The best farewell email ever!
Today is the last day for one of my co-workers, and he wrote this letter and sent it to all his managers, and people of the freezer... basically about half of the people at Bungie... it was the best
There are a lot of inside jokes, but this is what he wrote:
Unlike many people, I don’t go for the short goodbye. I like to ramble on, and draw it out, veiled in drama, and separated by lots of commas.
So it begins.
Or ends.
Or both.
D) All of the above
This was a spectacular year; I learned far more during this 1 year at Bungie than I have 3’ish years at MGS. During my stay, I met many great people, who turned into great coworkers, and for some, great friends. The project, people, and atmosphere did a ton to make this the first project that I’ve grown attached to. Working in the freezer was great… if a bit chilly at first J Over time, the freezer became more and more the central hub of network testing and NEW servers. New faces joined our ranks, and it really became a small world of its own. A combination of networking bonanza, social experiment, and reality TV. The micro-culture of the freezer made working here quite possibly the best job experience I’ve had. We nerded out; talking about Halo3, other games, ideas, bugs, programming, new technologies, star wars references, etc.; we strung network cables in insane ways to run tests (and didn’t bridge networks! Woot!), had freedom to learn things beyond the required, and spread the love. And by love, I mean deep loathing. It was a cruel world in which only the black hearted survived. Ahhh yes, it was a glorious place. I’ll miss it, and I doubt any other job can recreate that atmosphere. Thank you guys for the great experience, I’ll miss all of you. Well. Most of you.
Outside of the freezer, there was the dynamic of interacting with some of the coolest guys I’ve met. The developers and designers willing to take time to discuss the game; the inner workings and implementations, what we liked, and what we disliked. They didn’t hold themselves above us, and were very receptive to our feedback. You guys are a huge reason many of the test crew work so hard, and are willing to go that extra mile in working on those bugs you guys ask about. To you, I give my utmost respect and thanks. (And special thanks further down!)
Alas, all good things must come to an end. My contract has ran its full year and I must flee into the night, banished for 100 days. Good thing I made the game as perfect as I could before I must leave ;) I’m sad that I won’t be there for the grand parade as the game goes out the door, but on the bright side, I can’t wait to see it hit shelves and pick up my copy. Not only do I expect it to be a great game, but it’ll be a constant reminder of my awesome days at Bungie. Good luck in the crunch, and hang in there, you’re almost done!
See ya ‘round,
Andrew Belousek
Should you ever need to harass me (aka Contact Info) :
Email: *******@gmail.com
Cell: ###-###-####
Gamertag:******* (fair warning, I probably won’t sign into Live until I have my copy of Halo3 – so your friend invite might get dusty ;)
P.S. – Please hire me. My resume just might happen to be on my share[this was a link in the original mail].
Random Observations, Funny Stuff, and Ramblings
- When in doubt, add a disclaimer saying it’s Dave’s fault, or if you want to shorthand, /davebus
- Microsoft says it’s ok to call someone a-nicger; This alias amuses me to no end – does this make me a horrible person?
- The Will of Joe demands that it be called the Party Barge not the Elephant
- Snow is the work of a maligned sentience, whose sole goal is to deny me from reaching Bungie
- XboxChief and ChiefScripts makes testers happy and more productive
- Whenever female workers are hired, productivity goes down, as every un-involved male immediately tries to win them over. Or stare. However, if the female workers command people to do things, they obey without delay. Logically, Bungie should hire more dominatrix managers.
- Just by working here, your mom suddenly does perverse things
- Jevans has a seemingly unnatural work cycle. He’s here before I arrive, and after I leave. He seems to avoid sunlight. I suspect that Bungie is harboring a vampire
- I think Jevans has turned Dom into a vampire too
- The MP lab’s sound proofing is a huge blessing to those of us who swear profusely when we lose – especially those of us who hate to lose. Yes, hate, with italics.
- You cannot count the number of time’s Luke says fuck in 5 minutes on one hand – this too amuses me to no end
- Early in the project, overtime conversations go something like this:
Dave: “OT tonight!”
You: “Really?”
Dave: “Yes.”
You: “Wewt!”
Dave: “Wait… no.”
You: “What?”
Dave: “Maybe.”
You: “I hate you.”
Dave: “Suck it.”
- Late in the project, overtime conversations go something like this:
Dave: “It’s not the Apocalypse – you’re working this weekend.”
You: “What if the Apocalypse happens while I’m at work?”
Dave: “Then it is a good death.”
- Late in the project, it’s not uncommon for your blood to be replaced with your choice of Starbucks drink – and it’ll only cost you a few bucks a day to remain alive
- I think Forge’s description should be “The sole purpose of this editor is to find the most amazing way to blow up plasma coils.”
- Street Fighter. You will swear and curse at the game many times, and yet you keep going back for more, you masochist
- Don’t let Chucky go behind you at Bump
- I came. I saw. I Spartan Lasered.
- That’s what she said
Special Thanks
The MP Test Team (past and present)
You’re all a bunch of great asshats. Good luck to all of you in your endeavors, it’s been a pleasure working with you.
Stay Frosty.
Dagasca, Stepal, Jevens, Dom, Doug
Thanks for being laidback-but-serious-about-getting-stuff-done bosses – I wouldn’t mind working for any of you again someday.
Ship it.
Dagasca again
For listening to far more bitching than he deserved.
Suck it.
Luke Timmins, Chris Butcher, Aaron Lieberman, Francois Boucher-Genesse, Michael Williams, Lars Bakken
You guys are awesome. It’s always a pleasure talking to you guys - you’re willing to take the time and explain bugs, answer our questions, and listen to our feedback. I sincerely hope I get to work with all of you again.
Keep Bungie a great place to be.
and
The Street Fighter Machine
Love the Street Fighter
A microcosm of Life
Work, Play, then Go Home
