Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Stages of Retirement - What Happened to Monday Holidays?


In the 40+ years that I worked full-time before retiring recently, I was always, always, very aware of the  holidays, especially what we know as the "Monday Holidays".   Not everyone gets the holidays as paid holidays at work, but I was lucky that my various places of work almost always observed all these holidays.  

I was always very aware also so I could request the Friday before the holiday weekend as a vacation day off.  With exceptions, because of my line of work, I could usually take that extra long 4-day weekend.  

It wasn't that I usually traveled during these holiday, I seldom did through the years, but it was the peace of having more than two days to have my own schedule, or more often, to take on a project at home like going through closets.  Sometimes it was taking part in special holiday related events in the area.  

Now between being retired and the pandemic cancelling many in-person events, I barely remember there is a holiday coming up this weekend.  As an older retired friend once said to me, "in retirement, every day is a weekend."

I have to confess that I miss the expectation and excitement leading up to the Monday Holidays when I was in the workforce.  I miss discussing weekend holiday plans with co-workers, even if I myself often didn't have any.  And yes, I miss the expectation as was the case in some jobs early in my work life, that the boss would let us go home early the day before the holiday weekend.  Those were good bosses 😀







   


Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Audiobook Challenge 2021 - May/June Audiobook


 
My next Listening Book 2021 Challenge Audiobook for May/June is

DRACULA by Bram Stoker


With this audiobook/audioplay by a full cast I can check off the Listen to a Dramatization or Full Cast Audiobook on the challenge list.  


The reason I selected DRACULA by Stoker is that I plan to also listen to some of the Rosenbach Museum's  Sundays with Dracula videos on YouTube  (https://youtu.be/wNLLluLLKpc).  I say "some" because I doubt I'll get through all the videos in May and June,

I read DRACULA by Bram Stoker when I was in my late teens. 

I've watched many TV and movie versions of Dracula and vampires, even before reading Stoker's work.  It will be fun to listen to the full cast audiobook and see how I feel about the book now decades later.




Frank Langella as Dracula


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ARMITAGE AUDIOBOOKS UPDATE:

For May and June I'm also planning to listen to two new audiobooks narrated by Richard Armitage.

Listening now to Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (Audible US).

Later in May,  Mania by L.J. Ross  (Dr. Alexander Gregory, book 4).  (Publishing expected May 16, 2021).

Mania by L.J. Ross, narrated by Richard Armitage, not available until August 2021.