Fourth Quarter, 2013

Ok, it's November 2013.  
As you know, I work a corporate job. 
This means that I get benefits, one of the better ones besides insurance being paid vacation. 
Because I've been at this company for 18+ years now, (yes, 18+ years as of 2013) I get about 5 weeks of vacation a year at this point. 
Yet, with that much vacation available, in order to take advantage of it, you have to factor in your department, your co-workers, the particular responsibilities you handle, timing, etc. 
Which leads me up to what just happened in October. 
End of year is coming up, and both my co-worker and I have unused vacation time. 
I admit I'd been lax about the holidays, however was planning on using my vacation time at either Thanksgiving or Christmas, depending on what everyone else's plans were. 
Then, the coworker emails me her list of the days she wants off so she can use up her vacation. 
Well, a quick glance at the dates and a check of the calendar has her taking both Thanksgiving and Christmas off. 
Now mind, we're a two person shift. 

Did I mention that she's also on a "special schedule" ? 
Seems that Tuesday - Thursday, she gets to work noon to 8 pm instead of the shift, which is 3 pm to 11 pm. 
Normally, not a problem. Except that there's the little matter of a file transfer to the Federal Reserve Bank that has to be made nightly, Sunday - Thursday. 
And it's the responsibility of a total of 3 people cleared to make the file transfer at 9 pm, two of whom are on my shift. (Yes, myself and coworker) 
That information will factor in shortly. 

Allow me to digress for a moment.....  

Last year, I had plans for celebrating Thanksgiving with Aunt Sheba & Uncle Bobby, and Grandpa Don & Uncle Ian. Had being the operative verb in that sentence. 
Then, an "emergency" (and trust, the quotation marks are justified) came up and co-worker couldn't work Thanksgiving, so I had to. 
And I proceeded to continue to work my ass off, through the rest of the year, ending up setting the departmental record for OT, in this case 48 hours. (That's on a 2 week check, btw) 
I also ended up being unable to use over a week of vacation before the end of the year due to, again, co-worker's scheduling. 
I was allowed to carry it over to January that time, however that was apparently a one-off. 

Back to the subject at hand... so, she's effectively scheduled me to work, without asking me if I had plans or what I was going to do, and taken both prime holidays as well. 
Well, complaints to the supervisor about this went nowhere, she's the one who put coworker on her "special shift"... 
So I'm working both holidays again this year.  
And, trying to figure out a way to burn 4 days of vacation I can't schedule. 

On the bright side, I'm on track to beating that OT record this year.  
But, ya'll will like the gift cards you get from me. 

And for what it's worth, I've already booked my birthday vacation at the ranch.