Tomorrow I leave with my little family for ten days in the Pacific Northwest, to see friends and kick around. See you on the 30th. In the meantime, in lieu of reading about education journalism, I invite you to waste time at the same places I do:

—Flickchart, which forces tough choices (Little Mermaid vs. Trainspotting?) in an attempt to rank your favorite movies. Results are sometimes questionable: Boogie Nights at #5 sounds about right, but Talledega Nights at #7 is definitely overstating things.

—My friend Hank Stuever’s blog, particularly the One-Man Book Club, which lets me know what to put on my library hold list, and what to strike from it.

—Go Fug Yourself and Us Weekly, even though I don’t know who two-thirds of these “celebrities” are. My husband says Us would be more appropriately named “Them.”

—Washington Post online chats, particularly those involving food and manners.

—Design*Sponge, where everything is pretty.

—When I want some funny, The Oatmeal fills me up.

—Speaking of sustenance, a huge portion of my brain is taken up with thoughts of what I might cook next (and after that, and after that, weeks on out). So, Epicurious and Chowhound.

—The New York Times crossword, but only on Sundays.

—Ticket to Ride, one of my favorite German-style board games. If the phrase “German board game” means nothing to you, a whole world of wonder awaits, my friend.

—This computer lands not infrequently on Sesame Street, where Milo likes to play Big Bird’s Letters when I am not making him watch vintage clips.

Or, you know, you could do some real work. Several reporters are writing “could it happen here?” pieces off the Los Angeles Times teacher effectiveness project; that’s something you might consider. If you need help with anything while I’m away, call EWA. One of my colleagues can probably lend a hand.