RIP WaMu

WaMu, we've been together for a long time now... We've been through great times (remember $46 a share?) and we've been through bad. The last four months have been extremely hard, and the last 3 weeks have been even harder. I am sad to see you go, as you were the first company who I actually cared for as an old friend.

I simply cannot believe you're gone.

The largest bank failure in US history. My job, my identity, my home.

Rest in peace.

Where to begin?

So my vacation is now officially over, in quite a big way.

Today was going to suck. There was really no way around it. I had to face the people that I am destined to leave in almost a week. Will I miss them? Yes. Will I look back after I hand in my keys for the last time? Maybe. I know better than to burn my bridges... kinda. My alter ego destroys most bridges I have anyway.

I am, in a nutshell, a true Gemini. I am blessed (and cursed) with the ability to see both sides of most pictures, and I'm often torn if I have to pick sides. In this regard, I can be seen as being two-faced, because I can empathize with both parties in a flamefest. I do my best to stay neutral, even when the flamefest is focused on me. As wonderful as I might just be, I know my faults all too well and realize that there's some truth in every bitter thing the opposition has to say.

I digress. What I'm trying to say is that while I HAVE to be mild and meek mannered Julie the Super Banker at work, if you push me too far you will meet my alter ego Weibke. I'm really hoping that I can keep my inner biker bitch/velociraptor under control long enough to keep the friends I've made while there. We'll see.

I got the job!!

I found out today that my interview on Saturday was a success. I was offered the position at a location that is 5 minutes away from my house. If I continued to work in Bellevue, I would spend fifteen 24 hour days in traffic a year. For what I get paid, the job simply isn't worth the commute.

Vacation... only a day away!

Tomorrow promises to be the Best Day Ever. One day away from a vacation, plus tomorrow's a payday. Thank goodness! The coffers are getting a bit low...

On Saturday I have an interview at a branch that is much closer to my home. The last interview at a closer branch went wonderfully, but I decided to turn down the offer since my pay wasn't going up as much as I had hoped it would. I can a) Advance and commute or B) Keep the same level of job but be closer to home. Hmmm... decisions, decisions!

Holy Sh*t

Today was crazy.

Thank goodness for alcohol!

And three cheers for the hot programmer boyfriend! Even though his work gave him the last week off, he still got up at 7am to drive me to work... just so I could have the benefits of the carpool lane.

How sweet is that?

He took an extra 1 1/2 out of his day, plus sacrificed his sacred sleep-in time, just to be my carpool companion.

I love this guy.

Last Day of August

Thank goodness this month is over! This one has been an exercise in frustration. Besides stress at home, work has been less than wonderful. We were really, really short on staffing, so customers were even more pissy than usual.

This will be a great day though. It's the Friday before a 3 day weekend, the last day of the month, and a payday. We're also holding a customer appreciation event at our branch. It's going to be hell.

Looks like Julie is getting a larger caramel macchiato than usual.

Interview with a Banker

So what's more fun than working on a Saturday?

Not being able to balance.

What's even MORE fun than being off balance?

Having a root canal immediately afterwards.

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I guess you can say I have had better weekends. It really wasn't all bad though... The root canal was painless (yes, you heard me right... although my tooth is sensitive now), and Mom made the most amazing apple pie (with fresh apples from the orchard). Tender mouth be damned!

100th Post!

So the last few days have been nothing short of crazy. My father ended up in the hospital on Saturday. His multiple infections started to really act up. At one point, we really thought that this might be his final battle. I rushed home last night after I called him on the phone. He told me "Julie, it hurts to talk... I have to hang up. I love you. I'm so sorry. I love you, I'm so sorry.." and he was crying. It scared the hell out of me, I really didn't know if I would see him again. Turns out he had a bad reaction to some very strong medication. His condition is stabilized right now, and we're all very grateful that he's so delightfully stubborn.

This brings up another area of stress- where should I be living right now? I have a job I can tolerate, working with people I genuinely like. I don't want to toss everything away that I have here. We just bought a place, I have a boyfriend who loves me, and I may eventually move up at work and earn some decent money. On the other hand, I have a wonderful family, who unfortunately happen to be mortal. I'd really like to be there for them.

It wouldn't take all THAT much to move back home.. .I love the area, and it's always easy to find a bank that is hiring. For what I'm paying on my mortgage right now, I can get a decent bit of land and have more room for my dart frog hobby.

Speaking of dart frogs, I'm building 2 more frog tanks. I have 4 green legged lamasi tadpoles that will occupy one tank, and I'll be getting a couple of adult P. azureiventris- essentially ninja dart frogs. They're freaking sweet.

That's enough rambling for now. Hope everyone is well and happy.

Life Update!

I haven't been feeling too verbose lately... so here's a summary:

Promotion. Check.
42" LCD tv courtesy of the hot programmer boyfriend. Check.
1000 days celebrated with said hot programmer boyfriend. Check.
Tickets to see Walking with Dinosaurs Live in Spokane. Check.

It feels like life has been going at 75 miles per hour. Weeks are speeding by, months feel like minutes, and before we know it we'll be in 2008. Insanity!