Looking back on the last month, it has dawned on me that I’ve only really worked 5 days in the last 28 or so. I placed my bid in Feb such that I could get 10 days off in a row and was awarded that. Then, additionally, I had a 4 day trip dropped for IOE (it was given to a new guy to get his initial operating experience) – I did get paid for that one. Then in March I bid for a line under the assumption that I’d be able to drop a two day trip from it, which was subsequently denied.
With the prospect of flying 96 hours during the month of March, with a slew of 2 day off clumps, along with trying to commute to and from “The Lou” during Spring Break (EVERYONE LOVES ORLANDO DURING SPRING BREAK) – things looked pretty bleak to say the least. I put in another drop request for a 3 day trip and it was approved. So, I’ve been off since Monday and go back to “The Lou” on Sunday evening to report for a 4 day trip bright and early Monday morning.
I would have loved to have completed my Jeep windshield project during these few days, but the body shop that I brought the frame to sort of dropped the ball as far as the time line goes and as such I will go another week or two without my Jeep.
Anyway, that frustration aside, I AM ready to get back into the saddle. I’ve been lucky to get this kind of time off lately and not use a single vacation day or sick call or any other depletable source. But, I’ve got to keep making the bucks.
Looking forward over the next 2 or 3 weeks, I am anticipating some rough commutes due to the Spring Break loads. I am hoping it all goes over without a hitch, but can only hope and try to roll with the punches. The good news is that March will come to a close soon and the flights will open back up for a couple to three months and hopefully give me a nice window of smooth commuting.