Tuesday, October 03, 2006
It’s a Small World After All
I’m used to living in a small world. The Wife and I have had way too many experiences with this. My favorite one occurred at our wedding, when we reunited freshman-year roommates at Nebraska. I’ve got several others, but most revolve around the fact that both The Wife and I went to U of I, along with about half the population of Chicago. And since we both grew up in the Chicago suburbs, we’re always running into people we know.
But what I experienced at work yesterday was pretty interesting, though not really people-related. I’m still getting used to things here at Geeks Inc., and so I got assigned to a new project so that I could learn about a cool (to me, anyway) software program they have here. (I won’t bore you with the details, don’t worry.) The project involves a company that’s thinking about merging some of its pension plans together. We get to be all smart and tell them “yea” or “nay.”
As we were talking about the projects, I thought I recognized a plan name. It turns out that I DID recognize it. I worked on this plan before, in my Hewitt days. (Geez, I think I can mention them by name. I think I’ve run out of fake names. And I’d just end up screwing up and putting down their real name anyway. Besides, I haven’t worked there in over 4 years. I’m mentioning them!)
Given that I worked in Chicago as an actuary and a lot of companies are getting rid of and consolidating pension plans, it’s not completely shocking to come across a plan that I used to work on. What’s funny though, is that this client indirectly gave me my nickname and the name of this blog. Yes, it was at a meeting with this client that my Hewitt boss unwittingly mispronounced my name (despite knowing me for over a year). By changing the last syllable to “dow,” she started an avalanche of taunting, where my co-workers started purposely mispronouncing my name. My friends picked up on it. It morphed over time. And now the nickname is firmly entrenched and accepted.
Anyway, my point is that it’s a small world the way things keep popping up in my life. And I don’t expect it to stop any time soon.
But what I experienced at work yesterday was pretty interesting, though not really people-related. I’m still getting used to things here at Geeks Inc., and so I got assigned to a new project so that I could learn about a cool (to me, anyway) software program they have here. (I won’t bore you with the details, don’t worry.) The project involves a company that’s thinking about merging some of its pension plans together. We get to be all smart and tell them “yea” or “nay.”
As we were talking about the projects, I thought I recognized a plan name. It turns out that I DID recognize it. I worked on this plan before, in my Hewitt days. (Geez, I think I can mention them by name. I think I’ve run out of fake names. And I’d just end up screwing up and putting down their real name anyway. Besides, I haven’t worked there in over 4 years. I’m mentioning them!)
Given that I worked in Chicago as an actuary and a lot of companies are getting rid of and consolidating pension plans, it’s not completely shocking to come across a plan that I used to work on. What’s funny though, is that this client indirectly gave me my nickname and the name of this blog. Yes, it was at a meeting with this client that my Hewitt boss unwittingly mispronounced my name (despite knowing me for over a year). By changing the last syllable to “dow,” she started an avalanche of taunting, where my co-workers started purposely mispronouncing my name. My friends picked up on it. It morphed over time. And now the nickname is firmly entrenched and accepted.
Anyway, my point is that it’s a small world the way things keep popping up in my life. And I don’t expect it to stop any time soon.
