Again exiling myself from these fair shores, I'll soon leave the US behind and find myself adrift on the murky sea of life aboard a luxury liner. I've been spending the last few days contemplating what things I need to do "one last time" before I head out - things I won't be ABLE to do as readily outside the US. Any ideas?

Soon enough, by year's end, I'll make my return. Perhaps I'll return to a hero's welcome - a tickertape parade, even - when my contributions are finally realized and acknowledged. Perhaps I'll be abducted by gypsies in Russia, never to be seen again by friendly eyes, living out the rest of my life in the Russian potato mines. More than likely I'll return to nothing more spectacular than the ker-thunk of a passport stamp, and maybe a hassle over luggage.

Tonight we are all going to a sneak preview of SUPERMAN RETURNS. Perhaps, like Superman, I'll return to a world where my arch-enemy has been quietly biding his time building his power base and plotting my demise.

I often think life would be a lot simpler if we each had an arch-enemy. Someone that you could blame for every flat tire, every streak of red lights, every time you got to the fridge and have no more ice when you were SURE you filled those damned trays. In this scenario, we'd all have to not only HAVE an arch-enemy but also BE someone's arch-enemy, which would also be fun... slashing those tires, controlling those stoplights.

Friday, I fly from Orlando to Miami to Frankfurt to Copenhagen. There was a time when that alone would've sounded really, earth-shakingly exciting to me. Then, I was inspired... now, I'm sad and tired... After all... etc.