The longest stretch of the year
 

We're coming into what I like to call the dead zone. Long weekends for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, and now no days off until Memorial Day in May. It seems unfair to have such a nice break and then no breaks at all.

Michael's work has a "free Friday" program, where once a quarter they get a Friday off with pay, and it doesn't count against their vacation time. That is a great program, but employees choose their Friday in order of Seniority. Michael's company has an unusually high retention rate, and it just so happens that he was the last person they hired. Nearly two years ago. So he chooses his Friday last. He got March 31st this quarter, which is a long ways away. I'm getting itchy just thinking about it.

Granted I don't actually have a job, but I find this time annoying nonetheless. Anybody else?

There's a bit of a ruckus at my office over their decision to make us work on President's Day, for the first time ever, in return for adding a day off to the Independence Holiday (since July 4 falls on a Tuesday). It means the longest stretch of no work holidays ever, in what was always the longest stretch of the year anyway. After MLK on Jan. 20, nothing else till Memorial Day at the end of May (the 29th). Bah.

This is already my least favorite time of year, with plenty of winter but no jolly winter holidays and the beauty they provide. I'm almost thankful for the morons who leave their Christmas decorations up till April.

January is weird anyway. A month designated for new beginnings, even though it's just another bunch of days. I always feel like January doesn't live up to the hype. Nothing ever happens in January.

Except for maybe the genesis of the best message board ever.

...and my birthday...

After the absolute whirlwind of the past 3 months, I'm grateful to have a bit of downtime. Pet sitting should calm down a LOT but Retroland should be ramping up big time and I'm glad I have fewer other distractions.

There is the matter of SOMEONE'S 44th birthday at the end of the month to keep me occupied.

Let's plan a camping trip for Spring, why don't we?

What, do we share barinwaves or something???? Sheesh!

I'm glad for the respite, to be honest. I need the time to just get down to business and start making money to pay for the fun planned for 2006. NOw that we're back to having car payments, I have to (shudder) seriously budget if we want to do all that we had planned.....

Camping? You know, the PNW offers extreme camping opportunities....:D

I have the good fortune of working for a company that has lots of holidays. We do get MLK, Jr. off in January, as well as Presidents' Day in February. We *ALSO* get Good Friday off in March (or April if it happens to fall then), so it's only a max of two months then until Memorial Day in May. Sprinkle a possible vacation day off in March for my birthday and a vacation week off in May the week before Memorial Day for our New York trip, and a vacation day off for July 17, and several vacation days off in September for WorldCon. When am I going to get any work done? ;)

Re: The longest stretch of the year

Or is it your imagination? Hmm?

And my dad's birthday, and my deceased grandfather's birthday, and two of my uncle's birthdays, and MLK's birthday, and oh yeah the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Other than that, nothing. :p