Where Everybody Knows Your Name...

Several months ago, my local bank was bought out and the branch that was most convenient for me was moved to a supposedly more convenient location a bit further away and next to a new grocery store. Mostly this means the parking lot is generally a hassle and there's more traffic to contend with.

The new bank is also very oddly designed, no doubt the result of some misguided consumer research to make it seem more personal. Instead of walking up to a counter, there are a couple of pillars which each accommodate two teller stations and have chairs for the customers by them.

I don't want to sit down when I go to the bank for a quick transaction and I don't want anyone else to either. It begs for people to sit and chat and take forever.

That's not the biggest problem though. There's rarely 4 tellers working at once, so typically they pick the far sides of the pillars where you can't see them and vice-versa when you walk in.

There's often a great deal of bafflement caused by the pillars. For example, if a lot of people are waiting, just where do you stand to be next? One main line? Smaller lines for each teller?

I'm also annoyed by the acronym plastered everywhere which is not made from the bank's name but rather, their idiotic slogan.

I endured the branch for a couple months while wistfully looking at the empty branch I used to go to. Apparently a new bank would be going in there eventually. Some law against monopolies prevented the property from being converted into something else.

About a month after I'd given up on the moved branch, a new bank went into the old branch I liked. I must've been one of their first customers because they were still figuring out their computers, rates, and such even though they'd officially been open for a day and had had a soft opening the week before.

The manager was busy with someone else so I had to wait quite a while. The two tellers introduced themselves, did their best to answer my questions, and checked in with me while I was waiting. The manager's office had glass walls and every time it seemed like they were wrapping up, it got dragged out a bit longer.

Eventually, the other customer left and I set up my account.

The next time I went in a little over a week later, the same three people were working and all greeted me by name which caught me off guard. The tellers at the previous bank had seen me a few times a month for a year and though they recognized me, they didn't really know my name.

I started doing a quick mental check of the tellers' names before walking in to the bank so I could greet them in kind without hesitation.

The catch is that a couple of new people have started working at the branch. The first tellers still say, "Hi, Claire!" when I walk in, so the new people have also picked it up, but I don't know their names. Actually I think one is Shelby but that's based on a quick scan of a name plaque by her station. I haven't been confident enough to try it out yet.

Remember Norm on Cheers? The enthusiasm of their hellos is pretty close to that; they just don't say it in unison. Maybe it's because there's rarely any other customers there. It feels weird to me.

Why weird though? It's just good customer service on their part. I suppose I feel singled out even if I'm the only customer there, a pack of attention on me. There may also be mythical associations: knowing a creature's name gives you power over it. They all know my name.

Hmm, fairly sure I'm the one that's weird here.


Two years ago on TTaT: Sketchbook, page 25 (It's the Taj Mahal!)

Life of Art SitRep #116 Return of the tangibles

It's been a stressful week, but I feel like I've just reached the turning point, or at least a turning point towards the better. Fingers crossed that I will sleep better tonight.

Despite my anxieties, I was pretty productive this week.

I got out and shot a bit: ferns unfurling, pansies, and hosta leaves. None, alas, quite what I was envisioning due to background issues but good to be shooting all the same.

I watched Post-Wedding Workflow with Zach and Jody Gray, another Creative Live workshop. I know, it doesn't sound like my thing at all, but there were some good work structure tips that I've been working to implement this week. Mainly stuff about scheduling tasks and making lists. Obvious, sure, but easy to skip and easy to lose productivity because of it. My approach is fairly loose thus far, but I'm working to minimize distracting time suck activities.

Tweeted a sale and some new products, updated my Rocklawn Arts lens and American Southwest scenes lens, added a link to a lens, posted a total of 64 product highlights to promotional blogs and my Rocklawn Arts blog, and rearranged my store a bit.

I added 184 new skins for 23 existing photographs in my shop. Close to done, though I still need to make templates for vertical images and then do those. A few favorites:

Burning Brush by RocklawnArts
View more Fire Skins

Raging Fire by RocklawnArts
Browse other Fire Skins

Bokeh in Spring by RocklawnArts
View more gifts on Zazzle.

After Hockney - Black & White: Light on water by RocklawnArts
Browse Water Skins

Brown Suede With Strap And Buckle by RocklawnArts
Find more iPod accessories.

These are all available on all manner of electronic devices, so if you're looking for a skin for something specific, let me know and I'll see if I can make it for you.


4 years ago on TTaT: You don't need to know this

Life of Art SitRep #115 Intangibles

A productive week but without many visible results at the moment.

You know the sense of accomplishment you get when you finish a large time consuming step? I finished one of those (or at least another significant chunk of one of those) this week. Step two which I thought would be easier and faster is proving to be time consuming in its own right. Ah well, that's how it goes sometimes.

Nonetheless, progress.


Two years ago on TTaT:

Life of Art SitRep #114 Counterintuitive

So this week I got a lot done despite being sick. Haven't felt too badly past couple of days but I haven't quite kicked it and my energy and patience are low. At the moment, all I really want to do is play Lego Harry Potter. I'm so close to done with that game.

To sum up, I created 62 templates and 138 new products for my store.

Custom Skins for guitar controllers, laptops, phones, hard drives, headphones, iPads, and more.

Also added some more Tangerine Tango to my shop with an Orange and White Gingham Pattern:

Orange and White Gingham Pattern by RocklawnArts
View other Tangerine tango Skins

Check out the complete collection of Orange and White Gingham Pattern products.

I also soaked in a ridiculous amount of workshop time via Creative Live. Rewatches for the final day are running now. Check it out!


3 years ago on TTaT: The moment I've been waiting for

Extreme Duplex Makeover with Werner Herzog and David Lynch

My friend Will has donned his Herzog persona once again to bring us Extreme Duplex Makeover.


(run time 09:51)
I prefer the long version but there is a shorter 04:49 version at FunnyOrDie.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!


A year ago on TTaT: Life of Art SitRep #61 Sticker binge

Life of Art SitRep #113 Holding pattern, sort of

My computer is back with a new screen, huzzah! Of course they seem to have scratched the back of my computer in the process, and I'm still sorting through minor software tweaks that are popping up, but it didn't cost me anything, so the past few days were not a waste of time.

I did manage to get a few things done this week in spite of my absent computer. Alas, I also discovered the limitations of my old PowerPC iMac which are sadly many. It's not compatible with current web browsers which is a damn shame since that would be a great use for it. Instead it barely pulls up email clients reverting them to older less friendly versions to boot.

Anyway, I finished watching "Lightroom 4 Fundamentals with Laura Shoe" and started watching "Lighting Essentials with Don Giannatti" on Creative Live. The latter runs through Saturday and is very cool.

Also, damn, what did the repair guy do with my BlogAssist? (He removed most everything I had set to open on startup, grr.) OK, found it.

I finished designing the business card I was working on and have actually already received them. I like how they turned out. Not sure who I'm going to give these out to anti-socialite that I am, but what the heck, they cost me only the time to make them.

Also added a new design to my shop:
Check out the complete collection of Orange and White Chevrons products.

Made 10 templates for various skins: iPhone 4/4s, iPad 3, XBOX 360, Kindle Fire, WD My passport skin, Skullcandy Lowrider Headphone, Guitar Hero Les Paul xbox/ps3/wii skin, Rockband guitar skin, laptop skin.

And then applied them to my current 8 chevrons designs.

Red and White Chevrons by RocklawnArts
More Chevrons Skins

Yellow and Black Chevrons by RocklawnArts
More Caution colors Skins

Black and White Chevrons by RocklawnArts
Browse other Chevrons Skins

Rainbow Chevrons by RocklawnArts
Browse other gifts designs on Zazzle.

Two years ago on TTaT: Polaroid

Lucky 7

Yup, that's right: TTaT is 7 today. Hardly seems possible.

My computer is in the shop with the hope of sorting out a couple of annoyances before my warranty runs out. Fingers crossed. Hopefully won't take too long but I haven't even heard word of the diagnostic yet. Only dropped it off Monday though and they work in order received. Been using my old computer and it feels like a Time Machine because new browsers won't work on it and the sites that do work revert to old styles. Had not realized how much I've come to love the current versions of gmail and yahoo mail.

Anyway, borrowing a more current PC just now and the keyboard is driving me a bit nuts.

None of this has anything to do with my blogiversary, so let's get back to that...

I meant to be fancier but ah well...

Thanks to all of my readers lo these many years. I appreciate you and your comments.

In celebration, I share with you the rad music video "I'm the One That's Cool."



Oh how I love Felicia Day. I'm not pulling off the cool anywhere but in my head, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same. Here's to us, we geeks of blog!


A year ago on TTaT: 6 years of TTaT