You try to be nice and helpful...

So I have been in the branch furthest away from my house this week, and will be until next Tuesday. It's been good, first day was really busy and flew by, the second maybe not so much, today, nice and steady. The people in the branch are very nice, accommodating, even funny. I like it there. If it wasn't so far away, it would be almost perfect.

Except one of the escrow officers in there that doesn't have an assistant apparently was busier than crap yesterday, worked well past 8pm, and still had allegedly 10 more files that had yet to be worked up to fund by tomorrow (month end). Another EO came in my office this morning to tell me about it. My response was, Geez, she was that busy? You know, I could have helped her, but if she isn't slamming things around her office or running around screaming obscenities, I can't tell that she needs any help. Signals, people. So this morning when she got in I told her to give me anything she needed me to do, anything at all, my day wasn't that bad and I could totally help her. What did she give me? A short payoff (meaning we didn't send enough money to the lender we paid off, it was short by like $250, so I literally spent 11 minutes on it and that includes doing the Fedx label), and two sendbacks for builder loans that were 8 pages each (meaning it took me 3 1/2 minutes each to finish). Every time I went in there, I got nothing. Either she doesn't trust my ability (pre-POSterous!) or she was totally lying about those 10 files.

Meanwhile the EO that had discussed all this with me was sending frantic emails to one of the escrow managers begging for help, oh-my-hell-it's-out-of-control-you-simply-MUST-send-help. The manager, who is not my boss but is my boss's equal, emailed me and said, Really? To which I responded, You know, I am only 2 doors down from this gal and yet she is in a totally different world. There are only 2 floats for the west side and 2 for the east side, and trust me, there are plenty of busy people. I once was called to this same branch as they (again) were frantic, and I sat there for 4 1/2 hours and did 2 things. Talk about panicked. Or priveleged. Not sure which.

So here is the part that really pissed me off as I left at 5:30 tonight. One assistant in there, she's one of those know-it-all types who just really annoy me. Something about her. She's really, like, Mom-y and advise-giving and irritating. But, you know, I roll, I get along with everyone and maybe escrow does turn you into a big fat phoney but hey, it's a skill. Anyway, most of the people in the branch, including the assistant who is working with me (I am covering her EO, the branch manager), who, you know, really is all that matters to me, know that I committed to being downtown for another assistant tomorrow for the first half of the day. Here's my gig: as an EO, the morning of the last day of the month isn't that horrid. As an assistant, it's pandemonium. There is an assistant downtown that needed the day off, and I told him I would cover him for the bad part of the day, and then go back and finish my regular job. The assistant I am working with was completely fine with it - she has like 5 funding, but seriously, ALL OF THEM are released. ALL of them. Which means she will be done by noon. She doesn't need me, my shit is covered on the desk I am at, and the kid downtown needs me. What would you do? We have flipping 2 floats, it's called "teamwork", so get the fuck over it, Miss AnnoyingPants.

So as I am leaving at 5:30 tonight, I say to Miss AnnoyingPants, Okay, see you tomorrow around noon. She gave me this total LOOK, this total like, down the nose, sideways-stink-eye-sourpuss-ohmyGODthisgirlbugstheshitoutofme look, and says, They promised us they wouldn't pull you. They promised us we'd have you all week. I said, You do, I'll be back in the afternoon, which she poo-poo'd away. Like I wouldn't know. Stupid bitch. We started walking out to our cars and she kept going on and on, all negativity, saying that they never get coverage (they do, what the hell am I?), that assistants are never covered, who was this kid to get it (well, for one, his EO opens and closes more than flipping 12 orders a month, so that's something), all this company ever does is lie to them, poor poor office. Oh waah. I told her that I hadn't spent a full week not flitting around from office to office or covering someone remotely in a year, and that this is just the way things are anymore. She just really pissed me off. She tried to make ME feel bad for trying to cover as many bases as I could in this lower staffed situation we are living in. For Christ's sake, the question could be asked of YOU - how do YOU rate thinking you deserve help all the time? Take a good look around - EVERYone is having to step up to the plate. But it's clear, there is no teamwork in this branch if one girl is working til 8:30pm and nobody even knows she is busy.

Anyway, she pissed me off. She pissed me off so bad I almost phoned my boss to tell her. But I didn't. Instead I sat in traffic for 45 minutes, got home and put on my houseclothes (and then blogged about it).

And packed. I'm going to the beach tomorrow for the weekend. Though I will miss my little kits, I get to go to the beach, which is just plain fun and stupid Miss AnnoyingPants won't get to have any of it.