Today was Louie's fiftieth birthday. Aside from being my boss, Louie is the type of guy you'd follow into Hell. He's just that good. He's worked at the University for decades, and only in the last few years has he been working in Information Services.
The gang in IS, led by Ellen (our Associate Provost), had the day planned weeks in advance. The managers took him out for breakfast and the Administrative Technologies group (my group) went out with him to the Olive Garden for lunch (I survived on garlic bread and Caesar salad, thankyouverymuch). When he got back to campus, his office had been filled with big black balloons. They covered his ceiling, and bunches covered his desk. Black streamers formed a curtain at his door. After all the hubbub died down, I stopped by again to talk to Louie, and he called me into his office so I could hear the balloons, which were "talking to" him. They were: the air conditioning was gently stirring the herd of balloons, and I could hear them just bump against each other.
But Ellen wasn't done. More than a week ago e-mails had gone out to Louie's friends and co-workers around campus. All were invited to a three thirty surprise party to be held in a lounge in Jepson Hall. Louie walked in, with Ellen and some others, expecting to be attending a meeting. He was surprised: more than thirty people from around campus had come to wish him a happy fiftieth.
It was a good time, and Louie deserved every bit of it. Probably the best thing about working at Richmond is that there are a number of people like Louie who are not only very good at what they do, but are also genuinely excellent individuals. People like this are hard to come by and it would take quite a bit to entice me to leave such a unique community.
We're still cold, with temperatures in the twenties and thirties all day long. With all of the activities for Louie, I got to be outside more than usual. The campus is still quiet, since the students are not due to return until this weekend, and the stillness is profound.
listening: rough draft of some tracks from the forthcoming Help Wanted album (yet to be named)
reading: 1 Maccabees; The Hobbit (Bumpy's Bedtime Book)
© 1999 Kevin J.T. Creamer