Craziness

The first crazy event in this day of craziness occured at 4:30 AM. That's when the fire alarm in my building went off. I wish it was just a regular old-fashioned alarm bell though, but it's more like a scary ultrasonic polyphonic megadecible siren of death.
It's already hard enough to take in daytime while u're fully aware, but when it goes off at 4:30 AM on a night where you've already been late to bed, there are a few seconds before you regain full consciousness that a barrage of ideas go through your mind, most notibly one of aliens landing their UFO in your living room - where the siren is screaming from.
Of course the first thing to do is to put some pants on, which are as always conveniently lying on the floor by the bed. After all you don't want the aliens to catch you without pants.
As the deafening siren drives you more mad, you finally realize what is going on, that there are no aliens involved and it's only a fire alarm. As you begin leaving the flat you suddenly realize climbing down 12 flight of stairs and going out in the freezing weather is most definitely just as bad as staying in and getting deaf. It's probably just a false alarm anyway. That's when you hop back into bed and try to cover your ears. After a while it really isn't too bad either.

Despite the mayhem, I still made it to the 9 AM TA marking session, a marathonian final marking which lasted until 3:30.

But the highlight of the day, and what this post is actually all about, is the departure of a true legend from our department.

The illusive Simcoe, the old-timer of the department, the source of all knowledge, wisdom, and comedy, the black-wearing godfather is finally leaving us. He's in fact leaving the country to pursue a job. To say farewell, we all joined him for a night of crazy drinking and comedy at the Madison. Almost everyone in the group showed up, he's Simcoe afterall.

I've talked about my group and how wonderful they are numerously before. I certainly feel privileged that I'm working and studying with such a colorful and excellent bunch of people, who I'm certain I wouldn't have found in any other group. But it's definitely not going to be the same without the mighty S. We're going to have a very hard time keeping the comedy and the insanely absurd (and at times obscene) practical jokes alive. We probably won't see horrible pictures of group members stuck at places in the building ONLY spiderman could reach.

Anyway, I could go on, but you don't know him so you wouldn't care, and he doesn't read this place, so I stop.