The One With All the Manipulation

My job is so weird. It really makes me miss being a reporter. My supervisor and the GM are now playing so many games with each other -- and Sophie and I in the process -- that I can barely keep it straight. The GM is lying to protect some Director, but we all know that he's lying. He's trying to keep staff from meetings to make himself look good. Most importantly to me, he's telling me things that are in direct conflict with what Joanna tells me to do. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. He's trying to play me against her so much that I actually feel sorry for her. And we all know how I feel about her.

But her being angry at him means that I get to come in at 8, leave at 5 and take a lunch, which is all I wanted in the first place! Does anyone else put up with this kind of stuff at their jobs?

The good news is that dog training is going pretty well. I just got a new client who might sign up for a package of seven lessons and my boss has an evaluation in my area that she's going to pass to me if the dog proves to not have any aggression. We're also getting ready to start another round of group classes, and it seems like the store we work at is making a concentrated effort to sell more of the class spots. My Redondo Beach store already has four on the roster and says they're trying to sell it out. If that happens, I can push for a second class there. So at least one of my jobs is going well -- and one of my bosses is actually normal. Plus, she's letting me stay at her house and run the business while she's out of town for 10 days in October, which is a pretty big compliment considering that she has three other girls working for her. But I get to answer the phones and take any clients that I can handle during that time. She wants me to have good phone skills because it's such an important part of running your own business.

Guess that's it for now. No attacks, but Muggsy was very nervous on our walk tonight, so I'm giving him the night off from training. I think I'm just going to read tonight. Tomorrow, I'm borrowing a video camera to record some of my sessions for the behaviorist. I still think there's something wrong with diagnosing a dog from a tape, but ya do what ya gotta do.