Hello? Helloooooo ... Anyone there???

Like many normal folks around the country, we bank at my husband's credit union. Normal, right? Yeah, thought so. Most of the times, we have really nice people that help us, and we get excellent "free" banking services. But part of the sacrifice of banking at the credit union is that there are only two ... count 'em ... uno, dos ... branches in the entire county.

Well, recently, they just opened a new branch. It's about 20 minutes away from our home. Very close, considering the other "closest" one was 30 minutes away. That makes a whopping uno, dos, tres branches! Woohoo!

Well, yesterday, I had to do some very important, and high-dollar (HA!) banking. So, being very mindful of the fact that I drive a mammoth SUV, and remembering the "arm" and "leg" prices on gas these days ... I thought I would give the new branch a try! So, I walked into the new, fancy-shmancy building, and immediately, I was bewildered.

I know ... I KNOW! Me! Bewildered! You're probably thinking to your self... "no, not YOU, GiBee ... you're so bright. So intelligent. But bewildered? Never!" Yeah, I thought that too. But bewildered, I was indeed. Because instead of getting into a line that led to happy, cheerful faces with warm greetings ... this is what the line led to ...


What? You need me to walk you through it? Sheesh! I thought you were (cough, cough) as into modern technology as I am (ehhem). This, ladies (and possibly --- gentlemen), is the new, improved, "bullet-proof-bank-robber-safe teller-protecting-thingamajiggy." And, that is the very technical term for it!

Yes, you simply stand in line for ... basically no one. And when it's your turn, you step up to plastic and glass. Very warm. Very inviting. But -- hey -- they did have granite countertops!

See the screen in the middle? There is a person behind there, and they see you before you see them. Closed circuit camera stuff, or something like that. They eventually pop up on the screen and TALK TO YOU. Very freaky, indeed. The phone on the left is there just in case you can't hear them very well, or want a private conversation. The square thing on the right is one of those tube things you use in a drive-through. Very personal. Ya know?!?

I was so taken aback by this new fangled contraption, that I felt like someone from a third-world country seeing a TV for the first time. I just stared at it, looked around, and then ... did what any common-sensed blogging chick would do ... I got out my telephone and took a picture.

Of course, I thought they might kick me out if they thought I was actually taking a picture, so I acted like I was text messaging or something like that ... I tried to look very important. Then I snapped and emailed the ever-so-fuzzy-what-do-you-expect-from-a-camera-phone-taken-bootleg-picture to myself so I could post about it.

I constantly place my own life at risk for you, dear friends. Why? I do it for you. Because I care. Very much. In fact, I love you. And want you to be safe, and informed. And let me just say, that if security had come out to escort me to, oh, I don't know ... the state (or is it county?) penitentiary down the road ... I'd have taken pictures of that too.

So friends, go out into the world empowered. You have knowledge. You have wisdom. You now know how these new-fangled teller-thingies work. And I've saved you the embarrassment of looking stupidly at the thing for 5 minutes before you figure out that the person on the screen is actually talking to you.