A week in review

So, it's been a busy week here in the Sampson household. Where to begin? Well, probably with the pictures. That's Katara, our new cat, a petite red patch tabby. After the whole ordeal with Trip, the adoption people and the vet's office were great to us and offered us our choice of kittty when we were ready. We choose this little girl and brought her home on Sunday, Oct. 29th. Her name was Chiclet, but that didn't fit her. "Her Royal Highness" is better suited. She's about a year old, but tiny, only about 4 lbs. She loves a good lap and head scritches. In the morning she's playful and wants me to play with her. Her favorite toys are her balls, a laser pointer, and the cat dancer. Though this morning she spent a good 15 minutes mesmerized by the ice cube I put in her water. ;) She's a very loving kitty. Rob and I had a hard time choosing. We spent days going over the adoptables on the website and talking to the foster moms. Chiclet was one of our top choices. Though when we went to the adoption event, Flash almost stole our hearts. The minute you pick him up, he turns into a lump of purring mush. But, Katara* (Chiclet) is my girl. I am her person. Rob is a little jealous because he is the cat person, yet he's her second choice. He can be sitting on the couch with her and she'll be half-asleep and when she hears me open the door, she gets up and comes running to mommy. :)

On Saturday, Oct 28, we had another bird show. It sucked. Mom sold one lovebird. I talked to several other breeders, and no one was really buying anything other than finches and canaries. Crappy times.

And now for the other big news: I have a new store: Laurel Park. Yup. I finally got it. I've heard quite the stories in the past week about how their previous manager didn't manage. I so wanted to say "I told you so." But, I was being offered a promotion, so I kept my yap shut. There's ALOT of cleaning up after the previous manager that I have to do. I can't find half the paperwork. Her idea of a filing system appeared to be "pick a folder, any folder." I asked my District Manager for a filing cabinet. She told me that I had a banker's box. Ohhhhhh. That'll last. :P Anyway, the sales have been great. The staff needs a little shaping, but I think they're fairly good. They just need some discipline (and an attention span longer than that of a fruit fly would help some of them). Problem is I'm short on help. I'd love to steal Joel, but he's managing my old store. *gasp*shock* If that store closes in January, though, Joel and Josh are mine! Joel just re-hired someone who used to work for Ritz way back in the day. We're going to share him. So, that will help me through the holidays, at least. I just hope he has a good memory. Training at this time of year is a pain in the ass. It's less training and more sink or swim.

That's about it. I need to go and dressed and head off to work. I have a pile of paperwork to wade through....



*Yes, Rob and I are uber-nerds. Katara is the name of a character on a cartoon: The Avatar.