Times Like This

Have you noticed that for a month or so, I've been in a generally good mood? I mean, I haven't had a real work rant for a while, I've even been mostly getting along with WAM (who, by the way, apologized yesterday for snapping at me about that task I hadn't had time to do). Well, I'm sorry to say that I just have to rant.

I am the kind of employee who rarely asks for days off. I hardly ever take sick days, I never ask for time around Christmas or New Years (when everyone wants off), not even the Friday after Thanksgiving. I tend to take a day here, a day there, and maybe a few spanning a weekend to minimize my time out of the office as much as possible.

Last year, I had such a great time during my short visit to Goldentree Wands headquarters in Idaho that I've been saving up my PTO and planning to take as much time as I could get when the season rolled around again this year. The office has allowed people to go away for months at a time before, so I had no reason to believe that three weeks would be an issue, especially if I asked for it four months in advance.

Maybe it's my fault that I didn't consider that two of the people in my department, but not in my group, are pregnant. And apparently there is one other person who has been approved for extended leave during that time frame that I asked for. This means that the one who otherwise never asks for this kind of time off can't have it.

I don't get it. As far as I can tell, the three people who will be out are not in my group. I'm so swamped with my work, I don't have time to help out other groups, so how does them being out really make a difference whether I am or not?

There are several purposes for my three week trip. The first is that I can go to Utah and visit my aunt, which I've only done once. Then there's GoddessFest, where I'll be offering Reiki again, and on top of that, it will allow me to finish my Reiki Master level and actually complete my training. We're trying to plan a few outings here and there and I'm also going to be checking out the local job and housing markets. I really need that time that I want to take.

Conceivably, I could cut the trip to two weeks, eliminate visiting my aunt in Utah and come back to work right after I get off the plane like a zombie. It won't make much of a difference here at work if I do that. Or, I could always say that my last day of employment would be when my vacation would start anyway. I know, that's extreme, but if OBC would hire some people to replace the ones we've lost recently, then we wouldn't be in this position. I wouldn't be in this position. Cutting my trip short is only going to make me bitter and resentful.

Then again, four months should be plenty of time to find a new job. I'll update my resume and send it to Manpower or something. Post on a few internet sites. I'm still waiting to hear back from that job I applied for last month (which is started to not look very hopeful as that deadline is less than two weeks away). Or, I could up and move to the area I'm thinking of 2 years in advance.

I hate being put in this kind of position. I am not owned by the place that rents my time, but I can't make plans without their approval. Why, oh, why did I not win that lottery?!?!