Going on Sabbatical

I'm going on sabbatical, and I won't be back for two weeks or so. Consequently, Johnny Shades will be on a brief blogging hiatus. See, where I'm going, they don't have such things as "bloggers" or "high-speed internet access," but they do have things such as "monsoonal rains" and "avian bird flu."

Where am I going, you ask? Why, Cambodia of course.

Why am I going, you ask? Well, it appears that Cambodia is the only place on earth where my company or clients can't possibly reach me, with the possible exception of the Darién province of southern Panama. I'm planning on going there next year.

And besides, everyone's going to Cambodia. Get with it, man.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Aziz, er... Ajit... I mean, Johnny Shades, how am I going to entertain myself over the next two weeks without your witty observations and pithy commentary?"

Well, by my count, Cafe 227 has 11 contributors and, coincidentally, the same number of regular readers. I'm confident you'll be able to entertain each other for the next two weeks.

Alternatively, here are some suggestions:

• Peruse my archives. I thought this post was particularly clever. This one as well.
• Read other, more compelling blogs. "Real" blogs, as it were. I recommend Velvet in DuPont and Overcaffeination. Oh, and you can find a few more here.
• Buy a tray of baklava. Spring for the large, which includes 54 delicious pieces for only $21.90 (plus shipping). That should last you about two weeks.
• Go to the zoo.
• Watch A&E's coverage starting Monday, June 14 of the Rock Paper Scissors championship, hosted by Dave Attel and featuring my close, personal friend, Master Roshambollah. Seriously, if you fancy yourself as someone on the cutting edge of sweeping cultural trends, start following RPS now. Not only was RPS recently featured in Rolling Stone (considered by some to be the pop culture bible), but it is also being used to settle legal disputes. Trust me, RPS is the new poker. (As an RPS insider, I should know...)
• Tear yourself away from your computer and go listen to some live music. If you're in DC, get on Ajit's e-mail list, find out where he's playing next, and go see him. Seeing an Indian as big and scary-looing as Ajit play the acoustic guitar with such skill is a transcendent experience. If you're in NY, check out Creeping Weeds at Fat Baby (on Rivington between Ludlow and Essex) on Saturday, June 17. They'll be in town for some ass-hat's birthday party.
• And if all else fails, have a conversation with an artificial intelligence bot. It will potentially keep you occupied for hours, and it'll probably result in more stimulating conversation than the tripe banter you have with your coworkers. To wit: I asked Joan, "Is it hot enough for you?", and she replied, "Love is very important for humans." Now that's what I call interesting banter.

See you in a few weeks...