Goodbye Flynn

Thursday was my last day of full-time work at The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. I was too busy desperately trying to tie up zillions of loose ends and putting out fires (basically what my job consisted of on a regular basis) to feel too sad or to think about things too much...yet...

We took a nice yoga break mid-day and that helped center me. Our teacher didn't show up so I led the class and it occured to me that I should go to yoga school. Yoga is a great way to balance all the time I spend at the computer. And yoga school sure would be fun, eh? Yeah, that's the ticket!

After yoga, there was a nice surprise cake (mmm..Mirabelles triple chocolate layer mousse, heavenly) and a goodbye song a la the wonderful and amazingly talented Jack (lyrics below), and then a fabulous party thrown by the ever-amazing Suzanne at her darling new condo (was I the only one eating that loaf of baked brie??).


This afternoon, it was lovely to sleep in on a work day and shuffle around in my new office/kitchen while making a pot of tea and some toast. It all feels pretty unreal. Not sure when the full weight of the change will hit me.

Will it land hard and heavy with a mighty, "Oops, what on earth have I done? And how will I pay my credit card bills?"

Around 1pm, I began my first self-employed, "work-day" in my bathrobe emailing, IMing, blogging and YouTubing up a storm. It was time to get back to work again and finish editing my new DBC episode.

It will take a while for this big life change from full-time worker to full-time student/deadbeat to really and truly sink in. But last night, looking out at all these wonderful workmates I am lucky enough to call friends, I felt a strange sort of peace. People can come and go but some things remain the same. I know I made the right move and I know the Flynn will stay in my life, no matter where my travels take me!


Jack Galt is the Facility Director at the Flynn which means he knows the theatre and the buildings inside and out, every itty bitty nook and cranny. As I was leaving work Thursday night he was up high on a step ladder changing a light bulb in the back parking lot. You might see him leading a group of kids on a Flynn tour or changing the marquee letters.

Needless to say, Jack is the man. He also had the most choice office in the joint: the former projection booth at the very back of the theater with a bird's eye view of the stage.

Jack is also a talented singer/songwriter and it has become a Flynn tradition that every time a staff member leaves, Jack composes a special song just for them. Then the entire staff sings them this song at their "surprise" cake party in the lobby! It is a pretty cool event and Jack seems to top himself with every new song.

I was feeling a little shy about the lobby party so Suzanne decided to host my going away party at her condo. But those crafty Flynnites still managed to surprise me by singing my amazing song upstairs in the office, where I least expected it! Golly!

Jack is an amazing talent and he tells me this song came to him at 3am! It brought tears to my eyes and a big ball of emotion welled up in my throat while watching my office family as they surrounded me and sang this song to the tune of, you guessed it, The Copa Cabana:

Her Name was Eva

Her name is Eva
The Flynn she favored
When she started working here
Now it is getting on two years
Took reservations, wrote guides for study
And she spent a lot of days dismissing student matinees
Now you can go Highgate, Charlotte shut up and wait
Say Jane can I dismiss, is this radio on the fritz

In education AKA FlynnArts
Suggesting spelling from spell check would be fart
That’s education at the Flynn Center
You’ll never be leaving the way that you entered
At Flynn Center, she did her job.

Her name is Eva
Who could be braver?
Producing video segments
For TV and the internet
We must acknowledge that some were classics
Like the one on Offasty on the departure of Aimee
Their acting was the best, they were so stylishly dressed
She filmed and put it in the can, just like Ingmar Bergman

In education AKA FlynnArts
Suggesting spelling from spell check would be fart
That’s education at the Flynn Center
You’ll never be leaving the way that you entered
At Flynn Center, she shot her show.

Her name was Eva
Memories we savor
And those of us who are still here
Can only follow her career
Watching Deadbeat Club streaming on You Tube
But you can’t do that at work, people will think you are a jerk
If servers work too hard can’t process credit cards
You just can’t do that there you’re giving Gloria gray hair.

In education AKA FlynnArts
Suggesting spelling from spell check would be fart
That’s education at the Flynn Center
We’re sorry you’re leaving and so we are grieving
At Flynn Center, good luck Eva.

Awww, sniffle, sniffle. Thanks Jack! Sadder still, I think these original song lyrics will probably apply to me in a decade or so:

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl
But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show
Now it's a disco, but not for Lola
Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair
She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony
Now she's lost her mind!

To get a feel for the flavor of Jack's awesome goodbye songs, here is a montage of his goodbye song for Aimee Petrin. Aimee left the Flynn after 9 years so this was big emotional move for all. As you can see, Jack is a rock star!:



And here are some Flynn montages I put together for Aimee's goodbye video. WE LOVE YOU FLYNN!!!: