photo credit: Chris Kind

I guess it’s not too early to start thinking about going to the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence this November. As of the spring I’m now a member and this will be my first conference should arrangements proceed swimmingly. Online registration ($10 for students!) was supposed to open up on the ETS website on July 1, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to register on there quite yet. So, I’ve emailed the contact guy (or gal) to see what the deal is. Shall I post my findings? Sure thing.

Though registration is only $10 for the three day (i.e., November 19-21) scholarly showdown, getting to and staying in a city eleven hours away (i.e., Providence, RI) does pose a possible problem (i.e., costing dollars). Round-trip flights from RDU are cheapest at $250 which is well-nigh feasible. For accommodation, I’ve created a profile on CouchSurfing.com which might just come in handy. We’ll have to see.

What is couch surfing and its dot com? Well, why quote from its definiton when I can quote its mission statement. Yes, mission statement:

As a community we strive to do our individual and collective parts to make the world a better place, and we believe that the surfing of couches is a means to accomplish this goal. CouchSurfing isn’t about the furniture- it’s not just about finding free accommodations around the world- it’s about participating in creating a better world. We strive to make a better world by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!

More succinctly: people let you stay on their couch and you can do the same with your couch for others. Not a bad idea though my wife worries. I’m up for it. From the description it sounds like a great way to save dollars, attend ETS and meet new and possibly exciting people though I haven’t actually done it yet and my profile is new so I’m not sure if any one of the 100+ surfable couches in Providence will open wide their arms to embrace me that ETSly week in November. We’ll see. It could be fun and I hear lots of books are in attendance, too.

Are you thinking of going? What are your plans? What will keep you from going? Dollars? Class? (I am kind of worried about missing class.)