Holiday rush

Because I've accumulated a bunch of "comp days" due to work travel, I technically don't need to return to work until February, when our next Fiscal Year begins. So, I'm taking two weeks off to return to California tomorrow. You know, visiting the fam and stuff.

Sadly, no one else is on the extended vacation schedule I'm on, so work continues to pile up and it looks like I'll be dialing into conference calls next week when I'm back home. Plus, I've been asked to work on goals for 2011, which seems to be a necessary evil of corporate America. We make these goals every year and barely look at them throughout the year, let alone review them at the end. And if we don't get a bonus, what's the point except to take up my precious time?

It's also been a busy few days on the social side. VALedictorian is in town and staying with us, so we've been hanging out in the evenings. Her late arrival into town forced me to miss a dinner party at Puppy's friends' home, which was sad mostly because he returned home with a santa hat!

Somehow, I've got to get through it all and pack all my belongings and figure out my plans for the holiday. This must be what people mean when they say the holidays are a stressful time of year.