Well gang, in less than 24 hours we’ll have touched down in Boston. This is my first trip home in quite a while and I’ll be glad to see everyone again and visit the family a little. The main motivation for the trip is because my cousin Meg is getting married on Saturday, but also it’s a a well deserved break from work and all the stress surrounding it. My bosses probably don’t realize the amount of stress they place on a person, and, being the laid back guy I am, I try to let most of it just roll off. Sometimes it builds up and you just need a little break. I’m not saying anything negative about anybody, but I think I’ve worked quite hard this past year and deserve a little time off.

What I could do without is the guilt trip though. I had scheduled this trip WITH my boss 2 full months ago. We bought plane tickets at the end of May. I made sure there was absolutely nothing on our schedule for this coming week before I bought the tickets. I also cleared it with everybody. I asked for the time off originally, then, when I bought the tickets I again made sure it was ok, then I even wrote it down in the book to make sure everyone knew. Now, for the last week or so, I’ve been getting “You really should have checked with us, we have things scheduled this weekend” or “we really wish you weren’t going, this puts us in quite a bind”. Etc.

You know, I’m sorry, I really am. I’m sorry you didn’t notice it written there OR remember me asking you… twice. It’s there. It’s in big print at the top of the page. So, saying something like “I guess you won’t be able to do -blank- on Saturday” is really a moot point isn’t it? Why give me the guilt of not being here? You KNOW I’m not going to be here. Mentioning all the things I could have done while I’m not there doesn’t want to make me cancel my flight.

I like my work. I really do. My bosses are nice, my actual work itself is nice, my hours (except for Saturdays) are fine, the commute is short. Everything is good (althought a raise might be nice – wink wink). I’m not saying any of this to put them down, they’re really great people. Two of the nicest people I’ve ever worked for actually. The first employer I’ve ever had that actually remembered my birthday. They put their trust in me, they want me to take over part of their wedding buisness, all that great stuff. I just need to vent every once in a while. I think this vacation is coming at just the right time. We’ve finished the Miss Texas work, we’ve finished the Texans Cheerleaders work, I’ve gotten 99% of all the pressing matters accounted for. We have a little breathing room. I’ve been working non-stop since May and I think it’s time for a break. Just a little one. A weekend at home, in the trees and the mountains and the lakes. Where I can kick back, have a cigar and a drink and just relax for a while.

I’m technically only taking 4 days off (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Tuesday) but since the travel is so distant, two of those days don’t really count. We’ll be in a plane all day Thursday and Tuesday. What kind of vacation is Friday-Monday? A crappy one. But jebus, if I had asked for any more time off the world would have stopped. I have three days to relax, three. Saturday we’ll be at the wedding, and that’s not relaxing. I work at weddings, what makes you think I enjoy them?

So, Friday I sleep, wake up, eat really fucking good pancakes, sleep some more, see if Chip or Chris want to do anything Friday night. Sunday, Chris is definatly down for something, I know that much, and Monday is still up in the air. There you have it, my whirl wind vacation.

You want to know what else. I’m not bringing a camera. Nope. I don’t know where my 35mm is and I don’t have a digital. I asked my boss if I could borrow one of his and he offered another 35mm. I didn’t really want to screw with film anymore, so I declined. What I want is $300 magical dollars I could put to good use. But that’s just a pipe dream. With double rent next month, cash is tight for the trip as it is, and buying a new toy wouldn’t help.

So, no photos. Sorry kids. Yeah, that’s right, a photographer is going on a trip without a camera. Sad huh?

Anyway, in case anyone BESIDES Chip and Chris care, I’ll be out of town next week. So, maybe an update or two from the road, I dunno. I can’t FTP any pictures from my phone, so no photo posts either. If only I could install a 3rd party application, then maybe, just maybe…. never mind.

I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.

OUT.

ps: I’m coming Mikey, don’t you worry.