Atonement

Back in January, after the big move and starting to get settled, I sent out a lot of resumes. Last Friday I got a response from one of those, a small community bank called me and wanted to set up an interview. I said okay, because why not, really? I finished my training at Moral Bank W on Tuesday, worked in my branch on Wednesday, and had an interview at Community Bank N on Thursday. After asking me about 3 questions, the human resources lady at Community Bank N offered me a job.

They offered me a comparable amount of salary and benefits to Moral Bank W, the chance to escape the e-vile clutches of an overlarge corporation, the opportunity to do more of the tasks and operations things that I enjoy when working in a bank, better prospects for promotions and raises, and a just-plain-better community friendly-vibe feeling.

So I accepted. I went over to Moral Bank W on Thursday afternoon and quit. I feel just a little bad, just a twinge of regret, but not so much. If someone there had been really nice, very encouraging, made me feel really welcome, then I would truly have felt bad about quitting so quickly. But that wasn't the reality. The truth is that I had no peers there, in the sense that I was the lowest of the low on the branch ladder, and I didn't enjoy the atmosphere that the bank manager created when she was there or the air of authority that she seems to work hard at broadcasting.

Anyway, blah blah, the point of the story is that I have a new job! I'm excited about this new company, and I start another two weeks of training on Monday. After that I will find out at which of their 26 branches I will be working.

**********************************

Last night, in lieu of attending a Good Friday church service, I went to the movies; the only appropriate title for the date, of course, was Atonement. I liked this movie much. It was the quietest movie that I have seen in a while, and very slow and patient as well. It captured my attention and held me. It makes sense that the movie is paced thusly, because there isn't actually a whole lot of plot involved. Lots of alternate perspective shots, lots of fading in and out of focus, lots of captured facial expressions. I read the book several years ago, 2003 if I remember correctly, and the film follows it very faithfully, so no surprises. A beautiful, romantic story.

**********************************

It snowed several inches yesterday, the supposed first day of Spring. Trudging through the new-fallen snow, stepping in street corner slush up to my ankles, wind blowing tiny ice pellets into my eyes, big wet flakes soaking my gloves in late March: it wounds the spirit.

Currently Reading:
The End by Lemony Snicket