employee profile

looking at the us bank web site today i noticed something called an employee profile. i had seen them at wells fargo as well and thought that they were pretty funny. i realize they are there to attempt to raise morale, but it worked in a way that i suppose they didn't expect it would. i laughed at them, not identified with them. so here is my attempt at writing an employee profile.

this person is completely fictional . . . so, don't get offended if it hits close to home.

David W. Swanson: A Profile In Professionalism

David Swanson has been working with Federal Bancorp for 40 years and has just received the Tim Hanson medal for punctuality and professionalism for the 14th year in a row. He joined the Federal Bancorp team in 1968 after he had earned his masters degree in genetics. He started as a teller to make a few extra dollars while he looked for labs to begin his research on how to cure all known disease. He decided to stay with the bank when he was offered a personal banker position and saw that this was the real opportunity to help people. "I saw that there was a real need for someone who cared about people to talk to them about their finances. I felt that it would be a more direct benefit to humanity that way."

Over the years David has climbed the ladder of success all the way to the Assistant to the Assistant Manager of Human Resources position in the corporate office in downtown Rapid City, SD. He has been in that position for the majority of his time with Federal Bancorp.

"It is just great to be able to advance within a company that truly cares about people. I mean, who would want to give up a decent wage, job security, and good benefits to do what you've always dreamed?"

The Full House

David lives with his wife and three dogs in Rapid City. Sheila, his wife, also works for the company as an Operations clerk in the corporate office. They met one day at work when David was coming in late to check on some loan applications that needed to be processed. He saw Sheila burning the midnight oil as well. "We just kind of hit it off, " David explains. "She was working late, and I was working late. It was a match made in heaven." Six years later they were married and have been happy ever since. They had two children, Ben and Gloria, who have gone off to college. Now David and Sheila live with their two other children, Pookers and Izabel, two poodles that are quite a handful.

5 Questions

What would you do if you weren't in banking?

I would love to write spy novels, kind of like James Bond, but the main character would be a banker who fights against fraudulent check rings and things like that. Or I could go on tour with John Tesh, he's just so talented.

What is the craziest thing you've ever done?

I once ate a cookie right out of the oven before it had time to cool. It burned my mouth pretty bad and I definitely learned my lesson after that. I also have a tattoo, it is a butterfly on my ankle.

Tell us one thing no one would know about you.

I've never been outside of South Dakota. My wife and I almost took a honeymoon but we decided to work instead.

Do you love your family?

sure.

What is your greatest regret?

Spending all that money on my education, I don't use it anyways. I should have just saved it and put it into a CD or something. But, live and learn.

the photo of this guy i found on www.grigorieffphotography.com. please don't sue me.

on inspiration

the question of inspiration


where does inspiration come from? i have been thinking about this for quite some time now. really since i have been out of college, since i haven't been able to write a song or a poem or a story that i've really liked. and maybe i just haven't tried hard enough, but every time i think i might have something good i start on it and it becomes something that i don't really like. so the question still stands, where is my inspiration?

to find the answer i can look at what has inspired me in the past.
1. moments in time: like taking a walk on a frozen lake feeling isolated from humanity but feeling just that much closer to something divine.
2. people: those i love dearly and those that i don't. in each person one can see something to learn from, even if you learn what not to do.
3. nature: waves lapping on the shore, seeing pure acts of life uninhibited by man's interference. the complexity of nature is something that will always amaze me.
4. God: the one who controls all of the above. hence, the ultimate and unknowable source of inspiration.

so if these are the things that inspire me, why am i not producing a massive amount of emotional material? i have love in my life, my wife, my friends, my family. i still have those precious moments in time when things just slow down and my heart just opens up. i am constantly amazed by the natural world. and i am pretty sure that God is still very involved in my life since i am so blessed, when i know i shouldn't be. but maybe the problem is not the source, maybe the problem is the outlet.

in time i am sure that writing songs, stories, and poems will come back to me. i am going to keep trying. but maybe now it is time to focus on a more visual approach to art. maybe i'll try painting, or collage, or drawing, or everything combined into one huge mess. that might be fun. if that doesn't work i'll try something else.

i don't think my problem is a lack of inspiration, i think it is just that i need to try a new medium. but don't worry , i'm not going to start giving paintings out as christmas gifts. no one wants that.

changes on the horizon

i apparently had to work on saturday but was not aware and, of course, got multiple calls from my employer as a result. now, this little situation has illuminated the fact that i don't like my job and i need to find a new one. so begins the job search . . . maybe i will get a job with wells fargo, i hear they are a good company to work for.

maria is also in a time of transition in the career category and it is exciting, scary, and stressful. but wherever we end up we will be together, we will have our friends and family behind us, and most importantly God to guide us and get us through with his ever present love and grace.

preview of a blog to come: work vs. life, what is more important? (a.k.a. sharks)

now for a little learning. hopefully this is something everyone can use in everyday life.

let grandpa have his way or he'll cry all day

i am sick and tired of adults (supposed adults) who feel like a temper tantrum is the way to get what you want, and i am sick of having to give them what they want. today at work some old man yelled at me because i was taking too long to get him his cash. first of all, he was getting $1500.00 dollars cash, this is nuts. secondly i had to get manager approval and they were all busy. so i get back from getting the approval after maybe five minutes and he says, "why the hell is this taking so long. god dammit i have been banking here for thirty years and i have never had this problem!" first of all, how long you've been with a bank doesn't matter to me. i have been working there for three months, i need to follow the rules, i don't care if you built the bank, there are federal regulations. secondly, yelling shouldn't get you what you want. had he yelled or not i was prepared to do the transaction, and unfortunately i couldn't refuse him. you are 80 years old. you should know better. this is what a two year old does, not an adult. what message are we sending our kids when grandpa throws a shit-fit at the bank and we tell them not to?

so i have a plan the next time someone yells at me at work. i'm going to treat them like a child in that situation, i am going to ignore them. angry millionare wants to yell, i am just going to turn my back and let him yell his lungs out. when he's ready to calm down i'll help him. then i'll give him a sucker and send him on his way.

a message to adult cry-babies. GROW UP!

i won't say a word

here is something everyone should see.

if you're sick of hearing about sharks . . .watch this anyway.

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/news/animals-news/sharks-wcvin.html