By the time you all read this, I'll be in the middle of a vacation.

I won't be back in the office until Oct. 13.

The only plan my wife and I have is that we're going to be in Moab for a couple of days. Other than that, we'll wing it.

Sometimes that's the best way to have a vacation. I usually don't like to meticulously plan where we'll be or what we'll be doing.

The reason is simple. Some people have a tendency to overschedule a vacation.

I don't like doing that. I like to take off in a general direction and stop when I get tired.

It's like playing a good jam session. You never know where you'll end up, but the way you get there is very interesting.

So, as we are taking our vacation, know that we'll be hearing a lot of the big-daddy of jam bands — the Grateful Dead. And we'll veer off into other jam-band territory such as Phish, Widespread Panic and Leftover Salmon.

Anyway, I'll check in when I get back. By then, I should be, theoretically, well rested and ready to work.

Hmmm. Just in time to start the marathon listenings to the box sets and greatest hits I've received over the past few months for the December gift guides.

I know it's only October, but once Halloween gets here, Thanksgiving, winter solstice and Christmas are just around the corner.

Anyway, I leave with you a nice visual line from my favorite Grateful Dead tune, "Sugar Magnolia." These words sum up the perfect vacation for me:

"A breeze in the pines and the sun and bright moonlight, lazing in the sunshine, yes, indeed …"

Peace.

e-mail: scott@desnews.com