From nc0014@noc.netcom.net Thu Nov 18 11:13:38 1999 Date: Wed, 7 Apr 1999 21:32:46 -0700 (PDT) From: Kael Loftus Reply-To: Kael Loftus To: Network Operations Center Subject: a final thank you Reply To: kloftus@noc.netcom.net X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL15 (25)] Content-Type: text Content-Length: 4261 Dear Friends, I am overwhelmed. (Actually I am also very drunk, but for the moment let's dwell on how I am overwhelmed.) Thank you to Ralph, the mighty and excellent Ralph, my comrade and mentor for 4 years. Ralph, you always pushed me in the right ways, you made me into a better person. Any good qualities I have as a manager are due either to your instruction or to your influence. Whenever I handle a new problem the right way, I will think of you. Thank you for seeing the potential in "Hulk Smash!" Loftus. And thank you for the beautiful legal bookcase -- I will have it inscribed with my .sig, "THOSE WHO WOULD LEAD SHOULD SEEK TO SERVE" along with the dedication, "To Kael from your friends and comrades in Netcom's Network Operations Center, April 7. 1999." (Folks, make sure Ralph doesn't shoulder the financial burden of this one alone, he's buying a house!) When I finally make it to law school, I will think of you all every time I reach for one of my legal books. Thank you to Catherine and Maria, who picked out the gift basket from Swing Shift, and to all who chipped in. I will save the wine for a special occasion. And thanks to Maria for the plaque -- they are inspiring words. Thank you to everyone who took me to lunch. There are few things finer than sharing good food and drink with your friends. Thank you to Patrick, who selected an "Incredible Hulk" issue #1 and a Hulk t-shirt as my going away gift. Hulk is sort of my totem, because sometimes it's OK to get mad, if you channel it the right way. (Of course the Hulk and I are still perfecting the "channeling" part.) The Hulk will be posted next to my new workstation, to remind me of the importance of using anger constructively, and only constructively. Thank you to Britta for the delicious cake ("We'll Miss You, Kael" with a large anti-SPAM sign on it). Not only was it great-tasting, but it was incredibly thoughtful as well. Thank you to Joe for the DynaBee workout ball -- I will use it to relieve stress and hopefully spend less time at my new job fulminating about the inevitable. Thank you to Jason for the John Cleese video, "How to Irritate People," -- I hope I will never need to use it, but it's always good to have skills in reserve. ;-) Thank you to all the Swing and Day folk who watched me consume tequilas #4, #5, and #6 (remember, folks: I drank *6*, and 3 were in in rapid, immediate succession!). Thank you to Leon for the Ghiradelli chocolate, the champagne, and the champagne glasses (a man who thinks ahead!). I wish I was working with you longer, but it is evident you fit in well here in NOC. :-) Thank you to Jack for the exquisite Chinese calligraphy set, which represents wishes for success in academic pursuits. I will keep it always in my legal bookcase, and think of you whenever I see it. And thanks to anyone I am forgetting -- I am so inebriated, I am sure my memory is failing! Wow, it was like Christmas in April today! And at the same time it felt like a wake -- leaving is harder than you might think. Ralph and I have a wager about how long it will be before I drive to NOC for work one morning. This place has become a huge part of my psyche, and I will miss it terribly. Thanks to all of you for your support, inspiration, and perspiration over the years. It has been a distinct privilege to work with all of you. I am only sorry I did not get a chance to tell every recipient of this message in person how much I learned from them, and convey to them my hopes for their future success. We live at such a unique time in history: embrace it! We are so lucky to be surfing the edge of the future! For at least the next 3-4 months, I can be reached at kael@netcom.com. If I leave, I will have forwarding information via that address. Again, godspeed, good luck, and be excellent to each other. Best regards, --KL -- "THOSE WHO WOULD LEAD SHOULD SEEK TO SERVE." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Kael Loftus kloftus@noc.netcom.net Manager, Network Operations Center phone: 408-881-3120 ICG Communications, Inc. * San Jose, California NOC: 408-881-4050