Some of you may have been noticing little hints lately about changes and news coming up on the NXT Desk. After my run on the Elections Desk it seems like things have been constantly in flux.

Well the news is this: I'm gone till December.

I've been dropping hints here and there about my impending hiatus, and this is it folks. I won't be back on the NXT Desk (or anywhere else in the newsroom) for three straight weeks.

To answer what you're probably thinking - no, nothing is wrong. I am not on suspension or leave of absence, and no, I am not getting a three-week post-election vacation thanks to my stellar work on the politics desk.

The truth is a bit complicated and involves a combination of vacation time around Thanksgiving and some cost cutting measures you may have read about:

"Aug. 1, 2008: The Portland Newspaper Guild, through a voluntary program in which employees offered to take unpaid vacation time to help offset the need for layoffs, reaches its goal of saving six of the 20 jobs slated for elimination on Aug. 18. Publisher Charles Cochrane sends out a company-wide memorandum, indicating that because of the guild effort and a decision by management, there will be very few layoffs this month."

I wound up with three weeks away for a good cause.

So what does this mean for the NXT Desk? Well I supposed I could have turned off the lights for three weeks, but that's never been the way we operate around here. So as has been the case when I've gone away in the past you can look forward to a bunch of guest stars filling this space over the next few weeks, some you may know, others you may not.

As for me, it's been a long time since I've had three straight weeks off - high school, by my guess. What will I be doing? Well, for the most part you can still find me around town. But I'll also be doing some traveling along the East and West Coast.

I'll be doing plenty of reading, maybe some writing, catching up on TV and spending some quality time in the kitchen. (Cooking and baking - not remodeling.)

Please be kind to the substitutes, and I'll be back before you know it. In the meantime you can always catch my up with me via Twitter.

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