I’m goin’ to Lakeville!
How did it happen that it’s already July 26th? Seriously! There’s been a lot going on. Where do I start…July kicked off with my grandpa getting hit by a semi. Yes. A semi. Luckily, he was hit the best possible way that someone could be hit by a semi. He was in the grocery story parking lot and had just parked his car. While he was making sure all his windows were closed and turning his radio off, a semi, parked at a slight incline, started slowly moving towards his car. As he went to turn to open the door all he saw was a giant radiator coming towards him. It hit and slid his car about five feet into the next spot (and someone else’s car). Apparently, the driver didn’t have his parking break on. Okay, not apparently. He didn’t have his parking break on. And so my grandpa’s car was totaled. I don’t know what it is with my family, but we get hit by weird things in parking lots. I was hit by a cop in my high school parking lot. I think my grandpa wins though for the strangest accident in the family. Hands down.
Meanwhile, I’ve been busy being teller-girl. And I continue to see that people are just really interesting. I know I work in what’s considered more of a “country” area, but I’m sorry, shirts are not optional at the bank. Please do not come in to get your boat deed notarized without a shirt on. There’s just no reason for it. You aren’t that country. There’s not even cows in your town.
But the shirtless man isn’t my favorite customer. No, that award is going to the female smokers in town that come through the driveway. They gracefully say hello with a puff of cigarette smoke. It’s very classy. Sometimes they are friendly. Other times they look you up and down through the window like “well, aren’t you all fancy…” I’m sure if they worked at a bank they too would be a bit fancy. It’s really hard to be completely expressionless at work, but I do my best. Mostly I just try to turn any look of “what the heck?” into a customer service smile. You know the smile. The one that you get paid to have on your face. We’ve all done it. And if you haven’t done it, then you have not experienced a true workday.
I’ve also come to notice that no one teaches teenagers how to bank. They come to my window with stacks of graduation checks that they haven’t even attempted to add up. Then they cross their arms while you sit there adding them up like “why’s this taking so long. God, I’m missing the re-run of Jersey Shore!” And cue customer service smile.
To be honest, I am lucky to be at the branch I’m at. Most people are very friendly and patient. They only get grumpy when the heat tops 90 degrees. I don’t even blame them for it. A lot of them do have jobs that require them to be outside for 8 hours a day. Or in a store without air conditioning. But no one wants to open a savings account…which makes selling anything kind of tough.
And in three days, I’ll have a nice break from my teller world. ROAD TRIP!!! I’ve already got an extensive packing list made up and right now I’m soaking my toes to give them a nice bright pink pedicure to match the bright pink clutch I bought for the wedding in Minnesota, the main purpose for this whole trip.
First stop is Madison, WI. The plan is to try a couple breweries and meet the mayor. Yes, “meet the mayor” was actually on the list of things to do in Madison, WI. I hope they were just trying to be funny. It really does look like a nice city. One of those small, big cities. After Madison, it’s on to Lakeville, MN for the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the Mall of America. (Thanks Linda for the parking tip!) After that, it’s back on the road for two nights in Chicago. I really want to go to the Skydeck at the top of the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower…sigh). Generally, I’m terrified of heights, but they say that on a clear day you can see four states. So, terrifying but cool sounds like a plan.
I will do my best to take pictures. I’m trying to make a rule for myself to take at least 20 pictures each day. That’s probably a good goal for someone who always forgets to bust out the camera.
I'll soon be one of those people!
Cari On The Shelf 