I was disappointed not to go to the North American Patristics Society’ conference for 2016, but I do not regret my decision not to go this year. Here’s what not-going did for me:

1. I saved about $2000-3000 dollars and 4 days worth of air travel.
2. I spent some quality time with my 11 week-old daughter.
3. I visited my 90-year-old grandmother.
4. I made some good progress in my rapidly overgrown and overgrowing treatment of 4th century exegesis of Proverbs 8.
5. I gave a presentation about my time teaching in Mongolia.
6. I followed as much of the conference as I could via twitter.
7. I finally had a gym bro compliment me on my strong deadlifts.
8. I saved myself the abomination of drinking the american excuse for coffee.
9. I heard a local paper comparing the Johannine Epistles and with Philodemus and Plutarch.
10. I got to experience the very belated arrival of ‘autumn’ in Sydney.

No, but semi-seriously, I wish I could have been there, but I’m glad I decided not to go this year.