COLUMBUS and BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ: HBAN) and Sky Financial Group Inc. (NASDAQ:SKYF) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to merge the two companies in a stock (90%) and cash (10%) transaction valued at approximately $3.6 billion.
To this, I say: shit.
This necessitates some unanticipated future planning on my part…
Continue reading
I don’t give a crap lately. I’m not motivated to do much of anything. I can’t get excited about recording my podcast, or exercising, or harvesting and storing my meager herb supply, or getting up in the morning and getting to work on time.
I think it’s because of my job.
Remember back when I was all stoked because James and I were getting a promotion, and would be working on the Loan Servicing databases all the time? Well, although we did finally get a raise (though our title change still hasn’t gone into effect), our joy was short-lived. Just about the time we were halfway done with our second database (of four), the shit hit the fan in my department. Our long-time supervisor took a new position, one person went on maternity leave, then two people got different jobs within the bank and one left to pursue her medical career. That left us painfully understaffed. So, James and I agreed to go back to doing normal Loan Corrections work.
New hires were scarce. One new hire decided she changed her mind and wanted to go back to her old department. One other person left the team for a different position within the bank. Meanwhile, James and I were plodding away, Taking One For The Team™. It’s been five and a half weeks now, with two and a half weeks to go. I’m counting the days, and hoping the new hires we have now train quickly and well.
I know Aaron says, “Your job doesn’t define who you are,” but going from a cool problem-solving gig back to less-challenging loan corrections has been surprisingly depressing. When I was developing databases, I broke my tardiness habit, just from being excited to tackle a new challenge every day. Lately, though, I’ve been coming late by 10 or 15 minutes, and just taking a shorter lunch to compensate. I’ve also been much less productive than I could be, and not just because I’m having to relearn how to do loan corrections after six months away from them.
What makes things worse for me is that our original database needs some serious TLC. The main table is currently holding upwards of 70,000 records, and that’s slowing down several processes considerably. We need to archive some of the older records, to speed up the most-used functions of the database, but that’s not going to happen for almost a month yet. Part of me wants to let it go to shit and show everyone how necessary we are — but part of me knows we’ll have to fix it eventually, anyway, and if we don’t do it fast, it’ll just reflect poorly on us.
I’m chomping at the bit to get back to the job by which I was just beginning to define myself. I’m not a web designer; I’m not a photographer; I haven’t been a musician for years, nor an artist; if I’m not an Access database developer, then damned if I know who or what I am.
But that’s another entry for another day.
Well, it had to happen someday. Rob, of RCC Special Projects fame, finally got another job. Now he’ll get to drive up to Corporate in Toledo every weekday morning, wearing a shirt and tie, and do something fancy with government lending.
In tribute, I made sure the following photos were circulated around work today:
Clockwise, from upper left: Rob playing hookey on St. Paddy’s Day 2006; Rob wearing his Long John Silver’s hat, January 2005; Rob with hockey great Steve Yzerman, Oct/Nov 2005; and Rob eating a piece of shortcake in one bite, July 2005.
I’m not knocking the remaining members of my department… but it’s going to be a lot less festive without Rob there. There are a very few people I feel I can really be myself around — the REAL me, not the fake chatty work me — and he’s one of those few. Honestly, I don’t understand why REAL chicks (read: intelligent, witty, cool, non-fluffs) aren’t beating down his door. Except for maybe his over-the-top cheesy phone voice. 😉
We had a going-away potluck today, and I insisted on taking more pictures of Rob than he would have liked. So, to share with the entire internets:
Rob ended up bequeathing me one of his umbrellas (because I always borrow it when I walk over lunch) and his Long John Silver’s hat (presumably because he already has two at home, but mainly because of the above photo from 2005). Note that the hat not only looks stylish on me, but also now has a hallowed spot on my cubicle wall.
Without getting all mushy and shit… damn, work is really starting to suck on the interpersonal front. If James and Heather quit, that’ll do it for me. I’ll fucking quit and have a kid and do freelance work or something from home.
The story thus far: James and I have been developing and administering Access databases for Loan Servicing for about six months now. Over a month ago, we had thought our “promotion” was finalized — a step up from Associate Operations II to Senior Operations Associate, with a very slim chance of a pay increase. Still nothing.
Tomorrow, Loan Corrections is having a pizza party / potluck for three members of our department who are moving to different jobs. After already having one person move to Cleveland and having one currently on maternity leave, this shorts our manpower by an insane amount. So, James and I have been instructed by management to take on normal Loan Corrections tasks effective Monday and continuing through September, until the department is fully staffed again. We’re literally in the middle of implementing one department’s database, and are having to leave it half-finished as we go back to completing loan changes and double-checking others’ work for four weeks.
We’re willing to Take One For The Team. We can’t say we’re happy about it, but we’ll do it.
We’ve made it clear to our new supervisor that we want to stay with Sky long-term, but that we currently feel as if management is coming close to taking undue advantage of our “value-added” to the department. I can appreciate management wanting to use the resources at their disposal (namely, James and myself), but there comes a point when using becomes USING. According to my online research, as a database admin — or even as an entry-level programmer — I should be making literally TWICE the amount I currently pull in. At least.
James needs the cash more than I do. I don’t really need the cash. We’re not hurting for money, although it can never hurt to save for future expenses (mainly kid-related… or travel-related). And I’m sure that, once we have kids, our expenses will skyrocket OMG.
I’m kind of torn about how I feel about getting slighted on this. I mean, I enjoy what I’m doing. I’m getting awesome experience. I’m using my brain. I’m applying my new coding knowledge to other aspects of my life, like the Lakeshoremen website. But…
I don’t know what it is that would make me satisfied. I’m getting to do what I want, for the most part. Now I want to get paid properly for what I do. Once I get paid more, am I going to think I deserve an actual office (shared with James, of course)? Our own department? A third database helper? And why will I never be satisfied with the fact that I managed to get a decent gig from just coasting along at my stupid bank job and crossing paths with an awesome opportunity, rather than seeking out an opportunity on my own? Is this a problem of self-worth and self-confidence, or just me continually bitching?
Sometimes I think I’m just wired for low self-esteem. I don’t understand why I can’t let myself be a kickass [insert hobby/job here], and just leave it at that.
At the risk of getting Dooced, let me say this:
Two departments in my building got new supervisors today. One new supervisor introduced herself to all her employees, shook their hands, learned their names, and was generally cordial by all accounts. The other supervisor spent the day moving into her new office, sitting alone in said office, and being unresponsive to e-mails.
Guess which one was mine.
She’s had a busy day, so I’m willing to cut her a little slack. If she doesn’t a.) hold a department-wide meeting or b.) at least reply to my pleasant “welcome to the department can we have a meeting about the database at your convenience” e-mail, only then will I start to become truly hesitant about this new supervisor.