Off for a week, much to the collective terror of the Buddy production team. It's not me being away that bothers them, I think — it's what I might say when I get back.

The strip will be updated every 2nd day until August 2nd.

Tickets for "Buddy" Cianci: the musical are now on sale. Get 'em while they're hot and juicy!

Not to be outdone by the smallest state in the union, Oregon has put me on the front page of their living section.

Unless my count is off, this means I have now been in the newspaper in 3 different states. Only 47 to go.

UPDATE: Make that 4 different states. I had forgotten about South Carolina.

• 30! [The Oregonian]

In the past few weeks, my nights have been for the most part dreamless, although I have a hazy impression of a dream about talking to a toupee-less Buddy.

Far be it from me to shy away capitalizing on a trend as Lock forges ahead. In the aftermath of the Sunday Styles article about turning 30, he offers the galley of the JA/LS/JVG masterwork Book of Ages to interested press. I make a better offer: galleys which have been touched by me personally, and therefore be that much more famous.

If you would like one of these far superior galleys, let us know.

Or, to hell with it, just buy the book now and be ahead of the curve.

A rundown of previous BOA-related posts on this site:
• Cut from the Book
• Sneak Preview 2
• Sneak Preview

Audio Book titles on display, top shelf, front of store, Kinko's on Court Street:

1. How to Deal with Difficult People
2. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (And It's All Small Stuff)
3. Stress Management for Professionals

Rob Sterling, after showing up at every blog party in the past six months and suffering incessant mockery as he sheepishly admitted "I don't have a blog right now," has finally gotten off his ass. His boro6 site centers around New Jersey, which is apparently of interest to some people.

He has wisely chosen to host with FictCo, as has brand spanking new blogger Ami Eden, who is producing "a regular update on news, culture and Jewish affairs" at amieden.com. We remember Eden fondly from late nights at Exit 20 (obituary) crammed into an undersized computer lab known enigmatically as "ConMag," shoulder to shoulder with an unwashed Lockhart Steele.

Not entirely sure if this has ever been done before — or, indeed, if it's an especially good idea — but we've just launched a production blog over at the "Buddy" Cianci: the musical website. For the next month, the crew will be updating on a daily basis, giving some damn good insight into the level of pure, undiluted insanity required to put up an off-off-Broadway show.

• Buddy Production Blog

Being the sixth in an ongoing series of rare and unpublished works by the author which, for one reason or another, were never presented to the public at large.

Title: "Drunk Drivin' Dubya"
Date: 6/18/2003
Rejected from: Book of Ages 30
Intended use: Illustrate bio of 43nd President
Reason Rejected: One author felt drawing "seems a little un-subtle"

I've just relaunched the Buddy website. Fun features include: eerie pictures of Dave looking a bit to much like Buddy; links to ProJo articles about the entire Buddy saga; a link to a description of the prison in which Buddy currently resides, written by an inmate; and a calendar. A CALENDAR!

OFFICIAL NOTICE
The following photo will not be used as one of the "Buddy" Cianci: the musical press photos.

David Stern as Mayor "Buddy" Cianci and Michael Johnson as FBI Agent Aiken, Together Again for the First Time

What say we all kick in a couple bucks and buy Vivendi Universal?

By popular demand (read: Lock's incessant whining,) the main page of the comic strip is now archived in reverse chronological order.

Danah, a PhD student at Berkley, is researching Friendster. You can tell she's a PhD student when she notes "I've really enjoyed watching the Friendster meme percolate," because who else would have the unmitigated gall to suggest that a meme can percolate, rather than simply brew?

She has a list of questions on her Friendster research page, that — even if you don't feel like sharing with her — may be worth considering for your own sake.

Full disclosure: Danah is a mere one Friendster step away from me, in three different directions. She also has a blog on which she discourses frequently about vaginae.

A friend: "You used to be all about playgrounds."

Me: "I still am. Only now they're the playgrounds of the mind."