Taking a Vacation! (Finally!)

"Too much work, and no vacation,

Deserves at least a small libation.

So hail! my friends, and raise your glasses,

Work's the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde

It may seem like it's been forever since I've taken a vacation, because it has been. So this coming Memorial Day Weekend, I'm going to make it count. (Although you can read my previous Memorial Day post here if you're starving.)

So what will I be doing? Well, here's a little taste, courtesy of the band Flogging Molly, whom I'll be listening to in just a few days,

At the 2011 Sasquatch Music Festival! So I most likely won't have a new post for you all until next Wednesday. What ever shall you do in the meantime?

Participate in a contest! 3 Quarks Daily is having their 3^rd Annual Science Prize competition, and unlike most other contests, there's a cash prize for the top three articles! Although I would be thrilled if any of you nominated any of my articles for this contest, this is really a great time for you to think about the written science articles that have made the greatest impression on you the past year, and to let them shine.

How to do it? Well, read the contest rules, but here's a brief synopsis. Start by finding the one post you want to nominate, and -- before midnight (EDT) on May 31st:

• Please nominate your favorite blog entry or e-zine piece by placing the URL for the blog post (the permalink) in the comments section of this post. You may also add a brief comment describing the entry and saying why you think it should win. (Do NOT nominate a whole blog, just one individual blog post.)
• Blog posts or e-zine articles longer than 4,000 words are not eligible.
• Each person can only nominate one blog post.
• The blog entry may not be more than a year old. In other words, it must have been written after May 22, 2010.

There will be public voting until June 8^th after that, and the winners will be announced on the Summer Solstice! So if you've got a favorite, or would like to make your voice heard, this is the time to do it. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying a little vacation, and I'll see you all back here next week!