Thursday, May 21, 2009

Why straws?

The final straw.

The straw that broke the camel's back.

Who comes up with this stuff? Straws are also helpful in sucking a tasty beverage from a cup, can, bottle or capri sun pouch to your mouth. In the last scenario the straw is help even tho it sucks.

Not sure where I'm going with this straw imagery other than a poor attempt at something metaphorical and profound. Anyway...I am tired of continually working unsatisfying jobs. This week has quite possible produced what proves to be the final straw for my current job. We shall see...

The week started with training for the new system we're going to start using next week. Fine. Then I get word from my manager that (even tho I cleared time off when I was hired so I could go to San Fran this weekend) all employees are being required to work saturday and sunday this weekend. I was pissed but fine. That's just the way things go sometimes. Then today I'm informed I can no longer have anything personal at my workspace. Not even a whitworth pirate mug I'd been using to hold extra pens...in fact I can't even have extra pens or post it notes. WTH?!?!!

For whatever reason...after the "no personal items" talk I was no longer fine. I was ready to quit...the final straw if you will. It's funny that something so trivial is what will most likely end my working relationship with my current company but I've had enough. I'm too young...too capable...and too +awesome (hahaha) to stick with a job I hate and never saw myself staying with long term. I'm also no idiot.

So while I hate my job I realize this is the wrong time to quit a job without having something else lined up. Just means I'm going to finally put forth some real effort in finding a better job...something I would like...something that will challenge me but still be rewarding. I have no idea what that looks like but (possibly for the first time ever) I'm up for the challenge :)


-- iPhone'd

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Faces of my banking past

As of 8:20 this morning (and including yesterday) I've seen four different people I used to work with or knew from training. I had no idea that coming to my new training would bring so many familiar faces my way.

My first chance encounter was my friend Mignon who I met in training several years ago. She also worked downstairs in the branch when I worked at the HLC. I see her occasionally (in fact we had lunch last week with another training friend Kirsten) though this was completely unexpected. On my morning break I went to Starbucks and she was just chillin' in a chair reading a book. She does work in the building but still...random.

Later, as I left the building for lunch, I ran into Lindsey (aka Lo). She joined us at the HLC as a 2nd receptionist to learn the ropes and then work at the satellite office. That satellite office was short lived as the HLCs were closed nationwide but it was still fun to have Lo in the office. What was even stranger was she had been on vacation for a week and a half and when I saw her was her first day back.

Then as I'm finishing up my conversation with Lo, my friend Mohsin (aka Mo) comes out of the building. I haven't seen him in far too long. Met him in training and he is awesome. It's hard to explain just how great Mo is but if you meet him, even for a few minutes, you understand. Jacey does and he only saw Mo for about two minutes. I also love how Mo refers to me as the craziest white boy he knows. Amazing.

Then this morning I ran into my old Op Sup, Teri, again in Starbucks. I never really liked Teri when we worked together but I played nice and made small talk. I heard she left the company but I guess she is an asst manager now. Hood for her...bad for her coworkers. Pwned!!! Or something. Super weird to run into her but kind of funny too.

Finally the guy I've been sitting next to in training used to wok for Nd knows my old boss Gregg. So weird but that's kind of how this comspny works. Everyone knows everyone it seems like, at least in Seattle. Made for a fun two days at least. Ok time to finish up class!


-- iPhone'd

Monday, May 18, 2009

Nothing good ever happens after 2am

Truth...mostly. Saturday night I almost went to bed at 11:30. Instead I went out and was having a very enjoyable evening until 4am. It was at this time that my friend and I discovered that her car had been towed. No bueno. After finding out (from two gentlemen who were smoking and who I'm convinced called to get the car towed) that we had to call the Seattle police to inquire about the car, the real "fun" began. After 10 minutes of calling wrong numbers or getting transferred to not quite the right places, we found out where the car was being held.

She had talked to a nice guy from the towing company who called her sweetheart. When we got to the towing company we assumed the guy there was the same guy. My friend was like "hi I just called about my car." Sunshine behind the desk replied with a "well it wasn't me." He then instructed us to go to the car and get the registration but NOT TO MOVE THE CAR!!! We return and sunshine actually turned out to be nice once he realized we weren't going to yell at him for towing the car. Small victory.

So she finishes up all the paperwork and pays the fee for getting towed then is informed she has a $38 parking ticket on top of it all. Perfect. So we hear down to her car and at this point it's almost 5am. Get in and the steering wheel/column is definitely stuck. She tries juggling the key and pumping the brake and moving the steering wheel (what little it will move) and nada. I try...nothing. Meanwhile a tow truck shows up with a new car and my friend goes down to see if he can help. He gets in...nothing. Then a minute or two later he gets it. Hallelujah!

So she goes home and I end up getting to bed around 5:30am. It's funny now bc it was so ridiculous but not overly enjoyable at the time. And if I had gone to bed at 11:30 like I almost did...none of the awful tow fiasco would've happened. Up until that point I was having a good time (flight of the navigator and steak fries!!) but it sucks the night had to end the way it did. So if it's after 4am, or 2am or you're thinking about sleeping...just go to bed bc...sleeping is way better than getting your car towed.

And that's what Mo knows :)

-- iPhone'd

Saturday, May 16, 2009

"it"

So my facebook status currently says I've got "it" figured out. And if I really don't then I at least feel like I've got "it" figured out for the time being. At some point last night it just hit me...rather suddenly. I realized that for almost everything in my life...the only thing ever standing between what I want and what I actually end up with is me. I'm great at getting in my own way...at preventing myself from getting or at least going after the things I really want or need.

For example...I need to find a new place to live by the end of next month and I've done very little to make that happen. A friend of mine even emailed me some places that I was excited about and yet I haven't even so much as written down the contact info so that I could get the ball rolling.

This has also applied itself rather substantially to my love life or lack thereof. I don't have much self confidence when it comes to meeting new women. I'm terrified of rejection too so I hide behind that far too well. Typically I don't meet any new ladies or I'm too afraid to ask out the ones I do know and would like to go out with. I'm pretty handy with excuses too and can more or less talk my way out of not doing anyhing. Weak sauce!

Lastly this has major implications with my career path and current job. I settle far too easily. I find something easy and comfortable and stick with it even if I don't like it. I'm afraid to put myself out there for something new and better because I might fail. Work has actually been better lately...mostly because I've actually been making an effort to do my job better. Hmmmmm. It's encouraging to see that putting forth a little extra effort has paid off. I'm not sure how much longer I will stay with my current job, but it's nice to know that success (even a small amount of it) is possible if I just go for it.


-- iPhone'd

My Ideal Saturday

Ideally my Saturday involves sleeping in until I wake up naturally...lounging around the house for the rest of the morning...maybe going down to Greenlake because it's nice out today...maybe stopping by Prost! for an afternoon bier. Basically just whatever I feel like...whatever comes my way...rollin' with the punches as my friend E would say (hahahaha +awesome!!).

This Saturday, the one happening right now, has been anything but ideal. I had to wake up at 7:30am to make sure I had enough time to move to some laundry to the dryer in order to have clean, nice looking clothes for work. UGH! Yes...today is the first working Saturday for me since I rejoined the work force back in March...and the first Saturday I've worked since...um...July or August of 2007. Wow. So much for the M-F schedule I thought I was getting when I took my current job...now we're open Saturdays. Oh well.

In honor of my glorious...ominous?...hesitant?..."necessary to keep my job" return to a working Saturday (sigh) I thought I'd do a running blog thing. Kind of like how sports writers do running commentary on draft day...only mine won't be nearly as interesting. I also will be pretty vague...if you haven't already noticed. Many of you who read this know where I work but in order to keep myself employed I have to be rather cautious with what I say about work in my blog...so just generic stuff...and definitely no names.


So far the morning has gone like this:

8:42 - Show up, open.

8:48 - Set up iPod speaker because I know it's going to be a slow day.

8:57 - Possible computer problems...things aren't loading at normal speed.

9:06 - Everything is up and running just fine.


Let's see what happens for the next four hours...

9:12 - Throw back a 5 hour energy drink with Javvy.

9:31 - Not the slightest hint (and the phone rings!!) of a customer.

9:33 - iPod speaker is already the best idea I've only been here for 51 minutes.

9:42 - A person comes in!!! but he's not a customer. He's lost and looking for a Goodwill on 1765 6th Ave. We're located in the retail hub area of downtown Seattle and after a quick jupm to google maps we find out this Goodwill is south of Safeco Field. Sorry dude...start headin' south. In the meantime he starts putting on deodorant in the lobby. I kid you not. Amazing. Meanwhile the first customer of the day comes in.

9:47 - Help what may be my only customer of the day.

9:50 - Sadly my 5 hour energy is not working nearly as well as the last time I took it at work and was freaking out with insane amounts of energy...maybe it's because I literally have nothing to do...or the lemon-lime flavor is just far superior to the berry.

9:55 - Customer number two arrives...all dudes so far...crazy Goodwill guy included...and my coworkers today - both dudes.

9:57 - And he's gone!

10:06 - Jamba Juice SNl skit with Natalie Portman & "I'm On A Boat" ft. T-Pain...amazingness!

10:11 - Customer three...and it's a duuuuuude! (Clearly the energy is building)

10:15 - Two customers...dude and a lady but its the dude with the transaction.

10:21 - Customer...five...dude!!! This is starting to get really weird.

10:28 - First female customer. Phew...all dudes was getting creepy.

10:29 - Second female customer...and she is taaaaall. At least the world is back in balance now.

10:42 - Oh crap I have training I have to finish before I go to class on Monday...yikes!!

10:53 - Dude in a pony tail...nice guy but still gave me the creeps.

10:54 - On a brighter note Phil Collins is playing over the Muzak out in the branch. YES!!!

10:55 - Dude in a Gonzaga shirt...yea I got nothin' else here...so boring. Back to training...

11:00 - Passed the test on my first try!!

11:44 - All online trained up. Next up two days of class on Monday and Tuesday.

12:09 - My mom just called my cell and I answered on speakerphone...hahaha. So slow.

12:14 - Just found out from a customer that Griffey is up at Niketown doign some Q & A or something but isn't signing autographs...WTH!?!

12:19 - I'm a terrible judge of age...but that's nothing new.

12:22 - Another pony tail!!! but this one is more awesome and yet not creepy. I am shocked.

12:36 - Muse, "Feeling Good"...awesome.

12:44 - I hate when customers want something, you give it to them as they asked, then they tell you it's wrong because they never fully explained what they actually wanted. If you want gold $1 coins with presidents on them then ask for gold president $1 coins...don't just say you want gold $1 coins. UGH!!!

12:51 - Poor guy behind this lady, who just walked up, only wanted to exchange loose change for paper money...and I can't help because it isn't rolled. Tough break guy...you just waited all that time for nothing.

12:55 - Almost done...almost lunch time...then nap time...then party time? I think so!

12:56 - Want to go do karate in the garage? (Cue "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates)

1:00 - The end

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Put a smile on your face 

I wonder if the blog supports smileys like this app does...either way I think the ol' blog is gonna see more posts oh faithful readers.

-- iPhone'd


Mobile blogging?

Let's see if and/or how this works...

-- iPhone'd