random thoughts – Day 1,848 – (Tuesday) – winding down

Welcome EB. And also goodbye.

The bank I work for has organized some great employee appreciation events. We were kind of famous for it. For many years until the pandemic derailed the world, we had a Celebration of Success event at Lowell Memorial Auditorium. There were recognitions for milestone anniversaries, and commendation awards for customer service, team spirit, and many more categories. There were raffles of pricey items like big-screen TVs, kayaks, computers, high-end vacuums, airline and hotel gift cards, and so much more.

Post-pandemic, the big event splintered into smaller regional dinner events with raffles in the fall, and a team-wide event at Wamesit Lanes in the spring. For a couple years, I missed the spring event because it coincided with a board obligation. The big team event for this year, the last one before the bank is merged with another, was tonight. The illuminated sign outside read "Welcome Enterprise Bank," and my brain filled in with "and goodbye." 

Prize wheel bounty.

We had full run of Wamesit Lanes. There were appetizers and cocktails, then a dinner buffet and desserts. Screens displayed the team superlatives – comedian, most likely reality show contestant, best laugh, human megaphone, etc. There was candlepin and ten-pin bowling, arcade games, and a prize wheel with piles of bank-branded prizes including blankets, hats, fleece jackets, golf shirts, laptop bags, golf umbrellas, beach towels, and more. I won a cool ball cap on my spin which I planted on my head and wore all night. 

The vibe was casual and fun, even though it was also sad because it’s the last big event with all of us. Several conversations included the inevitable question, “Is anyone from your department being retained after the merger?” Lots of us are done soon-ish or slightly later.

Pinball!

I played pinball, which I hadn’t touched in decades. Once I remembered where the buttons for the flippers were located it was fun, but I am definitely not now, nor was I ever, a pinball wizard.

A colleague and I played a basketball shooting hoops game and I did better than I thought I would. Colleagues sang karaoke, and a bunch of us crowded into the setup for a team photo, which will be sent along to one of us when the wifi signal is stronger or something like that.

It was fun and I was glad to be there. I hate that it was my first and last big Wamesit event, because the place is great. I hate that it was the last big bank event, because my colleagues are great. Maybe some of our paths will cross again. Or not. Time will tell. We still have a few months to go, so it's not over yet, but the countdown is on.