You lucky, lucky man!

aka You ungrateful ungrateful man!

I'm in two minds about how this blog entry should be titled. So I'm playing it both ways though I'm sure the eventual choice shows my bias.

Indeed, I am lucky that my job involves travel. How else would I have been able to spend 5 weeks in Nice, France, on someone elses dollar? And don't misunderstand; Nice is a pretty damn nice part of the world. I'll always be glad I've been there.

Likewise the Phillippines. It wasn't, perhaps, high on my list of places to visit, but having been here I'm glad I have been.

They're holding out the prospect of Ireland and Israel in the near future. Israel has been mentioned specifically; I'm guessing Ireland. Both places I'd like to visit.

Yet is it unreasonable of me to wish to spend some time with my family? I think not. I've spent the last 5 months bouncing around between France, the Philippines and Dallas Texas, with a short side trip to Korea and Japan. The longest time I've spent at home in that 5 months was 16 days over Christmas/New Year. Since then the longest time was 8 days. More usually I get 3 days before the next dreaded call...

Indeed it's reached the ridiculous point that, on those infrequent occasions when they let me return to Phoenix, I go into hiding. Thus it was that when I returned last, April 14th, I didn't attend at the office the next day. I turned off my mobile phone and asked that if an unfamiliar number dialed our land line that no one would answer. That bought me 3 days. Enough time that my wife and I could undertake a day trip to Wickenburg. The following day, Monday, I showed at the office. I should have known better. Because the next day, of course, the bastards wanted me to come here, the Philippines, on 3 hours notice.

At the time of writing (Sunday night my time) I'm returning to the US on Wednesday. Already they're talking about sending me to France on the following Saturday! Or maybe to Dallas. Or perhaps back here. They don't know yet. All they seem to know is that I'm a resource to be sent wherever in the world suits them best. They don't pay me nearly enough to have bought that right!

Rant over. Wish I felt better after making it!