Summertime rolls

Perhaps I've uncovered ample incentive to take some much-needed time off. While looking over my last pay stubs from the last few months, I noticed that my vacation hours had ceased increasing. (Strangely, my accrued sick time reduced from a very large amount to almost nothing.) I called human resources and didn't get an answer to the questions--I must speak to someone in payroll--but I learned that banked vacation hours are capped at eight weeks. I would have gone over that a couple months ago, except they stopped adding new hours to all the days I already have set aside.

I can hear my father nagging me on this one, so yes, I probably should have been paying closer attention to this (although a heads-up from HR would have been nice) and if I've lost some vacation days, why complain when I should be glad that I get them as a benefit.

I'm not going to be able to talk to someone about it until next week, but I conceived out a plan in my head as I worked on my farmer's tan while exercising underneath the hot afternoon sun. I don't imagine that the business office will give those lost days back to me, but I expect my boss won't mind if I "use" them by working shorter weeks for the rest of July. Then I'll take two to three weeks off in August and get under the cap so I'm not losing any more hours.

Honestly, the idea sounds wonderful to me. I don't have a clue what I'd do with all of those free days, but as cranky as I feel like I've been posting here, I'm sure I could use it. (Then again, I always feel like I come off as aloof or grumpy, so I don't know that it's a recent phenomenon.) I don't give myself enough time off and would probably benefit from a lighter load for the next month or so.

Considering I haven't seen any family members since Christmas, I thought I might visit my parents, but it sounds like they're on the run for most of that time. Instead I suspect I'll probably sit at home, watch TV, knit, read, go out for some exercise, and that's about it. Not the most exciting plans, but I could use a break, even if circumstances seem to be imposing a lengthier one than I would have planned to take.