Putting my foot down

Another exciting edition of my least favorite month is upon us. As was the case two years ago, I'll be spending most of it over in Dubai, where it is even hotter than it is here in Houston.

But it's good to be back home again, for at least a few days. As I mentioned in a previous post, the constant travel is beginning to take its toll - not just on myself but on my family as well - and I'll be glad when it's finally over. So you can imagine the wave of disgust that crept over my body when I received a work e-mail a couple of days ago that started like this:

Hey Thomas, when's the earliest you think you could return to Dubai in September?

I think this is the point where I need to politely put my foot down. I know Dubai is where the work is right now, I know my project managers can't be faulted for the fact that our clients are completely unorganized, and I know I agreed to help out. But this is beginning to get ridiculous. Originally, I was looking at a project assignment schedule of April through June. Then July and August were added. Now they want to tack on September and October. It's like I'm being taken for granted, and it's really not fair to me or my family.

So I've made a decision: if they really need me, I'm willing to compromise. Shorter trips with more time between them - instead of spending three weeks in Dubai and one week in Houston, it should be the other way around - and a hotel within walking distance of the office so I don't have to screw with the taxis anymore. I've already put in my time and I think these are reasonable requests. If they can't accommodate me, they need to find somebody else.