The backstory: About 2.5 weeks ago, I got a page from some person saying that he was going to be working with him next month on Pulm consults and asked me if I had plans for the Friday after Thanksgiving. I, stupidly, thought that he was referring to the Friday after the Thanksgiving weekend (ie, a week later) and couldn’t figure out why he was asking me that. I mean, I’m on a consult month. I selected a consult month so that I could have Thanksgiving off and go either home or to Arizona to see my sister. It only dawned on me later that he really truly was referring to the day after Thanksgiving, which implied that I was supposed to be working that day.

I emailed the program directors. Black Friday is not considered a holiday at the VA because it is not a government holiday (pray, tell why Columbus Day is??), but I could talk to the people in charge of the rotation and find out if I had to work. I started the rotation and discovered that there was a mandatory clinic on Fridays – and I had to be there. The fellow had arranged somebody to cover for him, but because I was the only resident, there wasn’t anybody to cover me. So I shelved my plan and tried to make others, and at least tried to cheer myself up with the thought that I had Veteran’s Day off – until I realized that it was a VA holiday and not one at my other hospital, and I am scheduled for clinic there. Screwed all over.

I kept bothering people though. There had been rumors that they were playing on moving the clinic to Thursday mornings, but only after Thanksgiving. The staff was frustrated at having to work because nobody comes on the day after Thanksgiving. And I kept mentioning about how much I wanted to go home. And the fellow (bless him) finally, finally made some phone calls today and got the clinic rearranged. YAY! So I promptly looked up tickets and now I’m going home. It’s costing a little more than what it would have been if I had been able to buy tickets earlier, but not much since It’s a holiday. Arizona was way too expensive, so I’ll have to wait until Christmas to hold my nephew again. But I’m superduper excited. I get to see my grandparents, my parents and sister, my cousins and new 1st cousin once removed, aunts, uncles. My Plethora. It’s been so long since I was home.

Greasy wheel no more squeaks.