Extended periods of forced sloth

I was amused by that phrase "extended periods of forced sloth" which appeared in a NY Times article entitled "The Rise of Shrinking-Vacation Syndrome" about fewer people being able to take long summer vacations.

I myself cannot take a long vacation this summer since I just started a new job in May and only have four days of vacation time accrued. I do indeed get three weeks a year which I have to take ("use it or lose it"), but I'll probably use up two or those three weeks to attend an event held twice a year in Washington, DC with two or three days for side trips, leaving me only one week for a "real" vacation. Right now, I'll need my currently accrued days for my Fall trip to DC.

I don't have an immediate family to take on vacation, so it's not a big deal for me, but I can sympathize with the view that it is simply too expensive and risky to your career to take a long vacation. People who are secure can get away with it, but how many people have that luxury these days?

"Extended periods of forced sloth"? Sounds like a fantasy to me. Although the idea of living in Europe and taking the entire month of August off sounds like an appealing idea.

-- Jack Krupansky