IT'S NO surprise that ... oops, let me try again. It's no secret ... well, as my MB knows, it's no secret that after a year of edit writing, all my opinions start to sound the same. There's only so many remotely attention-grabbing ledes to be written, and I'm out. I'm also pretty much out of awe-inspiring advice at the moment - I have, after all, already told incoming first years how to make the most of their University experience, provided the University with a wish list for improvement, and, most importantly, told my successor everything I can think of about how to be EE. In short, I've spent a year pointing out any number of problems and trying to offer solutions, so I'm not going to do any more of that here.
I'm also not going to wax poetic on what The CavDaily as an entity means to me, because when it comes down to it, it's not where you are but who you're with that really matters. So no more words of wisdom from Jen; thank yous are in order.
Where to start but with my family. My parents never questioned my decision to run for EE. They learned to call me in the basement of Newcomb instead of at my apartment and didn't ask too many questions about how I was doing in my classes even when they learned I was working 50+ hours a week. Thanks for sending me to England when I really needed to get out of Charlottesville and for trusting me to do my own thing throughout college.
Mom and Dad, I know you won't read this unless I tell you what day it's running and exactly where to find it on the Web site, so along those lines I also thank you for not deciding to read my edits every day. I got enough commentary on them as it was.
To my brother Jeff, I had a lot of fun with you on our aforementioned European adventure, and I am glad you are an English major so we can share good books and always have easy Christmas presents for each other. To Nick, I miss you a lot and don't want you to grow up and be taller than me and start liking girls. But it is inevitable, so I just hope we can always stay close. And, I promise to make it home for at least one of your basketball games.
The roots of my University experience trace back to my junior year of high school, when I came to Charlottesville for my first taste of beer and a tour of Grounds. We walked to the Corner the next morning and tried to get breakfast at Bodos. When we got back home my friends and I thought the idea of secret societies was so cool we made up our own, called Platypus Squash.
This story and the publication of the nicknames Mongoose, Hippo and Camel will probably go far enough to embarrass Jaimee, Lauren and Marianne respectively. They no longer call me Iguana (preferring instead an unpublishable nickname), but I thank them for still being some of my best friends, perfect to hang out with in parking lots or over dessert at the Silver Diner.
The three and a half years since I graduated from high school have gone by incredibly fast, with different groups and individuals playing important parts in my life at different times. Thanks to my fellow residents of Dabney third left, the Rice Paddy, the Blue Room and the Grill for never a dull moment. Thanks to Brooke and Marci for making sure I made enough time for fun and for cracking me up when you came home from bars and I was just getting back from the paper. Thanks to Meghan for being my friend since age three. Even though I hardly ever see you, I know I can still tell you anything and you'll listen.
To Alpha Phi fourth years, we have come a long way since that limo ride to the very first prefs. Thanks in advance for the awesome semester I know we are about to have. Especially to Maranda and Lauren and my fellow bridesmaids - the fun will extend long past graduation.
Thanks to Jonathan for always being there for me for the past five years, even when I didn't have time to be the best friend. Now that I am no longer "Miss U.Va." I hope we will have more time for tennis and beer pong. And somewhere down the road, expect to receive that invitation to my wedding.
Now I turn to all those people who made my experience at The Cavalier Daily. I have to first thank Amy Startt for just happening to be my RA while she was Opinion editor and encouraging me to try out to be a columnist. As my editors, Katie Dodd and Tom Bednar were my CavDaily parents, welcoming me into the Opinion family and teaching me everything I know about column writing. They both instilled their love of writing in me, and they are the root of the strong department Opinion can pride itself on being today.
As an executive editor, Masha Herbst was my inspiration. I may have been terrified of her at the time, but she taught me not to be afraid to be a tough editor or to take a strong stand in an edit while still being a genuine, caring individual.
Thanks to Brandon and Steph for kicking booty as Opinion editors while always managing to have a sense of humor. You did a fantastic job expanding what I (of course) think is the best page in the paper. Liz, thanks for being the edit board rock star; Bryan, I'll never listen to the Indigo Girls the same way again. Laura and Brian, you are the best writers on the page, and I have every confidence you will do a terrific job as editors, protecting the honor of the libel bunny and the defamation armadillo.
Christa, thanks for becoming a great friend over the last year, for secret chats in my office and empty fifths on Thursday nights. You will do awesome in grad school, but before that, we'll spend this semester being the coolest has-beens around.
Erin, I hardly know where to begin. Thanks for being the best friend I've made at U.Va. If we could make it through the past year, we'll be friends through anything. You will be a terrific Doc Box, marry your dream husband and have darling boys, I am sure of it. I hope I will be there to see it all.
Mike, I'm sure you're thrilled to still be making appearances in parting shots, though who would have guessed four months ago that you'd sneak your way into mine. Thanks for getting the MB to stop making fun of me for not having a boyfriend. Thanks for visiting me when you thought you were through with Charlottesville. Thanks for boat rides, garden walks, making me laugh, and all the incredible times we're going to have together.
And now, I turn to my MB. I want to thank you all for sitting through marathon ledit hed sessions, helping me come up with topics, listening to a wide range of random stories about my life, and letting me occasionally turn the MB notebook into a girly scrapbook. Also for carrying me through the streets of New Orleans, never making me cry for an entire year on the job (believe me, that is impressive), inserting sexual innuendo in edits, and supporting my drinking habit with endearing chants of "Boozer." I think I wouldn't be able to stand most people if I had to hang out with them for as long as we were in the basement together, so you all must be pretty cool considering I still want to see you a bunch this semester.
For an MB member, my office-mate Erdman wasn't around much this semester, so I have to thank him for pretty much giving me my own secluded lead-edit-writing hideout. I will remember him forever (or at least until I go to the dentist) for chipping my tooth at fake final roll. We could be a pretty serious bunch, so it was good to have Erdman around to lighten up the mood. We bonded over Rent, and he always pulled through at clutch moments with party locations and pizza to stave off staff uprisings.
Sam Le always amused us as the militant minority member of our board. He wasn't much use for ledit heds (a recurring topic of this parting shot), but he did a damn good job editing ledit - not to mention the rest of the paper - every day. He also planned what would have been an incredible journalism conference if not for the Sept. 11 attacks. Sam is certainly one of the most generous and dedicated people I know. Now that you have finally told your parents your plans for the future, I can publicly wish you the best of luck in law school and beyond.
Ah, young tindle Krantz. I have made fun of you more often than one individual could ever deserve, so thanks for always taking it in good humor. You knew you could always just tell me to "simmer." Thanks for telling me I'm hot when you're drunk or you claim my dress is see-through. I know you've heard it a zillion times, but the re-design is awesome, and you've left your imprint on the paper more than any of us. Now's your chance to see what college is like beyond the basement and Supreme Court rulings, so take advantage of it (hehe, I said take advantage).
JClark, I am so privileged to have been able to work with you during our term and so glad to have gotten to know you as a friend. I admire your love for and knowledge of this University. You were immeasurably helpful with lead edits, and special projects was a wonderful idea that paid off with quality articles for the paper. You were a true leader of our board, and always entertaining when plungers, ace bandages or throwing clothing across hotel rooms was involved. You are one of the strongest and smartest people I know, and I hope we keep in touch long past graduation.
A final word is in order for the 113. Thank you for loving this paper and being nuts enough to take over our jobs. The beer pong tournament and karaoke parties are among the 112's finest moments, so please continue them. Peter and Justin, you are crazy to be on the MB as second years, but you have the energy and drive to succeed. Emily, for the third year running there is only one chica on the MB. That means it's your job to keep MB meeting conversation off of men's fashion and urinals, and that everyone will want to sleep in your bed at the journalism conference. B-dog, I am so proud of you for taking on EIC, and you have both the skills and perfect personality for the job. Jeff, I could not have asked for a better successor. You're a great writer, and I hope you stir a lot of things up in the coming year.
Well, that is it. Once again I thank you all for making the past three and a half years incredible. Later on. Love,
jen, jennifer, jenfur, jenschaum, jennybee, jrssygirl, jennyreb, jenjen, jj, boozer, schaumatron, schaumanator, jshow
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