I've been included in a Minnesota anthology "Under Purple Skies", now available on Amazon!

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Friday, August 14, 2009

Spinning Counter-Clockwise in a Clockwise World

The week of the 17th, I will be engaged in the act of “not working”.

Surely you’ve heard of this, yes? It’s a bit of a mystery, but apparently I am free to not come in – let me say that again – not come in for a full week.

Don’t laugh, but it’s only recently that I’ve been introduced to the more-than-two-weeks-of-vacation-a-year concept. Having been something of a job-hopper all my life – and too green, apparently, to ask for that third week off as condition of my employment – the taking of a full week, al those days in a row? away from work? is a giddy-ing thing.

Ahh, but I can hear the Europeans laughing from here. Oh, ho ho ho! you are chuckling indulgently, Silly Americans! We take four weeks at a time! We have civilized maternity leaves!

We have Bank Holidays!


You know you’re killing me over here, don’t you? And yes, with jealousy.

What does one do with a full week off? Well, many of you have asked for more information on the home-dentistry kit, so there’s pulling that together. There’s also that Afghani I’m thinking of crocheting, working on my formulation regarding light without heat, and bleaching my elbows.

Really, there’s always something to be done.

(And I’m just kidding about the elbows.)

12 comments:

NR said...

Enjoy your holidays...off after work is the most freshing thing in rhis world n that if you have got it for a week. The annoying thing will be when this week finishes n your back reporting to your work...n there u r the worst thing on this planet :)!!!

The Jules said...

Sigh, I go to work for a bit of a rest.

darsden said...

drive South Pearl.. I show you wha cha can do :-)

Red Squirrel said...

Two weeks? Blimey, I'm in my first year of this job and I get 26.5 days a year (plus 10 days national holidays).

If I stay for 9 years I get 35 days holiday a year.

With some artfully pulled sickies, I could be looking at 20% of my year not in work. Awesome. :)

rtju said...

Sounds like somebody has a lot of time to work on their book. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

Vic said...

Won't the Afghani object to the crochet needles? Some people are touchy like that.

I hope you get to do something really fun and relaxing. You deserve it.

Douglas said...

Since I did not jump around from job to job but put in 34 years with one organization (it jumped around, however, but I digress), I would be rewarded for my loyalty with additional weeks at various anniversary dates. By the end of my stellar career, I had 5 weeks of vacation, 6 official Holidays, and 5 days I could take at any time. I just had nowhere to go by then.

Kevin Musgrove said...

Ta Pearl, you've reminded me that I need to book my summer holidays!

Charlotte Ann said...

I'm thinking you might want to hop on that bus early in the morning and just ride around all day every day for a week. It seems you have a great time which I envy. I never thought I would envy someone that had to ride the bus! You've almost convinced me to sell my car and buy a bus ticket; sad thing is there is no bus route close to where I live!

Joanna Jenkins said...

The time off will fly by before you know it. E N J O Y
xo

Kavi said...

Sounds like someone is just out to have some fun !!

Enjoy !!

:)

That Baldy Fella said...

Is now the time to point out that I get five weeks leave plus Bank Holidays? No, probably not.