Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Where do I work?

I'm at my old job and working after hours in a second floor conference room. All of a sudden I realize that it is getting really late and they have locked up the building and I won't be able to get out. I remember that you just need to call security and they will help you out. I pick up the phone and try to dial the number but I just can't remember it and I keep pushing the wrong buttons.

Now I'm working at my new job, and I decide for casual Friday to wear my old Fragon t-shirt (left) that I got from the very first day of my old job. When I get to work, all the people from our main customer are visiting and they are all wearing the same shirt. Now I feel like an idiot for wearing it. They are busy setting up instruments and labs all over the building and I keep running into people that I know with the same shirt on. I feel relieved at lunch to be able to go out and escape these people, only as I'm walking out to my car in the parking lot, a whole throng of people follow me and expect me to drive them to lunch. I don't want to be rude so I let them into my silver minivan. I drive around and pull into the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant with corrugated aluminum siding. I ask the occupants whether this restaurant would be OK and one girl from my new work replies that we've already had lunch. All of a sudden I remember that I've already eaten at a different restaurant, and how could I forget that I've already eaten?

Observations: This is obviously a case of mistaken work identity. I worked at my last job for 12 years and my new job for 1 year and can't seem to shake the old job off. In my new job, our main customer, has a joint venture my last company. To give even more details, that customer bought out my group at my last company and laid everyone off. I had to showcase an instrument in their joint venture booth earlier this year and our blue shirts were exactly the same color as their blue shirts so I felt as though I was completely assimilated back. So apparently I'm still holding a grudge against them. I also wore that old t-shirt over the weekend, while visiting a friend from my old work. And I don't own and never will own a minivan!

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