Wow, sorry for my absence the last few days! My computer has not been friendly, and I have been extremely busy.
Let's see...what's been going on?? Well, Friday I had an ultrasound done to check my follicles...and I had two wonderful 20mm follies ready to go! So, the nurse gave me a trigger shot (OUCH, this particular nurse I swear just likes to stab people) to stimulate ovulation, and the next day I went to Seattle to had an IUI (intrauterine insemination) done.
I won't go into too much detail about the IUI because J would probably kill me, but it definitely wasn't my favorite experience. Basically in the morning, J went in and did his thing, and then 90 minutes later I went and had my part done. Essentially, it's like doing a pap smear with the speculum and everything, then they insert a tiny catheter through your cervix into your uterus and inject the sperm directly in. It didn't really hurt so to speak, but it was definitely not comfortable. That's pretty much it. I probably worked myself up over it for nothing. So hopefully, especially with two good follicles and an IUI this time, we'll have some better chances!
On a sadder note, today was my first day back to work after a week long vacation. Fortunately, it was only a half day (I work this Saturday, so I was compensating for it) and I had an acupuncture appointment this afternoon. It was a slow day, I didn't have to help too many people and surprisingly didn't have much to catch up on since I worked on all of it before I left. Acupuncture was really good and really relaxing today. It was a light treatment, but again, really good.
We've spent a lot of time with Kelly and Ken the past couple of days, and it hasn't been too bad. We had dinner last night, and Kelly and I worked on a couple crafty things in my new happy room. :) It was nice and relaxing...We did see them tonight at my mother in law's house since J was getting his hair cut by Ken (and for some reason they had to do it at their mom's??), and I kind of felt like it was time to take some time away from them again. Haha. I guess I'm just not one of those people that can spend a ton of time with the same people over and over again. Here are a few things I've realized about myself the last few weeks:
- I'm a much better friend on a one-on-one level, I can't really be myself in large social settings
- I love my in-laws, but have realized that I'm very different than them
- I think I am most like my mother-in-law, but she has to play roles that inhibit her from being who she really is, so I'm not really sure
- I love love love tea
- I love the fall because it makes me love tea more
- I have 2 things in my life that many people don't have: A best friend that TRULY knows everything about me and doesn't judge me, and a husband that TRULY wants me to be happy and loves me for who I am. These sound simple, but they're very rare.
- I would be a really good mom.
- If I were to become a mom, I would be a fun mom.
- I need to find a different career path but don't know how to get there.
- I love to relax
- My side of the family is very sane ;)
- I can live with simple things
- I don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore
Anyway, I'm going to go relax now and possibly have a cup of tea with my husband. Oh, and possibly catch up on Dexter! Goodnight.
Love, Melonhead
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
What a crappy day
Today was one of those days where I should've just stayed in bed. Literally, should have just kept the covers over me and kept sleeping. Because as soon as I got up, it turned to shit.
Okay, maybe not right as I got up, but pretty soon after, J and I got into a tiff about whether or not he put the flea stuff on Walter and the cats. Since they've been pheasant hunting lately, and I swear I've had some bug bites on my leg, he promised last night that he would do it in the morning. Alas, he didn't. And he didn't tell me so until he was right about to head out the door, running late as usual. Of course I said in my typical whiny voice "But you said you would...." and he was exasperated and unwillingly took a few extra minutes to do the deed. Well I was upset with his attitude, even though I was trying really hard not to be irritated, that small thing kind of ruined the rest of my day.
I spent the drive to work on the phone with J as he was on his way to work telling him how I couldn't rid of this feeling that the rest of the day was just going to SUCK because of this morning. And I was right! But I'm sure it was because I attracted every single bit of negative energy today. I got to work, and realized I forgot lunch. Damn it! I was so not doing a good job of letting things go at this point. I tried to make myself some tea and slowly sift through my emails, just like the past few days where it was actually kind of relaxing. Then I run into an e-mail that was supposed to be dealt with yesterday while I was gone, and no one had bothered to fix the issue. So I proceed to try and fix that issue, and by the time I'm done, a lovely elderly woman wants to take all her money out of her annuity that she never should have purchased in the first place. My banker isn't licensed to deal with her, so of course I have to do it. I wasted a good 45 minutes listening to the 105 reasons why she had to take the money out, all of which I really didn't care about because LAST time she came to see I had already heard it all. All of it. After that was all said and done, I had another elderly lady (same one that wasted my time last week) come to my desk (with no appointment of course) because she couldn't remember what we did with her CD last week. Lady, we just left it in there to renew! We really didn't do anything because she didn't want to and I honestly did not want to confuse her anymore by putting her into something new. Unfortunately, I failed because she's still as confused as ever. I've tried to tell her she needs to bring her daughter in so that someone else knows what's going on with her money, and so that her daughter could help her. It's just so sad how many of my customers don't want to involve their children when they really need to. Or at least involve someone else so we're not having the same conversation every week.
Please don't think that I hate little old ladies, I really truly enjoy their company, but it is extremely tiresome to repeat the same thing over and over again. So anyway, after that, J calls to tell me his grandma was having chest pains and that it's probably nothing to worry about, but she's going to the hospital anyway. This in itself was not fun news to hear, and I was really worried about her. I felt terrible for thinking this next thought....but I had been doing such a good job avoiding J's family this week that I was seriously dreading having to talk to someone in J's family because of what happened to his grandma. It was seriously giving me anxiety. And then of course, right on cue, Jenn texts me with "Hey you! Feels like I haven't talked to you in forever. How are you?" (Oh and PS, she texted the same thing to me last night, but I ignored her.) I waited a couple hours and said "Hey, doing great just busy busy. Hope you have a good weekend" Nothing too nice, nothing too bitchy. And of course she texts back with "Do u have plans tonight?" Eek! I am so not good at this avoiding people thing. I consulted Sola and J and they both told me to tell her I was busy, so I just said "Yeah I'm sorry." I was waiting her to text back asking me what time I would be done with whatever I was doing, and I got so lucky because all I got was "Okay, let me know when you have a night available so we can get together." Whew! And that was the end of that, thank goodness.
Looking back at what I just wrote, she really doesn't sound bitchy. But I guess, the best way to explain why I had so much anxiety over it is simply - She's manipulative. She hasn't sent me texts like that in a really long time, and I feel like she only sent them because I haven't been talking to her lately. She wanted to throw the ball in my court and see if I'd bounce it back so she could find out a little bit of what's going on in my life. Well I didn't give her much, so she tried to get more. I still didn't give her much, and thank goodness she stopped because knowing me, I probably would've given her too much. Enough to make me feel bad about myself. How the hell does she even have this affect on me? It's insane.
Anyway, the rest of day consisted of more customer service crap that as a manager, I really don't think I should have to do. That's why I have bankers and client service managers. Ugh. Wow, this was a real bitch fest. I guess it's the perfect crappy blog to go with the perfect crappy day.
I did not channel my energy well today, and I have to admit, I stopped trying about halfway through the day. Not a great idea, but I was done with it all. But my goal is to wake up tomorrow with a different outlook because it's a different and new day. The people in my life are great and I know they will be here to support me. My husband, as rough as a morning/day we had, is an amazing man and I know he will be there no matter what.
Oh, as an update, grandma's staying overnight at the hospital because her blood pressure is being weird. For the most part, she's okay. We'll find out more tomorrow. Prayers would be appeciated. :) Goodnight all!
Love,
Melonhead
Okay, maybe not right as I got up, but pretty soon after, J and I got into a tiff about whether or not he put the flea stuff on Walter and the cats. Since they've been pheasant hunting lately, and I swear I've had some bug bites on my leg, he promised last night that he would do it in the morning. Alas, he didn't. And he didn't tell me so until he was right about to head out the door, running late as usual. Of course I said in my typical whiny voice "But you said you would...." and he was exasperated and unwillingly took a few extra minutes to do the deed. Well I was upset with his attitude, even though I was trying really hard not to be irritated, that small thing kind of ruined the rest of my day.
I spent the drive to work on the phone with J as he was on his way to work telling him how I couldn't rid of this feeling that the rest of the day was just going to SUCK because of this morning. And I was right! But I'm sure it was because I attracted every single bit of negative energy today. I got to work, and realized I forgot lunch. Damn it! I was so not doing a good job of letting things go at this point. I tried to make myself some tea and slowly sift through my emails, just like the past few days where it was actually kind of relaxing. Then I run into an e-mail that was supposed to be dealt with yesterday while I was gone, and no one had bothered to fix the issue. So I proceed to try and fix that issue, and by the time I'm done, a lovely elderly woman wants to take all her money out of her annuity that she never should have purchased in the first place. My banker isn't licensed to deal with her, so of course I have to do it. I wasted a good 45 minutes listening to the 105 reasons why she had to take the money out, all of which I really didn't care about because LAST time she came to see I had already heard it all. All of it. After that was all said and done, I had another elderly lady (same one that wasted my time last week) come to my desk (with no appointment of course) because she couldn't remember what we did with her CD last week. Lady, we just left it in there to renew! We really didn't do anything because she didn't want to and I honestly did not want to confuse her anymore by putting her into something new. Unfortunately, I failed because she's still as confused as ever. I've tried to tell her she needs to bring her daughter in so that someone else knows what's going on with her money, and so that her daughter could help her. It's just so sad how many of my customers don't want to involve their children when they really need to. Or at least involve someone else so we're not having the same conversation every week.
Please don't think that I hate little old ladies, I really truly enjoy their company, but it is extremely tiresome to repeat the same thing over and over again. So anyway, after that, J calls to tell me his grandma was having chest pains and that it's probably nothing to worry about, but she's going to the hospital anyway. This in itself was not fun news to hear, and I was really worried about her. I felt terrible for thinking this next thought....but I had been doing such a good job avoiding J's family this week that I was seriously dreading having to talk to someone in J's family because of what happened to his grandma. It was seriously giving me anxiety. And then of course, right on cue, Jenn texts me with "Hey you! Feels like I haven't talked to you in forever. How are you?" (Oh and PS, she texted the same thing to me last night, but I ignored her.) I waited a couple hours and said "Hey, doing great just busy busy. Hope you have a good weekend" Nothing too nice, nothing too bitchy. And of course she texts back with "Do u have plans tonight?" Eek! I am so not good at this avoiding people thing. I consulted Sola and J and they both told me to tell her I was busy, so I just said "Yeah I'm sorry." I was waiting her to text back asking me what time I would be done with whatever I was doing, and I got so lucky because all I got was "Okay, let me know when you have a night available so we can get together." Whew! And that was the end of that, thank goodness.
Looking back at what I just wrote, she really doesn't sound bitchy. But I guess, the best way to explain why I had so much anxiety over it is simply - She's manipulative. She hasn't sent me texts like that in a really long time, and I feel like she only sent them because I haven't been talking to her lately. She wanted to throw the ball in my court and see if I'd bounce it back so she could find out a little bit of what's going on in my life. Well I didn't give her much, so she tried to get more. I still didn't give her much, and thank goodness she stopped because knowing me, I probably would've given her too much. Enough to make me feel bad about myself. How the hell does she even have this affect on me? It's insane.
Anyway, the rest of day consisted of more customer service crap that as a manager, I really don't think I should have to do. That's why I have bankers and client service managers. Ugh. Wow, this was a real bitch fest. I guess it's the perfect crappy blog to go with the perfect crappy day.
I did not channel my energy well today, and I have to admit, I stopped trying about halfway through the day. Not a great idea, but I was done with it all. But my goal is to wake up tomorrow with a different outlook because it's a different and new day. The people in my life are great and I know they will be here to support me. My husband, as rough as a morning/day we had, is an amazing man and I know he will be there no matter what.
Oh, as an update, grandma's staying overnight at the hospital because her blood pressure is being weird. For the most part, she's okay. We'll find out more tomorrow. Prayers would be appeciated. :) Goodnight all!
Love,
Melonhead
EDI and Steve Jobs
I'm in this program called EDI, which stands for Executive Development Institute. It's essentially a leadership program for minorities in leadership positions, and I am absolutely amazed how much it's made me think differently. I was nominated to go through the program last year, and that in itself was an honor since it's a $3500 program, and the bank paid for it. (wow, the bank paid for it!) I actually started the program in March of this year with a two-day kick-off in a really awesome hotel called the Cedarbrook Lodge. I met some amazing people from companies like Boeing, Weyerhauser, State Farm, REI, etc and truly had a great time. We did a lot of ice-breaker exercises, and had a couple of really great speakers. One of the speakers spoke to us about how our values growing up as asians/hispanics have hindered us from wanting to be leaders, or pushed us to be leaders. In my case, I feel that my parents really pushed me to be the best in everything...you know, the typical asian parents' lectures. I grew up telling myself that I would not/could not fail, so career-wise, I don't feel I ever did. Act as if it were impossible to fail - that's how it was. It's interesting to see the other spectrum of people that grew up with parents like mine though, the side where you were afraid to reach for what you want because you had to respect your elders, respect those that are in higher positions than yours. I'm all about respect, but I guess I never let position stop me from getting to where I wanted to go. Now, I'm very respectful to my boss and his boss, but I'm not afraid to speak up when I feel wronged. I think that comes from my dad's side of the family. ;)
Anyway, EDI met every month for the rest of the year. We also split up into smaller groups to do a community project, so we really got to know each other well. My group's job was to help a hospice care facility market into the Korean market in WA. We had to make hospice care easy to understand, find where the Koreans were living in WA, and come up with a strategy to integrate this company into that market. Not really the most interesting thing in the world, but the people in my group were great and it was fun to get together. During our monthly sessions, we learned about the different kinds of personalities people have (controller, persuader, analyzer, stabilizer) and how to deal with them as leaders. I found out that I'm a Persuader/Stabilizer essentially meaning that I'm a big people pleaser. I like to have people like me, and I will find a way to do it! :) We had sessions on how to deal with conflict and how to have really difficult conversations with your employees, and also heard from some really inspiring mentors. Unfortunately, while EDI was such an inspirational, motivating program, I think it just made me hate my job more. It's made me really take a step back and look at how much potential I have and the differences I could make. Does my job align with my ethics and values? No. Is it what I always saw myself doing? No. Does it make me happy? No. So what am I still doing here?
I graduate from EDI on November 3rd and I'm really grateful I was nominated for the program. Again, I've met some amazing people that I know I'll keep in touch with for a long, long time. Oh and guess what! I'm the class speaker. :) It's like highschool all over again. Hahaha. Oh geez. The circle of life.
A great quote from Steve Jobs that I will always take to heart:
Anyway, EDI met every month for the rest of the year. We also split up into smaller groups to do a community project, so we really got to know each other well. My group's job was to help a hospice care facility market into the Korean market in WA. We had to make hospice care easy to understand, find where the Koreans were living in WA, and come up with a strategy to integrate this company into that market. Not really the most interesting thing in the world, but the people in my group were great and it was fun to get together. During our monthly sessions, we learned about the different kinds of personalities people have (controller, persuader, analyzer, stabilizer) and how to deal with them as leaders. I found out that I'm a Persuader/Stabilizer essentially meaning that I'm a big people pleaser. I like to have people like me, and I will find a way to do it! :) We had sessions on how to deal with conflict and how to have really difficult conversations with your employees, and also heard from some really inspiring mentors. Unfortunately, while EDI was such an inspirational, motivating program, I think it just made me hate my job more. It's made me really take a step back and look at how much potential I have and the differences I could make. Does my job align with my ethics and values? No. Is it what I always saw myself doing? No. Does it make me happy? No. So what am I still doing here?
I graduate from EDI on November 3rd and I'm really grateful I was nominated for the program. Again, I've met some amazing people that I know I'll keep in touch with for a long, long time. Oh and guess what! I'm the class speaker. :) It's like highschool all over again. Hahaha. Oh geez. The circle of life.
A great quote from Steve Jobs that I will always take to heart:
- "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Barley Tea
I was chatting with a co-worker today about my acupuncture appointment yesterday, and turns out he's very into Chinese/Asian medicine. He recommended I try Barley tea, something you could get at Korean stores. He said it helps with relaxation and is a good replacement for coffee (sooo sad). Alas, I had J go out and buy some at the nearest Korean store, and we both tried some tonight. It's not bad actually, just tastes kind of like a light black tea. It has a nutty, pleasant flavor. J swears that it's the tea they serve at teriyaki restaurants...I'm not so sure. But I guess it's similar? I always thought they served oolong and green tea at teriyaki restaurants, but what do I know really? All I know for now is...I like it. :) One step towards a stress-free life!
I guess acupuncture must've helped me some because I tried to go about the day in a different way than usual. I woke up, looked at myself in the mirror, and told myself that I wasn't going to let things get to me like they usually do. Don't sweat the small stuff, Melonhead! So overall, it was a pretty good day I have to say! I started off my day with a nice cup of green tea, sat down at my desk, and read the news. Then I went through my e-mails, and even though my boss had sent a bazillion useless e-mails about things we already knew about, I told myself to just let him be the way he is. I just kind of chuckled at it, made a joke in my head, and went about my day. We opened the doors, and for the most part the morning was pretty slow. I went through my to-do list and finished it off with a couple of customers in between. Overall, not a bad morning. The afternoon was a little more busy, but I continued to stay positive, and forced myself to have more "yin" throughout the day. I took small breaks, and made sure I went away from my desk for lunch. During lunch, I read my book (currently reading The Help) and ate some soup. It was nice and peaceful, and I made sure to take my full hour. If my book wasn't so good, I would've taken a nap. After lunch, I made some phone calls, but couldn't really get ahold of anyone, which normally is a little frustrating but it was okay today. I even got to eat some birthday cake! Just a little bit of course. :)
I had a funny conversation with a co-worker today about the superpowers we would have if we were able to have them. I said I'd like to be able to be invisible, and he said he'd like to be able to see people naked hahaha. He didn't have a good reason other than pure entertainment, while my selfish reason was to listen in on conversations. Haha. I guess that stems from some insecurity I must have somewhere in this crazy brain of mine. I have a constant fear that people are saying things behind my back, and honestly, they probably are. I'm not a super duper social butterfly, but I can be one when I want to be. I just also like my alone time, which I don't think social butterflies really understand, so they probably talk about people like me. "Oh she never wants to hang out, so we don't have to invite her." No it's not that I never want to hang out, it's that I don't always want to hang out. Big difference. So yes, I think it would be nice to be invisible in order to take the guesswork out of what I think people might be saying about me. I'm sure that's a double-edged sword, but for now that's what I would say is my superpower wish. I also think it would awesome to be able to fly!
Anyway, I'm going to go drink some barley tea now and watch me some Criminal Minds, yay! I have the Ringer recorded, but the hubs isn't really into it, so I'll watch that when he's working. :) Wish me some yin!
Love,
Melonhead
I guess acupuncture must've helped me some because I tried to go about the day in a different way than usual. I woke up, looked at myself in the mirror, and told myself that I wasn't going to let things get to me like they usually do. Don't sweat the small stuff, Melonhead! So overall, it was a pretty good day I have to say! I started off my day with a nice cup of green tea, sat down at my desk, and read the news. Then I went through my e-mails, and even though my boss had sent a bazillion useless e-mails about things we already knew about, I told myself to just let him be the way he is. I just kind of chuckled at it, made a joke in my head, and went about my day. We opened the doors, and for the most part the morning was pretty slow. I went through my to-do list and finished it off with a couple of customers in between. Overall, not a bad morning. The afternoon was a little more busy, but I continued to stay positive, and forced myself to have more "yin" throughout the day. I took small breaks, and made sure I went away from my desk for lunch. During lunch, I read my book (currently reading The Help) and ate some soup. It was nice and peaceful, and I made sure to take my full hour. If my book wasn't so good, I would've taken a nap. After lunch, I made some phone calls, but couldn't really get ahold of anyone, which normally is a little frustrating but it was okay today. I even got to eat some birthday cake! Just a little bit of course. :)
I had a funny conversation with a co-worker today about the superpowers we would have if we were able to have them. I said I'd like to be able to be invisible, and he said he'd like to be able to see people naked hahaha. He didn't have a good reason other than pure entertainment, while my selfish reason was to listen in on conversations. Haha. I guess that stems from some insecurity I must have somewhere in this crazy brain of mine. I have a constant fear that people are saying things behind my back, and honestly, they probably are. I'm not a super duper social butterfly, but I can be one when I want to be. I just also like my alone time, which I don't think social butterflies really understand, so they probably talk about people like me. "Oh she never wants to hang out, so we don't have to invite her." No it's not that I never want to hang out, it's that I don't always want to hang out. Big difference. So yes, I think it would be nice to be invisible in order to take the guesswork out of what I think people might be saying about me. I'm sure that's a double-edged sword, but for now that's what I would say is my superpower wish. I also think it would awesome to be able to fly!
Anyway, I'm going to go drink some barley tea now and watch me some Criminal Minds, yay! I have the Ringer recorded, but the hubs isn't really into it, so I'll watch that when he's working. :) Wish me some yin!
Love,
Melonhead
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Acupuncture and learning to relax
I had my first acupuncture appointment today and thought it was an interesting experience. Good, but an interesting good. I walked in there with no expectations really, but walked out feeling decent overall. First, she went over my history, what I was struggling with (stress, fertility), and what I wanted to accomplish. She was really easy to be open and honest with, and it helped that I felt like she's worked with people like me before. And she has, I just didn't know this right away. We talked about the types of things that stress me out, mainly work. The nature of my job makes me a competitive person, and we both agreed that that carries into all sectors of my life causing irritability, tension, and for the most part anger. She explained from her experience, women like me have lots of yang (meaning fast, focus, aggressive, go-go-go) but don't have enough yin (down-time, rest, sleep, me-time). In order for eggs to develop into nice, rich eggs, they essentially need a good rhythm to help them grow correctly - a good balance of yin and yang. With rich and healthy developed eggs comes good and strong progesterone levels which in turn help carry pregnancies to full term. Her thought process is if we can get my body into a good rhythm to help develop my eggs correctly, I should hopefully get everything I need to have a healthy pregnancy and hopefully become less stressed. The whole regimen will include acupuncture treatments (to help keep the energy flowing because I guess it's pretty stagnant right now), no caffeine (yikes!!), exercise (lots of yang), breathing exercises, yoga, and more sleep.
The acupuncture treatment itself was not painful at all, just a little warm and tingly at the beginning. She left me in the room with 4 needles in my head, 4 in my ears, 4 on my hands, and 4 on my feet for about half an hour, then came back and said I had a lot of energy escaping from my head. Now, it's my first appointment so I'm naturally a little skeptical. She asked if my head felt more clear, and I said yes because it actually did, but I'm not sure if that's because of the needles or because I was in that quiet room surrounded by ethereal music by myself and couldn't help but clear my thoughts....so I guess I'll have to see next time. ;) I enjoyed the appointment overall because at the end, we had a plan to overcome my battle with stress and infertility. I could tell she that she wasn't really into western medicine, but she absolutely understands why women like me choose to go to a fertility specialist. She seemed glad that I came to her and told me that she would do her best to be extra support on top of whatever my doctors are recommending. I thought she was very sweet and knowledgeable, but a little quirky. But again, maybe that's just me being skeptical of chinese medicine. However, I'm really beginning to think that the Chinese have had this medicine stuff down from the very beginning. They are so healthy and they seem so stress-free in comparison to those of us in America. America is so full of hustle and bustle and we never put our physical and mental health first. It's so much more about money and status vs. health, balance, and peace of mind. Maybe we could really learn something from them, eh?
Other than my acupuncture appointment, there was nothing else too exciting about my day. I went to work this morning, had a meeting with my team and a private banker, sifted through emails, and helped a few clients. I did get a little peeved with one of my business partners as they seem to think that branch managers are their little bitches and should do all the work for them. To explain, I have a business client who is threatening to leave the bank because another bank is quoting them less fees. This business client uses a LOT of our complicated services including direct deposit, ach, treasury management, etc. All of these cost money, and that's why we have a certain program that they can be a part of to lump all the fees together, which they are a part of. I asked my business banker to help me review their account to see if we could save them any money, and then meet with the client so she could explain the new program to them. My business banker proceeded to work up some quotes, sent me an email with lots of business banker mumbo jumbo that I don't understand or really care to understand, then told me I needed to explain it to the client and let her know what they decide. Uh...NO, I'm not the BUSINESS banker, you are, and you can explain all this CRAP that I was not trained to explain to the BUSINESS client. My job is to get you business and once the client is a BUSINESS client, you as the BUSINESS banker handle all their banking needs and questions. The annoying thing is - all of our partners do this. Our mortgage advisors, our financial advisors, our business bankers - They all expect us to refer them people and deals, but once they get the people and the deals, they expect the branch managers to do all the shit-work once they're clients. Branch managers have to play so many hats including fire-putter-outter, fee-reverser, seller, loan officer, financial advisor, THERAPIST and at the end of the day, we have the highest goals and we get paid the least for what we do. It's just BS.
Okay, now that I've extracted that from my brain, I wanted to list some things I was thankful for today and remind myself to LIVE SIMPLY:
- J
- My animals
- Co-workers I can vent to
- My bff Sola who entertains me throughout the day with funny texts
- The hot cup of peach tea in front of me in a polka dot mug
- Acupuncture
- Hot baths
- Fall and coziness
Love,
Melonhead
The acupuncture treatment itself was not painful at all, just a little warm and tingly at the beginning. She left me in the room with 4 needles in my head, 4 in my ears, 4 on my hands, and 4 on my feet for about half an hour, then came back and said I had a lot of energy escaping from my head. Now, it's my first appointment so I'm naturally a little skeptical. She asked if my head felt more clear, and I said yes because it actually did, but I'm not sure if that's because of the needles or because I was in that quiet room surrounded by ethereal music by myself and couldn't help but clear my thoughts....so I guess I'll have to see next time. ;) I enjoyed the appointment overall because at the end, we had a plan to overcome my battle with stress and infertility. I could tell she that she wasn't really into western medicine, but she absolutely understands why women like me choose to go to a fertility specialist. She seemed glad that I came to her and told me that she would do her best to be extra support on top of whatever my doctors are recommending. I thought she was very sweet and knowledgeable, but a little quirky. But again, maybe that's just me being skeptical of chinese medicine. However, I'm really beginning to think that the Chinese have had this medicine stuff down from the very beginning. They are so healthy and they seem so stress-free in comparison to those of us in America. America is so full of hustle and bustle and we never put our physical and mental health first. It's so much more about money and status vs. health, balance, and peace of mind. Maybe we could really learn something from them, eh?
Other than my acupuncture appointment, there was nothing else too exciting about my day. I went to work this morning, had a meeting with my team and a private banker, sifted through emails, and helped a few clients. I did get a little peeved with one of my business partners as they seem to think that branch managers are their little bitches and should do all the work for them. To explain, I have a business client who is threatening to leave the bank because another bank is quoting them less fees. This business client uses a LOT of our complicated services including direct deposit, ach, treasury management, etc. All of these cost money, and that's why we have a certain program that they can be a part of to lump all the fees together, which they are a part of. I asked my business banker to help me review their account to see if we could save them any money, and then meet with the client so she could explain the new program to them. My business banker proceeded to work up some quotes, sent me an email with lots of business banker mumbo jumbo that I don't understand or really care to understand, then told me I needed to explain it to the client and let her know what they decide. Uh...NO, I'm not the BUSINESS banker, you are, and you can explain all this CRAP that I was not trained to explain to the BUSINESS client. My job is to get you business and once the client is a BUSINESS client, you as the BUSINESS banker handle all their banking needs and questions. The annoying thing is - all of our partners do this. Our mortgage advisors, our financial advisors, our business bankers - They all expect us to refer them people and deals, but once they get the people and the deals, they expect the branch managers to do all the shit-work once they're clients. Branch managers have to play so many hats including fire-putter-outter, fee-reverser, seller, loan officer, financial advisor, THERAPIST and at the end of the day, we have the highest goals and we get paid the least for what we do. It's just BS.
Okay, now that I've extracted that from my brain, I wanted to list some things I was thankful for today and remind myself to LIVE SIMPLY:
- J
- My animals
- Co-workers I can vent to
- My bff Sola who entertains me throughout the day with funny texts
- The hot cup of peach tea in front of me in a polka dot mug
- Acupuncture
- Hot baths
- Fall and coziness
Love,
Melonhead
Monday, October 3, 2011
Dexter and Banking
J and I are watching Dexter tonight since he was on shift last night. I'm so stoked! I love Dexter. What an awesome series. I'm more excited to just cuddle up with my hunnie on the super comfy couch in front of the fire and have a relaxing night.
I'd have to say that work is at least 60% of the stress that I carry. I'm a bank manager at Bank of Duhmerica (not the real name...DUH, and no it's not Bank of America), and while I love managing people, I cannot stand the stupidity and irrationality of some of my customers (and sometimes employees). My job requires a colossal amount of patience that I can't have each and everyday. The typical consumer should have a budget: Income minus expenses = Whatever you have left to spend on other crap. This should not be a negative number right from the get-go! And if it is, it's NOT the bank's fault. And it's definitely not MY fault. Sure I get it, the banks charge ridiculous fees...I know. I've been there. But you can't expect to spend your money frivolously to the point where you have no idea where your balance is, you just *think* you have $5...just enough for that pack of smokes. Unfortunately, now that pack cost $5.50 + an extra overdraft charge. Oh, and I also get that this happens sometimes. We all screw up, we've all done it. But don't - I repeat DON'T - come into the bank yelling at the manager expecting her to reverse every single one of your 8 charges. Yelling at me isn't going to do you any good, I'll probably just kick you out. Tell me your entire story calmly, but don't have high expectations. If it's not our fault, we're not going to reverse all of them. Would you expect to pay for a stolen item that you didn't steal?
Oh, and I love little old ladies, but I don't love it when they take up 20 hours of your day telling you about each and every one of their little grandkids and how they were born. Then they forget why they even came into the branch, and you have to sit through another 20 hours of listening to the story about their friend Bertha who lost her memory at 67 and how she's so lucky compared to her. Then of course, and this never fails, there's the story about how back in the day, she remembers how the bankers used to hand-write all the new accounts in a book and keep track of each person's balance everyday. Yada yada yada. I honestly just do not have the time to enjoy these stories as much as I normally would....I think. I know that they're lonely, and I try really hard to keep this plastered smile on my face as if I'm truly engaged by what they're saying. But really, I just don't have the time.
One more thing - don't come into the branch one minute before closing to open a super complicated trust account. Unless of course, you want me to hate you forever.
On a good note, J and Walter (the pup) went pheasant hunting today. No birds, but I'm glad they had some happy time together. Aren't they cute?
I'd have to say that work is at least 60% of the stress that I carry. I'm a bank manager at Bank of Duhmerica (not the real name...DUH, and no it's not Bank of America), and while I love managing people, I cannot stand the stupidity and irrationality of some of my customers (and sometimes employees). My job requires a colossal amount of patience that I can't have each and everyday. The typical consumer should have a budget: Income minus expenses = Whatever you have left to spend on other crap. This should not be a negative number right from the get-go! And if it is, it's NOT the bank's fault. And it's definitely not MY fault. Sure I get it, the banks charge ridiculous fees...I know. I've been there. But you can't expect to spend your money frivolously to the point where you have no idea where your balance is, you just *think* you have $5...just enough for that pack of smokes. Unfortunately, now that pack cost $5.50 + an extra overdraft charge. Oh, and I also get that this happens sometimes. We all screw up, we've all done it. But don't - I repeat DON'T - come into the bank yelling at the manager expecting her to reverse every single one of your 8 charges. Yelling at me isn't going to do you any good, I'll probably just kick you out. Tell me your entire story calmly, but don't have high expectations. If it's not our fault, we're not going to reverse all of them. Would you expect to pay for a stolen item that you didn't steal?
Oh, and I love little old ladies, but I don't love it when they take up 20 hours of your day telling you about each and every one of their little grandkids and how they were born. Then they forget why they even came into the branch, and you have to sit through another 20 hours of listening to the story about their friend Bertha who lost her memory at 67 and how she's so lucky compared to her. Then of course, and this never fails, there's the story about how back in the day, she remembers how the bankers used to hand-write all the new accounts in a book and keep track of each person's balance everyday. Yada yada yada. I honestly just do not have the time to enjoy these stories as much as I normally would....I think. I know that they're lonely, and I try really hard to keep this plastered smile on my face as if I'm truly engaged by what they're saying. But really, I just don't have the time.
One more thing - don't come into the branch one minute before closing to open a super complicated trust account. Unless of course, you want me to hate you forever.
On a good note, J and Walter (the pup) went pheasant hunting today. No birds, but I'm glad they had some happy time together. Aren't they cute?
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