Trying to get to Montreal − 20 July, 2008
We have been hoping to go to Montreal for our summer vacation. We had been hoping to go for a week. Despite the fact that I have the vacation time, I knew would be a tough sell after being on medical leave for six weeks. I broached the topic with my boss’s boss. He seemed doubtful. He asked why I didn’t just take the vacation right then, after I got back from medical leave. I explained that if I went right then, I would have to go alone. My husband is, as he says, “bogged down by a metric ton of work and homework”. That will be over soon. Unfortunately, by the time it is over I will have begun on a three month project that is very high visibility and very important (so I’m told).
My boss’s boss’t say “no” outright so I sent him an e-mail with the preferred weeks. Then, less than a week later, I had to go down to halftime. I figured that the chances of getting a week off were close to nil. I told my husband to plan as if I would not be able to go. He insisted that he would not go to Montreal without me, that it would not be the same. I encouraged him to find ways to take time off anyhow. He deserves it and needs it.
My mom is offering us the left over “points” from her vacation club to stay in a very nice hotel in Old Town Montreal. She suggested that I request time off on the days surrounding Labor Day weekend. A long weekend seems like a better bet for approval. Maybe if we go over Labor Day weekend I could squeeze a five-day weekend out of it. I think it would be difficult for my boss’s boss to deny me a long weekend. It would be foolish on his part, considering the reduction in morale it would cause. My morale is already close to rock bottom. On the other hand, he might not care. He says that there is a tremendous amount of pressure to get this project done. I can see where he is coming from. Nevertheless, the way I see it, in the course of three months, what is three days? Not much, I’d say.
Our plan would be to take the train from Windsor to Toronto the night before. Then we could stay in Toronto overnight, and then catch a train to Montreal in the morning. If it were not too prohibitively expensive, we could even try to get a sleeper car in Windsor. Train schedules and fees will be the subject of today’s research.
My boss’s boss’t say “no” outright so I sent him an e-mail with the preferred weeks. Then, less than a week later, I had to go down to halftime. I figured that the chances of getting a week off were close to nil. I told my husband to plan as if I would not be able to go. He insisted that he would not go to Montreal without me, that it would not be the same. I encouraged him to find ways to take time off anyhow. He deserves it and needs it.
My mom is offering us the left over “points” from her vacation club to stay in a very nice hotel in Old Town Montreal. She suggested that I request time off on the days surrounding Labor Day weekend. A long weekend seems like a better bet for approval. Maybe if we go over Labor Day weekend I could squeeze a five-day weekend out of it. I think it would be difficult for my boss’s boss to deny me a long weekend. It would be foolish on his part, considering the reduction in morale it would cause. My morale is already close to rock bottom. On the other hand, he might not care. He says that there is a tremendous amount of pressure to get this project done. I can see where he is coming from. Nevertheless, the way I see it, in the course of three months, what is three days? Not much, I’d say.
Our plan would be to take the train from Windsor to Toronto the night before. Then we could stay in Toronto overnight, and then catch a train to Montreal in the morning. If it were not too prohibitively expensive, we could even try to get a sleeper car in Windsor. Train schedules and fees will be the subject of today’s research.
