Denny;
I'm not a reserve guru, but it sounds like you are senior enough to bid a reserve line with specific days off. The way the computer sorts is more based on your category's trip lengths. Typically, in an int'l category, you will have one long block of on call days - it sounds like you want this in the middle of the month. I don't think you will hurt yourself by bidding the patterns you want. Keep your bid simple and you are more likely to have your requests honored.