Feb 23 2011

(Un)Holidays

Published by at 6:39 am under Country Life,Work

Monday was one of those semi holidays that only the US of A seems to specialize in. The banks are closed, the post office is closed, but you still have to work. People who live in other countries equipped with better vacation policies will be shocked to their relaxed cores to learn that most of us don’t get a single public holiday between New Year’s Day on January 1 and Memorial Day at the end of May.

When I worked at Big Company years ago, it offended me to no end that if you wanted the day off after Thanksgiving, you had to take it as a vacation day. It seemed really petty to me, you know? Especially since Thanksgiving is the biggest travel occasion of the year.

In stark contrast, I was the only one at work on Monday’s fake holiday. As I opened the gate and unlocked the front door, it occurred to me what a surprising (and flattering) level of trust my employers seemed to have developed in me after a mere two weeks (actually, six days) of work. I have to wonder if this kind of thing ever happens in the city. Maybe it’s the kind of thing that comes out of living where you don’t lock your doors.

The cat next door was the only one to check in on me, gazing at me through the window with his big blue eyes.

When I left work today, I was transported back to Oakland with the appearance of four or five police cars in the mall-ette across the street (liquor store; cafe; laundromat; Mexican restaurant – all the necessities of life). Needless to say, this stopped passers-by in their tracks, as people started asking each other what happened (sorry, but I have no idea). I imagine that law enforcement was happy to have something to do for a change.

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3 responses so far

3 Responses to “(Un)Holidays”

  1. Jenniferon 23 Feb 2011 at 5:00 pm

    We were just treated to Family Day (Feb 21) – which is fairly new (2 yrs), then we don’t have another one until Easter!

  2. suzyon 23 Feb 2011 at 5:28 pm

    At least you get a long Easter weekend. We don’t get anything for Easter – even though 75% of Americans say they attend church regularly. Go figure!

    And no Family Day for us! 🙂

  3. Guyon 24 Feb 2011 at 4:08 am

    There are advantages in living in the country, one still has the impression at least that people are in most cases anyways still trusting and keep out of trouble.