A crash course in dip (resource) management.
I need you to know
It's under control, I got it
And as it unfolds, I got you, I promise
I promise I'm on it
- from Under Control x The Internet
After a brutal 21 days of back-to-back-back trips, I was exhausted. I had the audacity to blame it on my getting older, but my age wasn’t to blame for my fatigue. It was the recent and excessive expenditure of energy.
I was going, going, going so I was going to be tired.
Within three weeks, I had visited 3 different cities for 3-5 days each. And after the second city, I began to wonder if I had over-extended myself. Everything looked nice and pretty on my Notion board but in reality, it felt a little different.
As the day of departure for the third city came upon me, I wondered if I had simply put too much dip on my chip.
Naturally, I texted Ameerah, who immediately caught my analogy and stuck in there with me while we worked it out together. That’s my girl fr.
And she’s right. When you’re considering whether there’s too much dip on your chip, or if you’ve stretched yourself too thin and planned beyond your energetic means, then you have to start thinking more about yourself (the chip) than your plans (the dip).
You have to ask yourself, “Am I capable of doing all the things I said I would do? Do I have the means financially, mentally, emotionally, and physically to go through with this, or will I be left depleted?” For me, I knew the pretty itineraries I made would be there, the Delta flights would be there, but I had to consider if I was able to do all this in the moment. And I reminded myself that there’s no shame if the answer is no!
It’s much better to shake some dip off than end up with a broken chip.
In non-food terms, you ought to concern yourself first with understanding your capacity and then later the weight of the things you may carry. That understanding will inform how or if you carry anything at all.
However, there’s another concern Ameerah and I chatted through: dip that’s too rare not to have.
I knew I had a lot of plans and had overbooked my August far beyond what I’d usually do. By the end of August, I had been out of town every single week for six straight weeks, taken a total of five trips, and gotten on a plane a total of eight times. In six weeks.
Frankly, I was ready to throw in the towel after trip number two! But I didn’t because the dip. was. too. rare.
I went to Houston because I love my line sister, Reagan, and she don’t ever ask me for nothing. So when she asked me to come to Houston for her birthday, I had the means at the time and sure wasn’t about to say no!
I went to DC because that’s the only way I was going to see Beyoncé Knowles-Carter in concert for her Renaissance World Tour.
I went to Charlotte because I wanted to meet my infant niece, the firstborn of my beloved line sister Halle, who I hardly see as much as I’d like.
I went to Chicago because I wanted to see my first celebrity husband, Earl Sweatshirt, in concert for the first time in six years in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Doris. (aka, our wedding anniversary)
I went to LA to attend a work event, eat tacos with a two-year-old, and laugh with her mama. I’ve only ever worked remotely, so work travel is exceptionally rare for me. And since Erin left Atlanta for LA two years ago, I try my best to see her and her child any chance I get.
I really considered not going to Earl’s concert in Chicago due to fatigue after DC. But I realized I didn’t want to go just to see Earl. This was literally one of four stops on a super unpublicized anniversary tour for Doris (2013), which, love for Earl aside, happens to be a core album for me. This dip was rare.
To combat feeling overwhelmed and fatigued and making decisions for my future based on those temporary feelings, I decided to seek a way I could plan better. I know there’s some way I can do a more thoughtful opportunity cost analysis, and figure out 1) what dip is most worth putting on my chip and 2) what dip I can have less of or save for later. My fear is that if I don’t get strategic about this, then I won’t have a chip strong enough to hold any dip at all. And that’s not what we want.
My first dip management strategy is to stop making concerts into full trips.
I piloted this with Earl’s concert in August: I flew in that morning, went to the show, and left the next morning. I was still tired, but that’s just because I woke up at 4 a.m. two days in a row. But beyond physical fatigue, this technique did indeed save me time and money.
While the flight price wouldn’t have changed if I was staying for one day or twenty days, the money I’d spend on food and lodging for those extra days would’ve been steep.
Next year, I’ll practice the same strategy abroad.
I want to go to the MLB International Series in Mexico City for two days. I need to be okay with being in one of my favorite North American cities for two days. It’s certainly a little easier because I’ve already been there. Because I’ve been there and already had plenty of time to wander about and experience the city, I won’t feel like I’m missing much if I just go to see the ballgames.
Time costs money! Let’s do some math.
I am in love with a band called Butcher Brown. They’re not playing in Atlanta, so I have to go out of town to see them. Not going isn’t an option because this band is only going to get harder to see as they get bigger on the jazz scene. So in order to see them while their tickets are still less than $30, the most reasonable options from their tour list are Charleston and Chicago.
Butcher Brown in Charleston two days after a trip to Chicago and two days before a trip to Los Angeles.
Ticket: $17
Lodging: Free because Reagan loves me
Travel: 10-hour roundtrip drive to Charleston + gas
Butcher Brown in Chicago after at least a month and a half of rest.
Ticket: $25
Lodging: ~$200
Travel: 12.7k points or $202
Don’t go. Save money, time, and energy. Miss out on one of the singular experiences that bring me deep joy.
There were really only options A and B to consider.
Charleston will save me money. Chicago will save me time and energy.
Same band, same album, same set list, just entirely different mental spaces for the Thalia of the day. Thalia of Aug 25 will likely be so tired because she would’ve just gotten back from Chicago a few days earlier and still is in the onboarding stages of her new job and will be stressed about making it back to Atlanta the following day for an event at the High.
Thalia of October, on the other hand, will be super well-rested. There’s nothing on the books that requires a flight for Sep and Oct. She’ll have had the chance to sleep in her own bed every night for at least 60 days. Thalia of today can’t even say that. She’ll be two and a half months deep into her new job.
I chose to see them in Chicago, but the only serious con is that I’ll need to bring a coat. Y’all pray I don’t freeze.
Dip, (and mischief), managed.
Thalia, 24, just wants to lie down and eat the food in her refrigerator. Her 2023 travel season is nearing its end, though, so there will be plenty of time for that very soo
