Well this is it boys and girls, I realize that I had left Montreal a few days prior to this entry, but this will be the final entry to my semi-interesting web journal.
My final day of work at Plank started like any other day. A trip to the gym and a brisk walk down University Road to my office on Ste. Catherines. I found myself taking an extra long time, enjoying the sights, trying to look for little things that I may have missed over the past month. Oh the memories. I pass by the intersection where I almost got run over, the place I realized that in Montreal, a yellow light means to go as fast as you can. I pass by the only building with a clock on it, the clock that would reaffirm that I was infact late for work once again.
The familiar musk fills my nostrils as I enter 372 Ste. Catherines for the last time, the creepy gentleman with the long hair gives me another peculiar look, and somewhere in between I wonder if he is gay. A slow climb to the second floor, a long walk down the hall past the exclusively female gym, through the creaky door and my last 8 hours at plank has begun.
I shoot my good mornings at everyone and turn on my fan to the highest setting. The heat makes me want to day to fly by, but the circumstance begs to differ. It is bittersweet that on one hand, I will be returning to Toronto, to my loving family whom I miss very dearly, on the other hand my taste of independence remains just that, a taste. I confess that I would like a tall glass of it, perhaps even my own water cooler. Alas, the time will come, but not yet.
The day passes by as always, small tasks here and there. Warren greets me on msn with a stern “come over now”.
Like a gutless, beardless, redcoat-less santa claus, Warren pulls out a shiny new Ipod Mini and gives me a heartfelt thank you for all the work I’ve done during my stay. Had I been wearing my diapers I would have gladly crapped my pants.
I bring the box back to my desk and keep it unopened. There is, after all several hours of productive work to be done. But after constant urgings from Steve to open it up, I unwrap the package and begin to marvel at it’s beauty. I’m almost too scared to pick it up, but I did anyway because Steve’s drool was getting dangerously close, or was that my own?
Coincidentally, it’s Plank Appreciation Day, which means that lunch is on the company today. All 6 of us make the blistering trek down the street to a quaint little japanese restaurant with a list of 8 lunch specials. Talking to the rest of my co-workers, seeing them talk to each other gave me a glimpse of how companies should be. A group of friends who are as good at making each other laugh as they are at making each other’s deadlines.
Hours, minutes, seconds countdown my final day at Plank. My final tasks include loading all my work files onto the server and kicking back and enjoying my lime green tea snapple. I take a final photograph with everyone at Plank, shake everyones hand and head out the door. Lawrence and I walk to the Metro and that’s that.
Thank you to Plank for taking a chance on me and showing me such a great time. I not soon forget everything that has happened and great fun I had there. Cheers to Warren, Steve, Lawrence, Allan, Rachel and Geoff. And Nobu.