The NFL season is here once again! Nothing better my friends. And in the spirit of the upcoming season I thought I would share a recent work experience with you. And in the spirit of the holiday weekend I promise to keep it short…it’s a 3 day weekend, so you shouldn’t be sitting in front of the computer (save that for next Tuesday!).
With the economy still being in the crapper my disposable income is still limited. Having less money means a spring and summer with limited or no vacations. The end result means it’s almost fall and I have a few too many PTO days left to burn through before the end of the year (yes, I am aware that this is a nice problem to have). So during lunch a few weeks back I did some much needed planning and requesting of days off. If the company is giving me the days there is no way in hell I am giving them back, unused at the end of year!
When all of the off days were planned out I submitted the time off request form to my boss. Let’s just say that my boss was more than a little surprised with my selection of days off.
Instead of requesting a full week(s) off, my days were all over the map. Some Fridays, some Mondays, and even a few Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The method to the madness? Simple, everything was based around the upcoming Eagles schedule (and some other big ticket games). I looked at the NFL schedule and then thought about my expected game watching and tailgating experience. The factors included, but certainly not limited to, the weather, what I would expect to be on the tailgating menu, that week’s opponent, and who I would be tailgating with.
Each 1 o’clock kick-off home game resulted in requesting the following Monday morning off. A 4 o’clock kick-off meant requesting the entire Monday off. As a fellow tailgater you know that the post game tailgate has to be as much fun as the pre-game tailgate. No rushing to go home directly after the game!
A Sunday evening, prime time game meant requesting Monday and part of Tuesday off. A late kick-off means a late game ending and then a late post game tailgate ending. And since my sleep on Monday is going to be all screwed up I will need at least part of Tuesday to get the body going again. The same rules apply for a Monday night game, just substitute Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
I tried to explain my rationale to my boss but in the end it just confused him even more. Let’s just say he isn’t the most manly of the men. His Monday morning stories involve wine tastings and dinners with the wife. But I didn’t care. The boss should feel lucky that I didn’t inform him of the time that I am going to need throughout the week to surf the fantasy waiver wire, make fantasy trades and updates to the roster, and surf the web for new grilling recipes.
So even with limited “traveling” vacations this year this guy is still getting the most out of his vacation days. I will be out of the office and enjoying some of my greatest pleasures…eating too much, drinking too much, and becoming way to obsessed with the play of the NFL home team!
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend. And please remember to rest up, you have a lot of football and tailgating in your VERY near future!