Sure, there’s the beach, the mountains, or just going to a hotel in another city.  And all of those ideas sound great; one of these days, I’ll have to check them out again, if only just to remind myself how the rest of you live.

This past weekend, though, I decided that it was time for a little mini-vacation. Working that second job, though, creates a minor obstacle — that second job keeps me working until early Sunday morning, so even an extra day tacked on to the weekend doesn’t leave me much time. Top that off with an iffy financial situation (one that not only discourages me from spending extra money, but won’t really allow me to skip nights of earning the “extra” cash), and I had to do a little creative thinking in order to get some time to myself.

Of course, when your apartment is without central air or sufficient window units and the temperature is creeping towards the mid-90s, just about anything is an improvement.  Which is why crashing on Garth’s couch from Friday until Monday was less like part of the Memorial Day weekend’s decadence (although you could certainly see it that way) and, by leaving my cellphone at home, more of a true getaway.

To anyone whose phone calls I seemingly ignored this weekend, sorry, but — well, for a few days, I finally managed to escape, so can you blame me? And if the answer is yes, remember that I have dirt on all of you that I’m not afraid to take to your significant others or the newspapers.

Besides, it was a whole lot cheaper and less painful than the plastic surgery that I considered.