Legacy of the Chocolate Fountain

Yesterday was my last day of employment at UC Berkeley.

Since I'd been with the university for over 10 years, we had a lunchtime retirement party, and I invited several people who have impacted me the most in my time there.  Coworkers, the professor who gave me my professional start in his lab, my long-time trekkie buddy who's been there from the beginning. 

I had been asked what I wanted for a party, and was not given a limit.  What makes a good party and satisfied guests?  FOOD!  As my last gesture, at least I could get everybody fed one last time (besides the usual chai cheesecake I bake for the guys).  I suggested a taco truck, because Mexican food is darn tasty and has a wide appeal.  And if not that, perhaps fruit and dessert?  Amazon had a chocolate fountain which was probably within the budget, and it would be freaking hilarious.

Turns out I got both!  People were delighted. 

For dessert (because dessert should always come first)...

Ooooh, fancy.  And AMAZING on strawberries.

Turns out, salty chips are also really good dipped in sweet chocolate.  The recipe for the chocolate was just chocolate chips, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and enough cooking oil to keep it liquid.  I'm seriously considering getting one if I end up hosting lots of themed parties (the Doctor Who one was fun!).

The main course was Mexican food from, and I translate whilst giggling, The Spicy Donkey:

It was amazingly delicious, and not made of donkey. 

 

We nearly ate all of it, and the yummy sounds filled the conference room.

So, this is the interesting thing...

I worked my arse off for over 11 years, plus a semester's worth of volunteering.  I never played the politics game or manipulated any of my coworkers despite climbing the ladder (probably a weird thing to say, but if you worked there you would think it quite the feat).  I was consistently helpful, providing perfectionist-quality service, and keeping a lab so clean that the inspectors could just stare wide-eyed at the blissful safety and organization (seriously, they said our lab was the cleanest they'd ever seen).  I faced a foe, so terrible that 99% of people trembled in its wake, and won.  I've been told by multiple people that I've been the most pleasant person to work with in the last 3 decades at my job, and have been praised for pulling miracle on top of miracle out of various hats.  I became the freaking Curator of the Microgarden, the best and most extensive microgarden on the west coast.

What will I be remembered for?  I'm the lady who convinced the department to buy a chocolate fountain!  Everyone was really excited about it, and began requesting it for their meetings and events... this thing will get used several times a week.  This fills me with chuckles and thrills me to no end.  The quiet shy girl is going to be known for parties.

In any case, it is definitely party time! 

My last view of Berkeley was a pretty nice pink and purple sunset... photos can't do it justice, but it was a nice way to end the day.  And I actually got out nearly on time! 

Shhhh... just ignore the crane.

All in all, it was a good day, and I have a feeling of completeness after leaving.  My replacement is set up well, and during my time there I extracted and transcribed all of the knowledge of the past 30 years of the microgarden into a useable system that will serve the university for decades to come.  Knowing that I left my stamp on the department with a chocolate fountain is just... well, icing on the strawberry.