I have been a member of BCI for well over a decade now. They are a small not-for-profit group dedicated to bat research, education and conservation. They are based in the United States, but their activities are global. They work on a shoestring budget, heavily dependent upon private contributions.

When you visit their site, make sure you check out BatCam to see if anyone is home. Check out the Ambatsadors section too, to see some faces that are far cuter than you might expect.

The trick for today has been played on me, though. I found out by word of mouth late yesterday that my company will be working on the first four Saturdays of December! Because the departments I work with will be working, I'm supposed to be in as well. That means I'm supposed to work on December 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd! It seems like everyone but me has been officially told. Even the idiot who reports to me heard from the head of my department about this yesterday. I verified this through the other departments, and so I know it isn't just a rumor. But my boss hasn't seen fit to tell me yet.

I've already purchased my tickets for California, and I leave the morning of the 22nd. Technically, this means that I need to use a vacation day in order to leave that day. The problem is that I'm already taking two unpaid days because I don't have enough vacation to cover my week in California. I'm hoping that, since I'm salaried and won't get any extra pay for this, that I can get three days comp time for working the first three Saturdays in December (which means I won't have to take any unpaid days), but that's up to the Boss. Who hasn't even told me I'm working those Saturdays yet.