We don't get French benefits?

I need to get better at gaming the system.

Why, you ask?

Because I have taken today, Christmas Eve, as vacation from work. When I signed up to take today off a few months ago, I didn't know that the office would be closing at 1:00 p.m.

Thus, I am giving up a half day of paid vacation. I clearly don't put enough thought into squeezing every penny out of my company bennies.

A couple years ago, I changed employers and entered an industry that is notoriously holiday-happy. We'll close for anything.

My previous experience had been in a very martyr-ish environment where you were expected to eat, sleep and beathe the job. If you dared take a day off, you'd better be handing out business cards wherever you were.

Needless to say, I didn't take many days off from that place. The guilty feelings for taking time off drowned out the pleasure of being out of the office.

Anyhow, coming out of that situation into a field where there are more days off than you can shake a stick at, I didn't fully comprehend the full host of holidays we'd receive.

So I scheduled myself for vacation on the second Monday in October. Which, it turns out, is a holiday. Columbus Day or something silly like that.

Now that's poor vacation planning. At least I've learned in years since to not give myself a day off that I'd be getting anyway.

Now I just take vacation on half-day holidays. And that's progress on some level.