.
Two days of teaching classes and playing tunes with some of my best friends, many of whom I haven't seen in a couple of years, is a can't-miss incredible weekend. Unfortunately, so is spending another gonzo-crazy weekend tromping around the Choo Choo, hobnobbing with my geeky fellows at a convention, particularly since a friend I haven't seen in a year will also be attending.
Under normal circumstances, either event would trump all comers, but this is like when a flipped coin lands, inexplicably, on its edge.
If this were a match of the card game War, there would be two aces facing each other on the table right now; only, in War, you keep drawing until one side trumps the other. I don't see that happening here since the normal weighing out of pros and cons comes out as a wash.
I've been a geek ever since I was old enough -- and self-aware enough -- to attach a label to myself. I've been playing music for just as long, and Irish music thrills me to the core.
So, here I am, facing a dilemma, and one that I don't see resolving itself until I make a last-second decision one way or the other. I still have a week to decide whether to suit up as The Doctor again or start my engines and head north. If you have any advice, my inbox is all ears.
* Assuming you're not facing your own dilemma of what to do Saturday, consider dusting off your polyester suit (or do a quick run to a vintage clothing store) for Yacht Rock Schooner's performance at Rhythm & Brews. The Atlanta-based group will be serving up the smooth sounds of '70s and '80s soft-rock hits with a healthy bit of cheese starting at 10 p.m. Cover is $7.