I survived my 16th layoff at work last Thursday, and have now officially begun my 3rd sabbatical. Now that the threat of a Northwest pilots' strike appears to have receded, I'm preparing to depart for Los Angeles to spend a week doing odd jobs for my aging mother, crawl tiki bars, and hit the flea markets. I'm also planning to take in a performance of Ubu Roi, visit the Museum of Jurassic Technology, and then the Petersen Automotive Museum.

When I return, I'll spend a week antiquing in Eastern Minnesota, then I'll finish off the 3rd week of my sabbatical sucking down Ron y Limons in Barcelona. I'll wind up back at work, teaching a class in Munich, where I'll no doubt drink several beers as big as my head.

Live is hard.