Staff Meeting

These last two weeks… I don’t know where they went. Just going merrily along and then — woah! Middle of August!

So, some stuff’s been going on, I suppose. Two weeks ago we had a huge staff meeting which focused on seeing the zoo through the eyes of a customer and then picking up the garbage and clutter they’d see. Now, as Mark pointed out, pretending you’re a customer and then picking up garbage is a complete oxymoron. It seems to me that the majority of our customers are not only severely condescending, but also messy beyond all reason. People go out of their way to keep things messy; like taking their garbage-heaped tray and setting it on top of the garbage can instead of emptying it into the garbage can and setting just the tray on top. The hard part of walking over is done, just tilt your wrist…

So yeah, that staff meeting provided lots of laughs afterward when Mark, Alex, Kim and I went for coffee. We should go more often but work schedules make it hard.

Then last Saturday I worked one shift in the zoo’s catering department. It was alright I guess, but I like working in Kitamba better just because it seems like more of a laid-back atmosphere. And I love the back staff. When the summer ends, nearly everyone is leaving so I’m thinking of moving to front of house before they train me on the scary back jobs like cleaning fryers and air vents and using huge ovens.

Matt lent Blade and Blade II to me, so I’ve only watched the first one and will probably watch the second this weekend. I lent him Underworld in return and now that I have it back I really feel like watching it again even though I’ve seen it a thousand times.

I’m working a new station tomorrow… RMR, I don’t even know what it stands for but it’s making sandwiches and quarter chicken dinners and soup. I hope someone is there to train me, because I have no idea how any of it is usually done.

Oh, and anyone who came to the zoo yesterday has hereby won “Colette’s Stupidity Award”. Congratulations. Unless people were somehow booked to go to the zoo (i.e. a tourist group), in which case they are simply unlucky, they are supremely dumb for coming. Seriously, who looks out the window, sees rain and fog and dark clouds and a temperature of six degrees and exclaims, “Ah, a prefect day to take the chillins to the zoo!” None of the kiosks are open, the animals are hibernating because it is suddenly (but not unforeseeably; all the forecasts said Wednesday would suck) freezing, and the Kitamba staff are bored and complacent. Have fun!!