What are the worst days to go to work? Here's my short list (not in any particular order).

- The first day after a two week vacation
- The day you have to lay someone off
- The day you know someone is going to yell at you about something you did (or didn't do)
- Any day you come in early after working late
- Any day after you've already worked six or more days in a row
- The day after your manager asks you why you work there (you know who I mean)
- The day after Thanksgiving

Okay, today wasn't that bad, but after the Thanksgiving four days off I seem to completely lose the desire to work. During the Thanksgiving vacation you hang around family and friends, do entertaining things you wouldn't normally do, and maybe travel and see some new sights. You sleep late for four days (well I do) and get relaxed.

Then BAM, you have to get up Monday in the dark, pull on the business casual, crunch some breakfast and stumble to the car in the November gloom (rain today). I had to go to the coffee shop as soon as I got to work to brace myself.

I probably also had a hard time this year because I have only had two days off in 2006. Widgets gave me four weeks of leave a year and took back most of it every January when I didn't use it. I couldn't use it when I wanted to because there was always some crisis that required my group to finish something or all hell would, literally, break loose. My former people are living through that again right now. If I had stayed there I wouldn't have a shot at a day off until March.

In a month I'll be vacationing in the Arizona sun, not thinking about work, freezing rain or gas bills, but right now it's the day after Thanksgiving vacation, it's dark, I'm tired and late December seems a long way off. It's going to take a lot of caffeine...