Goodbye, Rapscallions!

Before I make the long drive back to Houston today, I felt that I should do my end-of-summer blurb. At the center of it though are the rapscallions, a group of co-ops at TI who I've become very good friends with over the course of the summer. I started out this summer with hopes as to what this job would be like, but I definitely didn't expect things to go as great as they did (8 projects affecting 6 automations for 16 tools in 12 weeks), and I especially didn't imagine that I'd meet so many awesome people. I was expecting to want to go home a lot, but now I don't want to leave.



To all the rapscallions: I don't know how to say goodbye to you all. I don't even know how to write this with dry eyes, because I feel so glad to have met all of you. You have no idea how much this group has meant to me. Having spent half my life being overweight and being an outcast from many people it felt nice to feel like I belong somewhere. I'm so sorry that I never got a chance to individually say "goodbye" to all of you and thank you for the good times. Work got the best of me this week, but I'll hold onto last Friday as our last event with all the rappies together. To all the original rapscallions (especially the man who started it all, JC): I'm going to miss you all the most. You were the ones that started our little e-mail listserv and everything took off from there. The newer recruits: I've definitely grown attached to most of you all, too, don't worry! The originals one though are the ones I spent the entire summer with. Thanks for all the pool parties, shots, salsa dancing, laughter, stellar pictures, trips to strange places (zoo, rodeo, etc), NBA finals viewing sessions, sports games, and, of course, beer galore. The people in Austin had better call me this fall! I can only hope that I see you all again in the near future. Don't be a stranger, and definitely call me if you're in Austin or Houston. I love you all, will miss you dearly, and wish you the best.

To my regulars: I'll try to make a real post tonight if I'm not exhausted from the long drive to H-town.