Excuses, Excuses

In a country with socialized medicine and some remnants of a seriously socialist society, when an employee has a doctor's appointment, it is considered an "excused absence" from work. The employee must procure a "doctor's note" demonstrating that he or she was indeed a patient, and then the powers-that-be at the place of employment excuse some measure of absence. The doctors know about this, and dole them out as a matter of course (when the patient remembers to ask).

As it happens, today, I had an appointment with the dermatologist (all clear, thank God). I forgot to ask for a note. I called the office and asked the secretary to fax the note - which she agreed to do. I have heard no report of its arrival, however. No matter - I'll get that note eventually. Right now, I'm busier trying to figure out how much "excused absence" I can take.

The maximum is three hours. But I only arrived to work two hours later than I prefer to arrive. But sometimes, I arrive later than I prefer to arrive...so I am ambivalent about taking two hours, when, hypothetically, I might have been late - and perhaps only "entitled" to counting one hour as the excused absence. Though I wasn't actually late that way - since I wasn't at work at all, to be late. Rather, I was at the doctor's office!

I have another half-hour or so to decide whether I work a seven hour day or more (the normal requirement, when no doctors have been visited, is nine hours).

Tick tock....tick tock...