Phoning in sick on May 1 is a great way for Americans to join the rest of the world in celebrating
an important American holiday.
It is also a good way for Americans to squeeze a little bit of leisure
from increasingly unleisurely lives.
(As for non-Americans, phoning in sick the day after your May 1 holiday is a very nice way to show solidarity with your American cousins, and to give expression to concerns of your own.)
But we'd like you--American or not--to tell us why you think it's a good idea to phone in sick on May 1 or May 2. The best reasons sent in so far are below. (Note: A few of these links are now dead. They were for Phone In Sick Day 2000.)
There's so much to read! (stutz@dsl.org writes: "Donald Barthelme's 'The Rise of
Capitalism' was just posted today; I also recommend 'May Day,' a
masterpiece by F. Scott Fitzgerald.")
There's so much napping, wandering, daydreaming, massage-getting, etc. to do! (Kai)
There are so many devices to turn off, burn, or throw into the toilet: cell phones, fax machines, beepers.... (Kai)
"A couple of years ago, when I had to take a few days off from work to take
care of some personal things, my boss sarcastically asked me,
'Is work getting in the way of life?' That has since become my motto!" (aallastar@hotmail.com)
There's so much to do, period, besides work more and more every year.
(High-resolution version of below, for printing, here)