Cutbacks
The company I work for is currently going through some financial issues -- which is, I already know, happening to companies everywhere.
In any case, my work hours have been affected. The entire company has been cut back 10%. Those who are paid hourly (myself included) are reduced to a 36-hour workweek. Those who are salaried...are taking a 10% pay cut, but are still (supposedly -- I think they'll be lax on this because I've already watched it happen this week) working a regular 40-hour workweek.
Yesterday was my first day with this new work schedule. Fridays are now a half-day, and Sophie got to meet Nancy's new Bichon-Toy Poodle puppy, Mikimoto (yes, named after the Japanese pearls bearing the same name). Sophie was a bit aggressive at first, but then she was okay for the rest of the day -- it was more like she was saying, "Get off me, kid!" for the most part, whereas Mikimoto (who is only four months old) would hop around Sophie, interested in everything Sophie was sniffing and taking cues from her. It was adorable.
We went with some other friends to the Park Bench Cafe -- where, as I described to my kid brother, "Sophie could order lunch from a menu!" It's a dog-friendly outdoor cafe in Huntington Beach, where they happen to have a small menu for dogs behind the human food menu. (Sophie and Mikimoto each had a serving of the Wrangler Roundup -- which was basically ground turkey, cooked on a skillet.)
We tried to get them to pose for pictures, but with Mikimoto hopping around and Sophie trying her best to stay away from the new kid, it was tough. We only got this picture, and neither dog is looking at the camera, but they're still cute:
In any case, my work hours have been affected. The entire company has been cut back 10%. Those who are paid hourly (myself included) are reduced to a 36-hour workweek. Those who are salaried...are taking a 10% pay cut, but are still (supposedly -- I think they'll be lax on this because I've already watched it happen this week) working a regular 40-hour workweek.
Yesterday was my first day with this new work schedule. Fridays are now a half-day, and Sophie got to meet Nancy's new Bichon-Toy Poodle puppy, Mikimoto (yes, named after the Japanese pearls bearing the same name). Sophie was a bit aggressive at first, but then she was okay for the rest of the day -- it was more like she was saying, "Get off me, kid!" for the most part, whereas Mikimoto (who is only four months old) would hop around Sophie, interested in everything Sophie was sniffing and taking cues from her. It was adorable.
We went with some other friends to the Park Bench Cafe -- where, as I described to my kid brother, "Sophie could order lunch from a menu!" It's a dog-friendly outdoor cafe in Huntington Beach, where they happen to have a small menu for dogs behind the human food menu. (Sophie and Mikimoto each had a serving of the Wrangler Roundup -- which was basically ground turkey, cooked on a skillet.)
We tried to get them to pose for pictures, but with Mikimoto hopping around and Sophie trying her best to stay away from the new kid, it was tough. We only got this picture, and neither dog is looking at the camera, but they're still cute: