Familiar and Unfamiliar
Posted by aaffleck in Deep Thoughts on May 6, 2010
I have to admit it’s very weird being back at Pfizer. It’s all so very familiar and yet so much has changed. There are some old friends and colleagues still around (or just returning) but, for the most part, the people I did most of my work with and for are no longer there. I walk around the Groton and New London offices and keep expecting to see people I know and only seeing strangers. I’ve only been gone a year and change and yet it’s all very different.
The work, however, has not changed. Granted, when I was there last I was working more on the portfolio/PMO side and now I am back to being a Project Manager but the processes have not changed significantly. I slipped right into the work like a comfortable shoe and am plugging away on what needs to be done. Yet, when I walk around I feel like a stranger in an incredibly familiar land. Imagine if they took everyone where you worked and replaced them with strangers and then think how weird it would be to walk around the office. That’s what it feels like. I guess when you’ve been somewhere for so long in the past, the feeling of being new is terribly at odds with the familiarity of the place and the work itself. It feels like one of those TV shows that changes more than half the cast between seasons when you thought it was over in the first place and while it’s the same show, it’s completely different and it’s weird watching it.
Such is the life of a contractor.
Moment of Transition
Posted by aaffleck in Deep Thoughts on April 16, 2010
Today is my last day at Merck. On Monday, I start a new job returning to Pfizer where I worked before I came to Merck. It’s an odd feeling. I don’t particularly want to leave here and I am also excited to return to Pfizer where I have so many friends who have also returned, are in the process of returning, or who never left in the first place. This past year has been a great experience for me and I am going to miss the folks here. So, happy and sad at the same time. One moment ends, another begins. Monday will be a new adventure. Of course, it’s all still contract work with all of the inherent uncertainties and lack of benefits, fringe or real. But until I land that magical permanent position again, I do what I must. One moment ends, another begins. A moment of transition.
Robot Exclusion Protocol (Ftrain.com)
Posted by aaffleck in Books and Writing on March 4, 2010
I read this wonderful short story (very short) by Paul Ford today (found via this post on BoingBoing.net and loved it. Enjoy!
Photo of the Day: Ave Louis Pasteur
Posted by aaffleck in Photography on February 17, 2010
Photo of the Day: Mastery Martial Arts
Posted by aaffleck in Photography on February 16, 2010
Photo of the Day
Posted by aaffleck in Photography on February 15, 2010
Why I Get Annoyed at NBC’s Olympics Coverage
Posted by aaffleck in Art & Entertainment, Current Events on February 13, 2010
Ok, so a friend of mine is pinging me on Facebook for my disparaging comments on Bob Costas and wonders why I am so down on him. So, this is my attempt to explain my feelings on this vital-to-our-lives matter. First, let me preface this by saying that I am not a sports guy. I’m a big Red Sox fan and I love watching the Olympics. But I do not live and breathe baseball or Olympics statistics. I cannot name any athletes competing aside from those few famous names that everyone knows. I know a lot about the Red Sox but any dyed-in-the-wool fan can stat circles around me. I just enjoy what I enjoy and don’t really care to delve much deeper than that. I am not that guy in the bar who will go on for 45 minutes about some arcane subject while your eyes glaze over. Well, at least not about sports at any rate. So, that’s me. Casual fan. Read the rest of this entry »
I haven’t been to a White Castle since high school.
Come to think of it… I am not sure I’ve ever been to one… I remember there being one near high school and we always talked about it. But I don’t think I ever went.
Posted via web from Webcrumbs
Playing “Small World”
Posted by aaffleck in Home & Family, Photography on January 17, 2010





