As The Year Winds Down...

I'm starting to wear out.

At my company, we normally shut down between Christmas and New Year's. We do this by foregoing a number of other holidays during the year. So of the eleven "Federal" holidays, we get six. To wit: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yup, that's it.

We don't get Martin Luther King Day, Washington's Birthday, Columbus Day and Veterans Day off. Well we do, but not on the day those holidays are observed. No, those days count towards the "end-of-year" shutdown. (Most of us call it "Christmas Break", only those who are terrified of being perceived as being politically incorrect call it anything else.)

For those who might wonder, I'm not really miffed that I'm normally at work on Veteran's Day. Even though I'm a veteran. For you see, my company has a very nice tribute to we vets upon that day. We have cannons and everything.

75mm Pack Howitzer

Three cannon, just like those above. Normally each will fire seven blank rounds. All of the vets where I work line up according to service, we get a speech (usually an active duty guy, for us it's normally an officer attending the Naval War College in nearby Newport) and those guns wrap things up with the salute. So it's pretty special and I don't mind working that day.

I do rather begrudge not having Washington's Birthday off. But that's more of a remembrance of when I was a kid when we had two (count them two!) February holidays: Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays. I don't remember when the weasels in Congress spoiled that. Now it seems they spoil everything, not just some things.

So this year, the last day of work is the 23rd of December, a Monday. No one officially has to work again until the 2nd of January, 2014, a Thursday. Now many people will take that Monday as a vacation day, ditto the Thursday and Friday of the week of New Year's.

As I ran out of vacation days back in October, I'll be reporting for duty on the 23rd. But I will be taking the aforementioned Thursday and Friday after New Year's off. Primarily because I can and also because The Missus Herself and I will be flying back from Michigan on the second day of the bright, shiny new year. (We're all gathering on Big Time's turf for the New Year celebrations.)

But my substantial derriere is starting to drag as the year grinds down to its inevitable conclusion. I find that, the older I get, the more I need this nearly two week break around Christmas.

So yes, my Master Caution light is illuminated. And today at work I experienced multiple helmet fires. Seems my central processor tends to overheat at this time of year.

Bear in mind, it's an old processor. It has a lot of miles on it. But it will be nearly as good as new come Monday, the Sixth of January. At least I hope so! For now, here's an F-15 (or two).

I'm sure Juvat will like these! (Do I suck up to my readers? Why yes, yes I do!)