I Need a New Plan

I just found out that I have an extra five days' worth of vacation this year. Apparently, you get a third week in your fifth year. Odd to think that I'm approaching my mid-forties and this is the first company I've worked five consecutive years for (other than the Army, which doesn't really count).

Onthe one hand, this is cool news, but on the other hand, I wasn't able to spend ten days last year. What makes me think I'll be able to spend fifteen this year?

My first thought was that I might try to hit more conventions this year. It sounds like a good way to spend a few long weekends, schmoozing with other writers and editors. But conventions can be expensive, especially if I'm not an invited guest, so I don't know how much of that I can afford to do.

Then again, I could just take the entire thing in one big lump during the summer, but then I'd just end up going to movies or shopping and spending tons of money, and things would just fall apart at work while I was gone.

I could take a summer's worth of three day weekends. It would be like having a holiday every week. But the problem with that plan is that The Wife would find ways to fill my free time until it didn't really feel like a vacation at all. And how awful would it be when the vacation time ran out and I had to work full weeks again?