Coughing into the phone and pretending you're sick while calling your boss is for amateurs, as a Colorado man demonstrated when he stabbed himself in the leg so he wouldn't have to work his shift at an Edgewater, Colo., Blockbuster video.

According to the Denver Post, Aaron Seibers, 29, told police that three people dressed in black attacked him, and that he couldn't tell if his attackers were Hispanic or skinheads. That's when authorities started a manhunt. The hoax was revealed when police examined surveillance footage of the area and found no evidence of an attack.

Stabbing yourself, of course, is extreme, but there are many other creative ways to get out of work. On a whim, I once hopped a flight to London with a friend and called in sick from a pay phone in Jolly Old England.

Check out what some Lemondroppers have done (or at least what they'll admit to):

Andrea: "I faked a car accident. I had really bad morals in college."

Lauren: "I hate to say it, but I said I had a 'family emergency' in Philly, which was code for going to the outlet mall with my new boyfriend for the day. I even kept emailing "updates" from my Blackberry as I was trying on clothes ... Oy. I look back and realize now what an idiot I was. (And the bf didn't last either!)"

Julieanne: "I may be the WPE for this, but when I was taking telephone orders for an Old Timey Products catalog, I was out all night drinking and showed up extra late to work, looking haggard. To avoid getting canned, I said that my older brother had threatened suicide and I was up all night with him. To be fair, I don't have an older brother. Also, to be fair, I was making six dollars an hour, and they made everybody work exactly 39 hours a week so they didn't have to give us benefits. I felt pretty bad when my supervisor said to take the day off and gave me a hug, but mostly I hate to be touched."

Erin: "I once told a really demanding client I had appendicitis just to get a moment's peace. And there was the time I was returning from a trip to Italy and missed my connection in Paris. Technically it wasn't my fault (the airline even hooked me up with a free room and meal vouchers), but when the gate agent said I couldn't get on a flight to NYC for 24 hours, I think my response was: Yippee!"

Have you ever done something outlandish to get out of work?