Holiday Season is upon us

Enought about work already!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I think what I am most thankful for is getting not one, not two but three thanksgiving day dinners!!! Not all tomorrow, thank goodness. Over the past 2 weeks I have had two full on Turkey dinners and tomorrow will be the culmination of the Thanksgiving day dinners.

If you haven't heard, Sarah Palin pardoned a turkey last weekend. Unfortunately(for her), she proceeded to give an interview right in front the turkey slaughter stand.

Ha, Saturday Night Live couldn't have written a better script!

While Palin is talking about oil or something the guy in the background is jamming a turkey, head first into the "death chamber" where it appears he chops its head off. Here is the link to the video on Youtube.

He does seem really interested to hear what she is saying about foreign oil... or maybe, and more likely, he is just checkin her out. Busted.

And of course Friday is "Black Friday". I think I am gonna ride down early grab some coffee and do some people watchin. I can only imagine how crazy downtown will be w/ all the shoppers subjecting themselves ridiculous amounts of hassle just to save that extra dollar. Funny thing is, now you can get the exact same deal online and usually get free shipping. No lines, no parking, no traffic jam... but for some reason, people want to "get" the deal, and so they will go, in mass to the malls, fighting each other with Thanksgiving in their hearts. It will be a good day to be on a bike weaving in and out of all the gridlocked the cars create!

So, enjoy the food, the friends and family and the football. Oh, and of course the naps...

Turn out the lights... the partys over

Well, My last day as a Wamu-lian will be, at the latest, January 29th 2009. 4 years, 5 months 1 week and 4 days after I started with the company.
A lot has changed in those four and a half years, I learned a great deal about banking from both the retail and corporate side. Of course working retail provides the best stories, but the corporate side is really where you learn how the bank works.

Dealing with people and their money is a very challenging situation. There are a lot of people that place money above all else. So when you are responsible for their money, it’s a pretty big deal.

One great story from when I was a teller is the lady who sold some land and deposited about $200,000 into her account. A few weeks after the deposit, she came in and asked the teller if she could see her money. The teller gave her a copy of her account balance, but she wasn’t happy. She said “no, I want to actually see my money.” So, after some confusing discussion between the teller and the customer, the teller told her, we don’t actually keep that much money here on hand. The customer, who was becoming increasingly concerned about the safety of her money, said “oh, well, which branch is my money at?” It took the branch manager sitting down with the customer for over half an hour for her to begin to understand that her $200,000 is not in a little box in the back room, separated from everyone else’s money. She was so alarmed by this that she actually came in a few days later (after we placed a special order extra cash for her) and withdrew all of the money from the sale of her land, in cash.

There is a common but totally misused saying, “money is the root of all evil.” But that is drastically misstated. What it actually says is “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1Tim 6:10) Money isn’t bad, money in and of itself is no more evil that a rock, a table or a cup. But it is when love of money becomes more important than people, friends, family then it can lead to all kinds of problems and evil.

I would say our nation, is far more in love with money than anything else. Just look at our economy, and where we are because of the financial industry and because of our love of money. Having $200,000 grand stuffed in your mattress will only make you paranoid, fearful and more distant from everyone while you try to protect your money.

So, looking for a new job in a new industry and transitioning from one chapter to the next, what I have learned and am continually working on is just this: Instead of using people and loving money, love people and use money...

But whatever you do, don’t wire your money to Nigeria.... and I promise, you didn’t win the Foreign lottery. No, really, you didnt win.

No news is good news?

Well, many people fell by the wayside today. But no news for me. We did get this amusing email from Corporate Property Services:
Summary
This message is to let Seattle employees know about a few changes in security procedures at WaMu Center to accommodate increased transition activities.

• As at Chase facilities, the security gate turnstile arms will be used at all times, beginning Monday, Nov. 24. (In an emergency, the arms will remain open.)
• During the first weeks, guards will be available to assist employees, but will then only staff the front desk.
• Security guards may ask to review the content of any boxes being removed.

ETC, ETC....

Everyone here got a good laugh when we got that email! Guess Ill be back monday, rested and ready to work! ha

10-4....

...Over and Out.

Its 8:06 Friday morning, the week before thanksgiving. I have a feeling by the end of the day I will have notice that I, along w/ 3000 others, am being laid off.

Lets see what happens.

Pop Quiz Friday

The English language is weird. There are rules for everything and there are exceptions for pretty much every rule. There are also exceptions for the exceptions and rules that follow no rules, and so on. Its a wonder how we ever got the rest of the world to sigh up to speak English! I mean, by numbers alone we should all be speaking Chinese, Hindi or heck, even Spanish!
Reading over this stuff takes me right back to the 4th grade! Its funny how we totally forget all this stuff, but then as soon as we see it, it brings back memories like it was yesterday. So, since I am sure you havent taken a pop quiz in years, especially one on grammar, I have one for you.

You speak English, so this should be a simple quiz.... lets see how you do, keeping in mind you have been reading, writing and speaking for several decades now, answer the following questions. No cheating!


1. Choose the correct sentence.
A) Either of us were capable of winning.
B) Either of us are capable of winning.
C) Either of us have been capable of winning.
D) Either of us is capable of winning.

2. Choose the correct sentence.
A) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who does whatever it takes to get his point across to his students.
B) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who does whatever it takes to get their point across to their students.
C) Dr. Cresta is a professor who do whatever it takes to get his point across to his students.
D) Dr. Cresta is one of those professors who do whatever it takes to get their point across to their students.

3. Choose the correct sentence.
A) She is one of those doctors that make house calls.
B) She is one of those doctors who make house calls.
C) She is one of those doctors who makes house calls.
D) She is one of those doctors that makes house calls.

4. Choose the correct sentence.
A) It is us who must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
B) It is us whom must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
C) It is we who must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.
D) It is we whom must decide whether to tax ourselves or cut spending.

5.Choose the correct sentence.
A) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally among them or they will fight.
B) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally between them or they will fight.
C) With triplets, I have to be careful to divide everything equally or they fights.
D) With triplets, I have to divide everything equally or they fights hard.


Man, those were way harder than I thought English could be. I mean, I use English all the time with no trouble, but as soon as I am tested on what is actually correct, Im not totally sure!
Well, if you really enjoyed that, you can get more here and if not then the good news is you are already out of school and never have to worry about it again. So, the answers are as follows D, D, B, C, A.

Ok, School is out, class, have a good weekend!

"I have a meeting with the Bob's"

Today I get to interview for my own job...

I think interviewing for a job you dont want is kind of like going out to eat at a restaurant you dont like. Or maybe its like having to wearing that sweater you got from grandma last Christmas every time you go visit. You do it because you have to, and it makes grandma happy, but if you had a choice you would just say forget it, I dont really want the sweater anyway. (except in this case the sweater pay my rent... so Im not sure what that really does to the example!)

Anyway,

Last week everyone in my group received an email asking if we would consider moving to Columbus, OH. Now, I dont think this was in any way, shape or form an actually invite or request to move. I think it was more of a strategic question by Chase to make everyone feel like they were actually being considered for retention or at the least for transition work. In reality, very few people if any, will be asked to move to Ohio. Also included in the email was a time to meet with someone from Chase to discuss our current role and responsibilities in and to evaluate what, if anything, needs to be transitioned.

So, I guess I will go in and talk about what I worked on over the past few months and hope that I get an offer to work through the transition. But in reality I think this is just like asking a prisoner if he has any last requests.... it doenst really matter what you say because the outcome has already been decided. And in keeping with the prisoner analogy, soon, very soon, they are going to throw the switch and it will all be over. The difference in this case though, I get to start again, a fresh start with a different company in, most likely, a totally different industry. Where as the prisoner, well, I guess its a good thing that is where the analogy ends!

So, maybe this interview is less of a death sentence and more of a pardon by the Governor. Oh! maybe they will send us all out to a nice steak house for our "last meal", but somehow really I doubt it.

Its funny how much the corporate world is exactly like the movie "Office Space"!

("Its not that Im lazy, its that I just dont care")

Money for nothing and kicks for free

(ironically, that songs was sung by Dire Straights)

So, we have a new change in president.
Seattle, like Chicago, NY and San Fran, went pretty crazy. Here is a look at down town after the results came out:


Ya know, I really wonder how much things are going to Change. Im sure some stuff will slowly start to look different, but do people really believe that in the next short 4 years the entire United States is going to look, act, feel, and be totally different... Changed?
No way, things will be about the same as always. As they have been... and as they will continue to be. If people think one man, even the President, can change a whole country, ever.... they are wrong, and especially not in only a few years.

If you really want change its going to cost you something. Maybe money, maybe time, maybe lifestlye, comfort zone, hard work, or all of the above... but it will cost you. Are people willing to pay? Nope, I doubt it, actually, I know it. Everyone wants change and they want someone to give them that change. Change, as long as I dont have to pay for it. As long as I can keep doing things the way I want to do them.

"I want something for nothing... Oh, and I want it right now."

You got what you asked for... but is what you asked for what you really wanted?