September 21, 2005
My five-day vacation ends here. I had two-and-a-half unused vacation days that I was going to lose forever if I didn't take them by the end of October, so I stayed home Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
During my two years at The Chronicle, I earned a total of five paid days off. I used three in bed when I came down with pneumonia. I took a few extra vacation days by working overtime earlier in the week or by going without the extra money.
Having a full two weeks of vacation -- plus personal days, plus sick leave -- is such an improvement. Over the past several days, I've found time for web surfing, books, magazines, newspapers, puzzles, movies, hikes, TV shows, parties and long meandering strolls.
Leisure is so nice. I don't think I'll ever get enough of it.
After a half week at home, going part time seems incredibly appealing. It's not in the cards. I could probably take home bigger checks in fewer hours if I looked at jobs in another field. Too bad I love my job, with its bad hours, worse money.
Tomorrow I'll get up before sunrise so I can return to the daily grind. I hope the energy and excitement of the workaday world are hovering over my desk when I get there, because they seem to be missing from my comfy, lazy home.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at September 21, 2005 10:05 PM