LAST BEER AND CAKE

Today marks the last beer and cake I’ll be attending as a member of Black Box. For over three and a half years I’ve had the honour of drinking beer and eating cake to my heart’s content each and every Friday.

Shortly before I left my previous job to go to Black Box, I was told about the long and proud tradition of beer and cake on Friday. People said it would be one of the many perks of joining the studio. I didn’t really understand how beer and cake went together but I kept an open mind.

I remember the very first beer and cake that I went to. I had met a user interface artist named Tony who was new to the skate team as well. He’d started working at Black Box downtown just a few weeks earlier than me. He knew a few more people than I did, so he invited me up to the 19th floor patio to have some beers with everyone else.

I remember stepping onto the patio with a beer in hand. It was a beautiful summer day with bright blue skies and barely any clouds in the sky. The patio was crowded with people drinking beer and enjoying the sun. Music was playing over some outdoor speakers. Tony and I made our way to a table and sat down. As I looked over the patio railing I could see the Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park, Canada Place, and the surrounding waters of Burrard Inlet. It was a view that I would enjoy for countless more times after that. That first beer and cake sure was a sign I’d made the right decision as to where I wanted to work.

Since then I’ve had a chance to go to over 150 beer and cakes. Sometimes, I brought my friends to let them see where I work. Other times, I just chilled out with my co-workers after a long week at work. I even skipped out a few times, when I was just too busy or had to be elsewhere downtown on a Friday. No matter what though, a late Friday afternoon meant always meant I had somewhere to go and take it easy with the rest of the studio.

Beer and cake changed quite a bit when we moved to Burnaby. We no longer had many guests who wanted to drink free beer all the way out in Burnaby. Even the people working at Black Box seemed to have less enthusiasm for the whole event. Back in the downtown location, we’d invariably run out of beer before the end of the evening. Now in Burnaby, there’s lot of beer left over.

Tomorrow, I’ll have my last drink at Black Box and think about all the people I’ve shared a beer with over the years. Thanks everyone for having a cold one with me.