Take Yer Damn Vacations Already!

Here it is, December 22nd and people at work are behaving like it's our busiest time of year. We've been behaving like it's our busiest time of year all year. For the love of sweet screaming Jesus--when will a breather ever come?

I fully expected work today to be on the down low (and by that, I don't mean the male African American version of it). I expected people to be away and indulging in their long holiday vacations. I expected to finally catch up with work that has lingered for the past few weeks that while not urgent, needed some tending to. But no. From the minute I walked into the office, there was all sorts of hepped up urgency. It started at 9 am and continued till 5 pm. By the end of the day, I was so completely aggravated that I was ready to kill someone. Or put my head down on my desk and weep.

Some of this urgency was because some people were actually starting their holidays tomorrow and needed to pass the buck to someone else. Some people have exhausted all their vacation and think it's perfectly normal to schedule a conference call on December 26th (when the office is closed). And lest I forget, we have an office move taking place on January 9th and despite lots of advance notice for staff, people decide to start freaking out about very small things today.

I remember a time when you could count on things winding down for the period between Christmas and New Years. That was a time when life/work balance and that whole quality of life thing mattered. It doesn't seem to matter so much anymore--I daresay it's a luxury; survival (esp in truly trying economic times) matters. People are responding to e-mail seven days a week at all hours of the day or night. Call me crazy, but I'm not a vampire checking e-mail in the middle of the night--I need my five hours of sleep.

I put in for a few days off during the holidays. If people really do go away and stay off their blackberries, I might actually get some work done. I suppose that's a positive outcome of a vacation; to feel refreshed knowing I'm back on top of things come January 2nd.

For the real days off, I'd like to do the following: stay in bed for two days, sleep straight through and enjoy nothing but blissful silence. Oh, I may just do that.

I'm so glad this year is almost done.