[I expect this will be my last entry until the last week of May or so, as I leave for London Friday evening, and then for Berlin on Sunday. I've already written a great goth song for my new Berliner friends. It's called "Schwarz Nacht!" and it contains both of the German words I know.]

I generally don't like to directly address the readership of this site, because I feel like it cheapens the important work I do here, but I feel I owe an explanation. I haven't updated in a week's time because I've been extremely tied up with work-related obligations and outstanding creative projects. I'm also juggling the planning stages of my impending trip to London and Berlin, for which I leave tomorrow. I've been earmarking travel guide books, making reservations, desperately seeking a sitter for my two cats, and trying to pack clothing that won't make me look too Jewish while I'm in Germany. I decided not to bring my "Jewish Community Center Bake-Off Champion" t-shirt (from Urban Outfitters) or my beard, but I am going to bring my foreskin.

And it wouldn't be a trip to Germany without a slew of delightfully droll Holocaust jokes. Here are a few, courtesy of a chat I had with my friend, Stacey:

Stacey: I hear there's a great open-air restuarant at treblinka
Todd: ha.
Stacey: brick oven pizza
Todd: nice!
Todd: they also have a great gym there.
Stacey: oh really?
Todd: it's called Fit For Labor.
Todd: zing!
Todd: zang!
Todd: zip!
Stacey: I was gonna make a dr. mengele joke
Stacey: but then I was like, nah
Todd: go right ahead!
Stacey: he makes haus calls
Todd: i wish you hadn't.
Stacey: "I said gaspacho not gestapo!"
Stacey: I think I stole that from the producers
Todd: i think you did.
Stacey: "don't be schtewpid be sschmarty come and join the nazi party."
Todd: the restaurant is called DaChow.
Todd: my sister held her bridal shower at auschwitz.
Todd: it ended poorly.