I do have this way of disappearing. If you know much about my life, you know that the original reason for this was the onset of threecap season at TWoP, during which they ran all three of the shows I recap -- Survivor, The Amazing Race, and The Apprentice -- week in and week out for thirteen straight weeks or so. That is a punishing schedule, y'all. By the end, I was ready to never type the words "Previously on" ever again. Ever. Again. I wrapped up the season with a couple of Extras -- I had a particularly good time with the recap of the TV-movie about Donald Trump -- and then there was other stuff.

First, there was the trip to New York to see some of the TWoP writers, which had the added advantage of incorporating other friends of mine who were accidentally-on-purpose in town at the same time. I'm telling you, you haven't lived until you've seen the Couch Baron and My Music Stylist retreat into total dweebhood of epic proportions, doing precisely this to various episodes of The Simpsons for, like, an hour:

Couch Baron: Remember that one? Where they said that thing?
My Music Stylist: That was awesome.
Couch Baron and Music Stylist: [in unison] Heh-heh.

Or until you have seen the Music Nerd Invitational fought out between My Music Stylist and my other friend Jane Wiedlin's Boyfriend, which very nearly resulted in fisticuffs when talk turned to Fountains of Wayne. Shockingly, I think JWB outnerded the Music Stylist, which is kind of shocking.

I also got to get both of those guys together with M. Giant and Trash, which gave the Music Stylist a welcome opportunity to stop tormenting Trash via text messages to me intended to be passed along to her and torment her in person.

I managed to be in New York for five nights and stay in three different hotel rooms, due to shuffling and different personnel and changes in plans occurring at the last minute. I am an expert, I will tell you, at checking my luggage with the hotel when I become homeless for short periods of time.

Also on this trip, I increased to three the number of former People magazine "50 Hottest Bachelor" entrants I know personally. Just one of those statistics I'm carefully keeping track of.

We had the Recapades as planned, although we almost missed it as a result of the difficulty that M. Giant, Trash, JWB and I had getting a cab to Brooklyn at 6:10 in the evening. In the rain. Trash was the valiant cab-chaser, and no matter how many times we were thrown out of cabs, she kept trying, and ultimately, she and JWB spotted a likely candidate that hesitantly took us in spite of his reservations. Trash sat up front and chatted him up, and believe me, when Trash chats you up? You stay chatted. By the time we got to Brooklyn, she knew the entire story of his life -- which was actually pretty goddamn compelling, all things considered -- and he probably would have married her if she'd been available.

Trash has fu, you know? Room fu, taxi fu, stranger fu... you should definitely arrange to take her on your next trip.

Another lesson from this trip? Margaritas should not be served in pint glasses. At least not to me. Because... seriously? Disaster can follow.

Anyway, now, I am back and settled and working on the book, meaning that Evan and I are enjoying all the fascinating dimensions of the collaborative process. We're on track, though, and that should be the big project of the summer.

Which is a good thing, because there's a good chance I'm going to be laid off in a week, thanks to the awesome work being done at the state Capitol these days. I can't tell you how much I love the idea of an indefinite unpaid layoff during which I can't even go anywhere or do anything because I could be called back at any time. We sure do have it cushy, we public servants. If this actually materializes, I will be hiring myself out to write, you know, shopping lists and birthday greetings and whatever other freelancing work I can get over the summer. Because interestingly, the government shutdown will not affect the expectation that I continue paying rent.

I am drowning my sorrows in TV shows recently released on DVD, including the first appearances of Moonlighting (YAY!), Lois & Clark (hee), and NewsRadio (on the excellent recommendation of JWB).

Also awesome: trashy summer reality shows, including Sports Kids Moms and Dads, Hell's Kitchen, Dancing With The Stars, and my beloved Airline. I'm kind of already over the John O'Hurley thing (too much hype), and I'm still trying to figure out why I know Kidney Stone Jeff from Hell's Kitchen.

Item: My buddy Ken from law school, made immortal to recap readers here, when I told the story of his Trading Places-inspired skiing educational techniques, is involved in a very worthy cause coming up in the next little bit here, and it would be the absolute bomb if any of y'all wanted to cough up a little money. It's a great event, and how can you not love people who will go from Portland to San Francisco? I mean, come on. Anyway. Check out the Run America site for details.

So. I can't say that's everything that's happened since you last heard from me, but it's probably all the news that's fit to print. I hope to be back shortly, a little more regularly, now that... well, sanity has set in and involuntary idleness may soon follow.