Zoe talks up a storm during dinnertime.

The Cute Kids

During lunch today, Zoe and I were talking about something and where it was. I know, it's vague, but go with me on this.

"Is it on your tummy?" I asked.

Zoe lifts up her shirt and looks at me.

"No, it's my bellybutton." she answers.

"Oh."

She pulls down her shirt.

"It's hiding."

Then she covers her eyes.

"1, 2, 3..."

Playing hide and seek with her belly button has to be the funnest game I can think of.

And tonight, we decided to go to "Happy Feet", an animated penguin flick that has a rather heavy dose of environmentalism and scary carnivores, to make up for not going to Zoolights. The kids were pretty good during the whole movie, though Alex had to be reminded time and again that we had to speak quietly during the movie.

Zoe was talking through one of the parts, and I told her that we have to watch the movie and had to be quiet.

She expressed minor whininess and said, "Hey, I talking to Alex. Hey..."

But she was pretty good throughout.

Alex was very much into the movie, and here are a couple spoilers - if you don't intend to find out more about the movie, now is a good time to stop.

So the penguins refers to humans as "aliens", and this is referenced throughout the movie. Anyway, during the third act, some humans fly in on a helicopter and they emerge themselves to the penguins, looking rather like, well, humans.

But Alex sees them and he says, "WOW. ALIENS."

Talk about immersive empathy.

Anyway, this flick is rated PG, and I honestly think that though it isn't a bad movie, it fell a little short for me. I think some of the parts are a little too scary, a little preachy, and really, I wouldn't have minded if the whole movie was about the dancing and singing. I was getting a pretty good vibe off of that. I think I wouldn't have minded if this film had little peril in it, and just had the comedy. But I suppose that would make it more adult-oriented.

And Robin Williams is fine in it, though he can't really voice two characters who interact with each other. There's not enough distinction to really tell them apart. Other than that, there is some dubious racial stereotyping, but maybe I'm reading too much into it. Beautiful film, a nice decision to incorporate real world footage into the animated flick.

Recommended, though for the older kids.

Update on Job Thing

My wife got a call from the union today, and I guess they're offering the job back under some conditions. It shouldn't be bittersweet news, but it kinda is. I think we had hoped to cut off this chapter and hopefully begin a new one, but in the end, it'll be nice to have that security again. But it was like being jolted twice, once out of routine and then back into it. She meets with them tomorrow to discuss some details.

Shafted by the Man

Perhaps it's a really good thing that I'm not with Freddy's anymore, because it would be awkward and infuriating to work for a company that has this stupid rule. This is common knowledge if you've worked for the company, but nonetheless a number of people still fall victim to it.

If you're a checker, and you make the mistake of returning a written check back to a customer, you're instantly terminated. Never mind that it was an accident, or that none of that money actually went in your pocket, or you don't even know the lucky bloke who just got his check back. It's instant termination. Regardless of the amount of the check, or the number of times you've done it.

Well, chalk up my wife as the latest notch in this stupid rule.

Okay, she's technically suspended, which is their pansy ass way of saying they're too indecisive to tell her that. But we're not really holding our breath on this on, and she's reeling from it kinda hard. I mean, she's dedicated 19 years to this company, and they're accusing her of god knows what. And the amount of the check? 60 bucks or so. That's it. One bloke drove a forklift into a water pipe at work, and it was 20 thousand dollars of merchandise ruined, and he kept his job. Hell, I accidently broke some idiot's tailgate handle, and she fleeced us with some phony claim for a 400 dollar handle, and I never missed a day of work. But an honest mistake of returning one's check? Out the door you go, bub.

I don't know why they still have this stupid rule, because any employee of this company who's worked for more than a couple years will know, there are better, more efficient, more productive, more rewarding ways to steal from the company than returning a stupid ass check. In fact, word is one of the tills was short 600 bucks and no one is accountable. Money can be shorted, and nothing happens. But god, you return a check and you're gone.

I'm pissed at the company.

Anyway, our plan right now is that I'm applying for something full time again, even though I haven't completely caught up with weddings. It's more important I find something first because then she can find a job that goes around my hours, instead of me having to stick with some part time crap because my wife has another part time job with irregular hours.

Financially, we're doing okay for now. Thankfully we're not going to be kicked out because of rent, but at the same time, our bills will pile and wedding seasons' not exactly on fire right now. I spent the whole day applying for a couple editing jobs, hopefully I'll at least score an interview. In the meantime, we're boycotting the store because after 19 years of service, this company does not earn another dime off us because it does not recognize the true value of its employees.

It's sad and impulsive and a luxury item, but we got this for ourselves about a week ago.