"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." -- unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

Work and Cats
December 29, 2009 - 4:02 pm

I'm also irked that we've already had something of spat over my pay during the 'intern' phase. The intern phase is where you earn a flat dollar amount regardless of what you sell (or don't sell). A sort of transition period. Once it ends, you get compensated largely on what you actually sell that month.

So... it's not much what you make in the intern phase, it is company money and that make sense. Why pay someone well when you've no idea if they are any good? I was told, to start with, that each plan is different, but the average is X. So I figured I'd go with X as what to expect.. after all, it's the number they are telling me, right?

A couple weeks a later I'm at a group meeting with like six other new folks and the intern phase is described as paying, usually, Y -- a number a bit higher than X. They also say they've been redoing the plan.. so I figure they have bumped it up a little bit.

I meet with my manager-to-be a week or three after that and map things out. This is when we agree I'll start on the 4th and he writes down I'll be paid Y until the intern phase ends. All is good. About three hours later he calls me to say the intern phase actually pays X. I push back saying "I'm confused, you said Y.. and it was Y at the group meeting." He says you'll need to talk to the owner... and I say fine.

He sounded a bit annoyed I pushed back, but he said Y in our meeting.. and, again, there isn't a huge difference, but after not getting paid in quite a while, that small difference means a lot to me.

I talk to the owner and explain that he (the owner) had said Y at the group meeting.. and manager-to-be said Y when he and I met, so that's what I was expecting. We went around a bit, and I said I'm fine starting off at X and if "like each other" perhaps I can be bumped to Y. The owner countered with we'll start you at Y and go down if we need to. I can't argue with that.. seems like he'd like my way better, but oh well.

I'm left to wonder if because I'm making ever so slightly more... they will be more critical of me? I doubt it..

In other news, I finally got around to uploading a bunch of pictures of Kali and Loca. I don't know how to post 'em here, but ask if you'd like to see.

They are more or less getting along. I say more or less because the 'play' is pretty damn rough. I get cats will wrestle and chase each other and I enjoy watching that.. but sometimes the fighting looks awfully real. I mean.. ears pinned back real. There's the occasional hiss, but no spitting.. no loud meowing in pain.. or anything, so I think it's play to them. But.. some of the attacks look down right vicious...

Loca is, usually, the aggressor, which figures. She's all about bushy-tailed attacks on Kali who's a lot more mellow. Rarer I think I've caught Kali being the one to attack.

They will tumble about with enough force that if they hit the bi-fold closet doors, the doors will actually open up a bit.. so they are hitting them pretty hard to make them open up on the rebound.

I am.. leery to leave them both free when I leave, so Kali gets put in my bedroom.

On the plus side, they will each from the same bowl with no issue.. can sit next to either other with no issue. In fact, I had one on each leg the other day, which was nice. Not for long, but still.

I did let them free once for a couple hours.. and no damage seems to have been done. But then I see them play so rough and I wonder... it's been less than 2 weeks. According to the 'proper' schedule, I should really just be introducing them face-to-face now...

I really hope by when I start work I'll feel ok leaving them free all day.