It’s Thursday again. Yesterday was a good day and ended on a very positive up note. I wandered around midtown after meeting Greg Stevens and Vivek. I floated more than wandered actually and had a nice Padron 5000 cigar. I called up Bill when I found that the job could be mine if I wanted it. Brenda, former colleague from Wanker Banker was also on the list of people to call. Annemarie would have to wait since she’s 3 different time zones away. Bill was on his way to rehearsal so he promised to listen to my story when he got home later last night.

I just chilled out at home, watched Daily Show and Colbert Report and then I don’t remember since I was waiting for Lost. That came on and I thought it was going to be a drag but wound up better than I expected. Bill came in at the last ten minutes and after the show I told him about Greg and Vivek and their offer. Bill was insisting that I tell them at Golden Staffing immediately that I’ll be out of there. Bill was a lifeline when I felt like crap on Monday and knew it was because of the job.

It’s not a bad job, but it takes it’s toll, just sitting there seeing people applying for jobs that I feel that I should be trying to get for myself. I told Bill I was going to hold off on telling them at work that I was going to be leaving. I was planning on giving them two weeks notice which seemed the proper thing to do. As the day progressed today I was a bit apprehensive about telling them but felt it was the thing to do right after lunch. I sent Wally an email asking him to find time to talk to me.

I was hoping it would wait but almost instantly he came up to me and asked me what was going on. He expected that I was having a problem with someone in the office, and was surprised when I told him I was leaving. He asked why, what happened and I told him nothing happened, just a better paying opportunity came up with a former manager that I used to work with.. He understood and was sorry to see me go and asked that I give them two weeks notice to which I agreed as that was the plan anyhow.

A few minutes later President Naomi called me into her office where Wally was sitting with her. She looked genuinely upset. She wanted to know why I was leaving and I put it as delicately as possible. I told her I wanted to go out on good terms and I could see tears welling up in her eyes. Last night they had let Swati go, and she had started a few weeks before me. It went badly with Swati crying as she left the office. I missed that since I left early. I don’t know the reason why she was let go but I don’t think they gave her enough of a chance to learn the ropes as a recruiter.

Naomi asked how much I was going to get from the new job and I told her and to my surprise she made a counteroffer. In the back of my mind I remembered one of the web pages I proofread on the company website which is here:

Counteroffers
You should never accept a counteroffer.
Though flattering, a counteroffer is usually a short-term solution. Generally, the reasons for wanting to leave the company still exist and are unlikely to change in the near term. Counteroffers are self-serving to the company and often represent a compromise in your next raise or bonus. Moreover, your loyalty may be questioned and you could be the first to go should business cycles change. Truly you should be suspect as to why you are more valuable today than you were yesterday and only after you resigned your job. You should thank the company for the offer but be clear about your intentions to move on.

Those are Naomi’s words posted for the world to see on the website. And here she was, making me a counteroffer. I told her I would take it under consideration, but I think she knew that I was actually going to go. I tried to alleviate the situation by telling her that I might be in a position to hire staffers through Golden Staffing but she didn’t seem to care. I also told her that I was being pursued, and not the other way around. She just sat there, teary eyed and telling me that she didn’t want me to go and that just set a pall on the rest of my day.

I’m still leaving and I sent Greg Stevens an email telling him that I would start on April 16.

Wednesday. It’s been a good day. Went to bed around 11:30, woke up to Bill’s alarm clock, which meant I had to wake him up to have him turn off the alarm. I faded back into unconsciousness waking up just short of an hour. I had a big day all set up for me and I got out of bed at 6:15 to try and get a head start. Shower, with a kiss for Bill as he headed out the door, cereal, coffee and email then I too was out the door headed towards the bus stop. It was another nice morning.

I got on the bus a little earlier than usual. I thought I should try leaving a little bit earlier from now on. It does make for an easier commute. Yesterday and today I’ve been playing Madness, One Step Beyond, their first album. Nothing like something from the late seventies ska revival to get one going. I listen to the bass lines and try to remember them so I could play it on bass later in the evening. Doesn’t turn out that way of course. Not as adept on the bass as I would like to be but I am working on it.

I got to the office, no one in when I walked in though the door was unlocked. Ron, the guy who interviewed me made it in before me and was in the bathroom down the hall which would have made it easy to steal anything that could be carried out, but since I was there it didn’t happen. People came in, in drips and drabs and the day started as it usually does. I found time to call Greg Stevens and left a voice mail to send me an email so that I could forward my resume. Also it was a good way to find out about the company he is the president of.

From what I got it’s a nice merger and acquisition company if there can be such a thing. This is the world of high finance, a world where I feel oddly comfortable. The die was cast and I was meeting Greg Stevens at 4:30 this afternoon. That meant I needed to make an excuse to get out early. Bill had the idea that I tell Wally and Naomi that I needed to go help Bill at his parents apartment so we could install safety handles in their bathroom.

I sent out that balloon to President Naomi and Wally and they accepted it, so I was able to inform everyone else in the office about my early departure. The day went by like a Wednesday, climbing up one side of the hump and sliding down the other end. I slid out at 4:00 after rushing through some last minute work thrown at me at 3:37. They knew I was leaving at 4:00 but still. I did what they asked, surprised at the speed I was able to do what was asked while laughing quietly like a maniac.

I surprised myself by making it from 44th and 6th to 50th and 3rd Avenue in about 15 minutes. Rush hour hadn’t started so I wasn’t swimming against the stream of commuters. I got to Greg’s office and saw him almost immediately. We reminisced about Wanker Banker and how he felt they were going to close down that place soon enough. He was on the board of directors and mentioned that he was surprised that the big bank in Canada hadn’t cut off funds yet.

Everything Greg told me about my responsibilities was extremely doable. He was reading from a sheet that was given to him by Vivek, the CEO of the company. I met Vivek a few times when he would visit Greg. Greg told me that Vivek had read my resume and liberally cribbed all the things I had done and put them in a list of things they would like done. I kept expecting myself to tell Bill to shut off his alarm clock.

The offer is a lot better than what I have now, or even before now. There is a pay raise and benefits. The caveat is there aren’t any dental benefits but I might have a say in that should I decide to take the offer.

If I take it, I will have to give two weeks notice to President Naomi and Wally. But it could be a win win situation. If I go, I would be in the position to hire through the agency and that would be good for President Naomi and Wally. Plus the actor who was doing the job when I started could take the job back and still go out on auditions and whatnot. I have to let Greg Stevens know by Friday noon.

I also just checked, Bill’s alarm clock is not going off and I am not still asleep in bed.