An Open Letter to PNC

Dear PNC Bank,

I think we might need to break up. Today is the day I am finally coming to my senses and realizing that you are no longer interested in really serving me, a long-time customer.

Today I entered one of your small branches to make a coin deposit. This coin deposit has become something of a ritual for me. Approximately once per year I enter your branch with around $100 worth of coins that I have accumulated and expect to be able to make a quick deposit that will both lighten my physical load and slightly swell my account. Today, however, this ritual was put to a swift halt.

Upon telling the young lady behind your counter that I had a bag of coins to deposit, she informed me that they no longer have a coin counter in the branch and cannot perform same-day coin deposits. Seeing as you are a financial institution who deals with legal tender, I am pretty sure my jaw dropped right down to the floor. Did I miss something? Are coins no longer a form of legal currency? Or perhaps the problem is that you now find my coins to be nothing more than a trifling annoyance, an insignificant blip amongst your sea of “C-notes”.

To be fair, I was offered the option of leaving the coins and a pre-printed deposit slip from the back of my checkbook (of which I am currently out), with the teller who would then ship my coins off to, what sounded like, a central coin sorting location. I was assured that after the counting process took place, that a deposit would be made into my account for the amount of coins.  I would hope, of course, that nothing would come of my coins from the time they left my hands and made it to this facility, but how can I verify anything once they leave my hands (or the branch into which I brought the coins)? I am expected to blindly trust that nearly $100 in cash (change) will go through all of these motions unblemished when you are unable to give me any documentation on the spot of the amount I am handing over to you? Sorry….just no…not happening.

I was a bank teller once so, to a degree, I get it. Coins, even with a machine counter, take a bit longer for each transaction, they are heavy, and sometimes you need to cull through them slightly to remove a stow-away paper-clip or two that have hidden themselves amongst the nickels. However, these small services, in essence make a big impact on how customers perceive you. For example: My thought after the “no more coins” debacle this morning was “If I can’t trust PNC to graciously take care of the small things, why should I allow them to profit off of the big things?”

This no coin deposit revelation came in a very timely manner for me. I am currently vetting financial institutions for a new vehicle loan. This will be the largest loan that I will have ever needed. You, as one of my current financial institutions (who doesn’t have a little side-action in the banking world these days?) is was on my list of institutions with whom I have spoken and that have relatively decent rates to offer. However, I have now determined that your arrogant can’t-be-bothered-with-coins stance makes you unworthy of my hard earned cash. I will not allow you, who sees the little things as too trivial for your time, to profit in the form of interest on my loan. I have other options with smaller, friendlier institutions, all of which still see little things (like my coins) as still being worth their time.

I can honestly say that this break-up has been looming on the horizon for some time. The ridiculous paper statement fees, the outrageously high minimum balances, and the monthly check writing maxims are just a couple of the other infractions of which you have been guilty in recent years… It is time to walk away from you and your too-big-to-fail, audacious practices and find a healthier, more holistic banking relationship.

I wish I could say, “I’ll miss you,” but I’m sure I won’t.

Sincerely,

Your very-soon-to-be “ex” customer

The Imagination Hiatus and the Quirky Creative Process

Recently, I find myself mourning a loss. Please do not fear. No one has passed away, I have not misplaced a family heirloom nor have I experienced any other such cause for misery per se but I do find myself missing the days where I would sit around with my imagination as my company and just write. For those who have either not known me long or have not known me with any deep degree of friendly intimacy, I have long wanted to be a great novelist. Ok...maybe not great in the canonical sense but at least noteworthy in the Young Adult genre... I have several works that I have begun but I never seem to either find the time to finish them or I abandon them for being "not quite good enough".

Confession: I have not put pen to paper as an aspiring novelist in nearly two years.

That is a long time!

It is strange to imagine that I have allowed myself such a hiatus from an activity that I find so amazingly therapeutic. This is not to say that I have been completely denying myself any creative outlets. I am a crafter and in some ways my crafting allows me to express myself but there are so many more ways that the written word serves me. I am able to work out internal issues and frustrations through writing  and I am certain that, for many of these issues, my crafting, in comparison, will never serve as an adequate outlet.

Confession: I can barely remember a time when I did not love to write.

In fact, I am a bit quirky when it comes to creative writing. I tend, in my deepest imaginative thoughts, to whisper through the scenario or possible dialogues for my works (most people would construe this as one talking to oneself...). When I was in grade school, probably around second grade, I learned that this was apparently a strange thing to do in public. I sat behind a boy, I believe his name was Brad, and the class was having a "free write" time. I, deep in thought, was whispering to myself and Brad turned around to face me. His eyes were wide with horror. I remember those eyes well. There is no doubt in my mind that he thought I was a psychopath. A day or two later, the classroom was rearranged. I always wondered in the back of my mind if Brad requested not to sit by the "weirdo" anymore or if the teacher had been planning the move anyway. In any case, I never sat less than two to three desks away from Brad for the rest of the year.

Fast forward to high school: I never really gave up on this quirk. I tried really hard not to do this talk-to-myself-whisper thing in public anymore but when I was around people with whom I was really comfortable, I would often do it without realizing it. My family usually just ignored it. I mean for them, it is/was something that they were used to. Cue the High School Sweetheart. I would slip sometimes and do this in front of him and he would inquire about my strange whisperings. I would either:

A.) Deny I was doing it

B.) Say it was nothing

Either of these answers would, of course, start a fight (we had a very nurturing, healthy, and trust-filled relationship...). But let's expose the true problem: I was uncomfortable confronting the idea that I was engaging in quirky act which, ever since second grade, I believed to be absolutely non-normative behavior. Basically, little Brad's reaction and the subsequent (albeit probably coincidental) class room rearrangement scarred me.

Well...now that my blog post about missing writing has become a blog post about missing writing and my bizarre creative process...I should probably stop typing before you, just like little Brad, believe that I am a total weirdo.

Picking Up the Pages

Where to begin?

Perhaps I should start by introducing myself through a mini and self directed interview.

Marilyn The Interviewer: Please state your name for the record.

Marilyn The Interviewee: Marilyn

Interviewer: Why have you created this blog. Goodness knows the last thing the internet needs is another blog!

Interviewee: I am sadly aware that I am adding to an endless variety of not-so-important bloggers. However, I need an outlet. Even if no one reads it... I'll know it exists and somehow that is enough for me.

Interviewer: What is it that you plan on sharing through this blog?

Interviewee: I suppose it depends on the day. Some days it might be about my latest music obsession, others about my latest products in my Etsy shop, a book I just read for the 2nd time, or even a TV show that I am hesitant to admit that I have just binge-watched (thanks a lot Netflix...we seriously need to break up!).

Interviewer: So basically you are going to be entirely random... Ok...Well...Why don't you explain the significance of your Blog's title..."Picking Up the Pages".

Interviewee: Sure. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure what to call my blog. I mean I, like every other blogger, wanted something both witty, relevant, and interesting. I had a hard time finding something to mesh with such high standards. I threw around the idea of something related to my Etsy shop, which is called The Nerd Boutique (No seriously...it is really called The Nerd Boutique and you should probably check it out...) but I did not want to corner myself into blogging only about my shop. I am so much more than my Etsy hobby...you know? Anyway...I am a huge lover of books. I have quite a large collection and I am also working on a PhD in Film & Literature. I even use books as one of my main mediums for my Etsy creations. In fact my idea to create this blog came while I was crafting and while I was stewing over what the heck I should call this little space in the big bad world wide web, I happened to drop several pages that I had just torn out of a Harry Potter book (yes...you read that correctly..."torn out of a Harry Potter book"...seriously...look at my Etsy shop already...it will make perfect sense to you). As I leaned over and picked up the pages...it just seemed to be the perfect fit. I am constantly picking up pages. My crafting is ridiculously messy. Plus there is that love of and something of an academic obligation to books. It just seemed fitting.

Interviewer: Interesting indeed. Well, that is about all of the time we have for today. Thank you for answering all of these questions.

Interviewee: Of course. I was happy to do it. Thank you for having me.

I think that interviewing myself is one of the strangest things I have ever done. On that note...I bid you adieu...At least for now...