My Boss is a Rock Star

I’ve been at my job two weeks now. Ten days.

My extended family has been planning to go to Cedar Point (America’s Roller Coast, baby!) tomorrow for a few months, but I figured I wouldn’t ask for time off since I’m new at my job. Plus, how lame is it to ask for a day off to go to an amusement park when I’ve only been working here two weeks?

Well, the weekend after I started work, my 19-year-old sister, Mike, and Tim were hanging out and Cedar Point came up. It was decided that it would be an excellent opportunity to a) hang out with Tim, a dear friend who completes our trouple, and b) help little sister overcome her fear of roller coasters. (I kid you not: she thought the Peanuts roller coaster at Cedar Point was “surprisingly scary!” Yes, the roller coaster with Snoopy in the kids’ area.)

We were talking about going and all the sudden I WANTED TO GO. Badly. I wanted to ride all the roller coasters, get a sunburn on my shoulders and nose, and stand for hours in line. I wanted Cedar Point.

But I was nervous, of course, about asking for a day off work, so I put it off. I fretted, “Is this stupid to ask off for? Am I allowed to take off work so soon? Is it bad taste to even suggest I go? Am I making an awful impression?”(Sometimes, I can be anxious, okay?) Then, a HUGE meeting was scheduled for tomorrow with Big Important People.

Well, I thought, I’ll just go after the meeting. It’ll just be an afternoon and evening of Cedar Point fun! Yay! Now to work up my courage to ask Boss Lady….

I had a meeting scheduled for Thursday with her, and I planned my attack for then. I asked Mike for help on what to say. We had our meeting, and at the end I hesitated…then carefully articulated the practiced line: “Uh, I was wondering if it would be possible for me to leave next Tuesday after Big Important People meeting to go to Cedar Point with my extended family.”

She stared at me, not blinking. And my stomach sank, Oh crap, Ashley, what were you thinking? She hates you! Stupid!

Then she picked up the phone and declared, “Well, let’s just move Big Important People meeting so you can go all day!”

I was shocked. “But…but…he’s so much more important than I am.”

“Well, yes and no…” and she proceeded to MOVE THE MEETING FOR ME. So I can go to a freaking amusement park for the day.

Have I mentioned I love it here?

Pssst – My college roommate and real-life friend Holly has started a blog. Go read! She has an English degree and is currently working at Applebee’s in Indiana to save up money to get a publishing internship. So you just know she’s got to have interesting stories and an amazing knack for storytelling. I loved hearing her stories while she was working on them for classes in college, and it’s equally wonderful to get to read them now!