You want to work at Double Fine!
You want to work at Double Fine so bad you can taste it. Maybe you didn't even know that, but you were wondering, "What's that weird taste?" It's the taste of opportunity, my friend, with undertones of ambition. But now you know, and maybe you're asking, "Who do I have to kiss up to to get a job there? Should I alter my appearance in order to increase my chances of getting an interview? Should I concentrate on my face? Or on my upper arms? How have I gone wrong in my life that I am not already working there? What can be done about my wretched life?"


Plenty! Especially if you want to be a...
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER!

Description:

Double Fine Productions is currently looking for a highly experienced, professional Associate Producer for its San Francisco development studio. The primary job responsibility is to provide organizational leadership on interactive entertainment products. The position supports a large team of highly creative and technical individuals through the effective implementation of systems and processes.

The ideal candidate has a minimum of 3 years experience as an Associate Producer and is credited on at least 1 published game supported from initial design through ship. The ideal candidate is both friendly and outgoing and tenaciously champions an unwavering commitment to quality. The role demands confidence, the capacity to work well under pressure and the ability to immediately engender and sustain the loyalty and respect of the team. The position demands proficiency in the creation of organizational systems designed to empower and enhance the productivity of the team. A solid understanding of the process of making games, including art, code and design pipelines is essential. Double Fine is looking for someone that can expand their current job responsibilities and tackle significant production challenges.

Responsibilities:

1) Assist the Producer in all aspects of production on ground-up development for a next generation cross-platform game while fostering team unity and upholding a high quality of life for the team.
2) Manage aspects of game production as directed by the Producer, including art and animation pipeline development, design documentation, engineering milestone tracking, graphics approvals, continuity, cutscene creation, art, programming, design, scripting, audio, production testing, internal approvals, localization and archiving.
3) Track schedules, manage assets, identify weaknesses, bottlenecks and risks in the schedule, and troubleshoot communication and schedule dependency problems, including the creation of contingency plans to recover from setbacks. Monitor day-to-day administration of the project, record and maintain project information and documentation, and report project status to Producer on a regular basis. Break down large or complex projects into meaningful subprojects.
4) Organize style guides, design documents and both art and technical specifications for the project and ensure they are accurate and current.
5) Adapt and manage resources to meet marketing and PR needs.
6) Facilitate team communication and ensure timely dissemination of information.
7) Collaborate with the Producer and Leads to motivate and inspire the team while encouraging creativity and building group cohesion.
8) Proactively help establish enhanced production and development processes through which the game will be created and further exploit successful processes already in place.
9) Obtain management approvals for work in progress.
10) Hold regular meetings with the team to discuss project status, resolve issues and share information.
11) Maintain and enhance creative relationships with outside vendors.
12) Evaluation and requisition of, as well as upkeep and follow-through on, team equipment needs.
13) Keep a demoable version of the title current and regular.
14) Ensure timely delivery of necessary assets for localization, manage the implementation of localized assets, and submit localized skus to foreign partners.

Requirements:

1) Minimum of three years production experience with one or more complete development cycles in an Associate Producer role or the equivalent type of responsibility working with software developers, artists, or A/V specialists from pre-production to ship.
2) Solid understanding of the entire game development process, from content creation through marketing and budgeting.
3) Strong time management skills with a proven ability to focus on priorities, risk assessment and problem solving. The demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
4) Highly motivated and ambitious self-starter with astonishing organizational skills willing to assume considerable and increasing responsibility.
5) Decisive, solution-oriented individual who brings his/her own input to the task at hand.
6) Strategic critical thinker who also demonstrates a high attention to detail.
7) Strong communicator using active listening skills such as clarifying, understanding and confirming. Strong negotiation, mediation, persuasion and conflict resolution skills are essential.
8) Proactive in creating efficiencies to better plan and manage projects. Proactively seeks to anticipate problems or roadblocks and provide solutions.
9) Must have a working knowledge of game production scheduling as well as schedule management. Must be versed in HTML, Adobe Photoshop, Wiki and FTP client software. Must have considerable experience project management software including Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio and Word. Must have a solid technical background. Must be adept at technical problem solving and have experience working with databases. Agile Development experience is a big plus.
10) Proven experience exercising discretion with sensitive information.
11) Ability to adapt easily to change, to multi-task, and to work well under pressure.
12) A positive, can-do, whatever-it-takes attitude.
13) Solid knowledge of project management principles and strong follow-up skills. The ability to bring people together and drive them – be the glue that holds a group together and that makes them more than simply the sum of the individuals.
14) Perfectionist at heart, but able to be pragmatic when it comes to hitting deadlines.
15) Willingness to pitch in where required in times of high pressure and the ability to “roll with the punches”, acting in a calm and assured manner and thinking methodically through problems as they arise.

Pluses:

1) A four year Bachelors degree from an accredited college.
2) A passion for playing and making video games.
3) Is familiar with industry trends and has experience in building competitive product analyses, as well as in capturing B-roll footage and screenshots.

Contact:

For immediate consideration, interested and qualified candidates should send their resume to . Please include in the subject line “Associate Producer”.

SENIOR ANIMATOR

Description:

Double Fine Productions is currently looking for a highly experienced, professional Senior Animator for its San Francisco development studio.  The primary job responsibilities include the creation of in-game character models, rigs, animations and cutscenes that convey charm and personality.  The ideal candidate has at least 5 years experience in Maya with at least 2 years in a senior position on highly regarded, published console titles.  Knowledge of the essential facets of both 2D and 3D animation is critical, as is the ability to accept critiques and work well with a team of animators.  Since new intellectual property is involved, a clear, long-term understanding of the game’s design vision is needed, and the ideal candidate will understand how to uphold it through the modeling and animation of the game’s characters.  The candidate has a strong preference for working in a highly creative, innovative, small development environment.

Responsibilities:

1) Use Maya to create in-game character animation and cutscenes and work with the technical team to ensure they are properly integrated into the game.
2) Use Maya and proprietary tools to model and rig in-game characters.
3) Communicate with the lead animator, design team, and art director to maintain a consistent vision.
4) Attend weekly team meetings to give and receive feedback on animation work.
5) Help to mentor junior animators/interns as needed.
6) Help to establish good development practices and assist lead in evolving our tools/workflow.
7) Contribute innovative and original ideas for the betterment of the entire game.

Requirements:

1) BA in Art, Classical (2D) or 3D Character Animation or equivalent field, BS/BA in Computer Graphics or Film, or equivalent educational experience.  Sculpture experience is a plus.
2) At least 5 years of game industry experience, or equivalent experience in film or television.
3) Fluency in Maya, with strong character modeling, rigging, and animation skills.
4) A strong artistic background, with numerous examples of life drawing and an innate ability for storytelling.
5) Experience translating 2d animatics to 3d layouts including camera work.
6) Self-driven individual with strong written and verbal communication skills.
7) Willingness to accept critiques, and the ability to embrace change.
8) Thorough and solid understanding of animation theory and the principles of animation (squash and stretch, timing, anticipation, staging, appeal, etc.)
9) Exceptional skill in animating bipeds and multi-legged figures, in both action and dramatic acting sequences.
10) Must be able to work full time in San Francisco, CA.

Pluses:

1) Avid gamer with a passion for creating top-quality games.
2) Familiarity with film and video script and direction terminology.
3) Experience creating and using blendshapes for facial animation.
4) Knowledge of Zbrush and experience with MEL scripting.
5) Acting and cinematography skills.
6) Experience in Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects.

Contact:

Due to the immediate nature of this position and current government employment-visa sponsorship restrictions, we are unable to consider foreign candidates.  Relocation assistance is available to qualified applicants.

For immediate consideration, interested and qualified candidates should send their resumes and reels to .  Please include in the subject line “Senior Animator”.  All artwork should explain clearly what you did specifically, especially on a collaborative project.  Animation samples may be submitted in the following formats: CD, DVD, Personal Website or Video, and should be sent to:

Recruiting: Senior Animator
Double Fine Productions
525 Brannan Street Suite 200
San Francisco, CA 94107

SENIOR ENVIRONMENT ARTIST!

Description:

Double Fine Productions is currently looking for a highly experienced, professional Senior Environment Artist for its San Francisco development studio.  The primary job responsibility is to create highly original game world art.  The ideal candidate is able to establish good development practices and assist the lead in evolving our editing tools.  The position requires the ability to apply materials, including texture and normal maps, to the models and integrate the models into the game using proprietary editing tools.  The ideal candidate has at least 5 years experience creating environmental content such as architectural buildings, terrain, ecosystems and props in Maya with at least 2 years in a senior position on highly regarded, published console titles.  The position requires experience and understanding of art pipelines on Xbox 360 and/or PS3, and an interest in finding ways to evolve and improve the environmental art creation pipeline.  Since new intellectual property is involved, a clear long-term understanding of the game’s design vision is needed, and the ideal candidate will understand how to uphold it through the modeling of the game’s world space.  The ideal candidate has a strong preference for working in a highly creative, innovative, small, intimate development environment.

Responsibilities:

1) Using Maya and our proprietary editing tools, create and integrate gorgeous, innovative, epic and cohesive gameplay-rich environmental spaces in support of the art direction of the game.
2) Model architectural geometry and props for game environments and place models in game levels.
3) Create clean and organized UV layouts for the terrain and props.
4) Work closely with Material Artists to create and apply advanced shaders to the environments.
5) Assist the Lead Environment Artist to achieve a consistent feel across all environments by participating in visual comparisons and critiques, working within hardware limitations, and meeting deadlines without compromising quality.
6) Generate clean and organized models and UV work.
7) Work closely with design to maintain all technical aspects of the levels, such as collision, path finding, and various other volumes.
8) Optimize rendering and memory footprints for levels as required.
9) Collaborate with game designers and art director to create visually stunning levels that play well.
10) Contribute to the further development of our editing tools.
11) Contribute innovative and original ideas on all aspects of game production and development.
12) Promote best practices among the World Building team.

Requirements:

1) BA in Art or equivalent field or BS/BA in Computer Graphics or Film, or equivalent educational experience.  Sculpture or architecture experience is a plus.
2) At least 5 years of game industry experience with at least 2 published titles.
3) Significant experience developing and working with proprietary processes and tools for creating environments.
4) Fluency in 2D/3D software packages, especially Maya, Zbrush and Photoshop, with strong modeling skills for organic and architectural shapes.  Familiarity with Mel scripting and knowledge of rendering packages such as Mental Ray is a plus.
5) Demonstrable experience designing, modeling, mapping and lighting environments. Experience with open world art challenges is a plus.
6) Ability to quickly learn and work with proprietary tools to leverage advanced modeling, material, and lighting effects.
7) Understanding of real-time modeling and texturing constraints and the ability to work within them.
8) Ability to translate concept and reference artwork into 3D game assets, efficiently and within game engine specifications.
9) Impressive portfolio demonstrating strong traditional art skills, design sensibilities, and attention to detail. 
10) Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills.
11) A keen eye for silhouette, form, color and light.
12) Self-driven individual with strong written and verbal communication skills, and excellent interpersonal, organizational and mentorship skills, including the ability to provide relevant art critiques.
13) Willingness to provide and accept direction, and the ability to embrace change.  Ability to collaborate productively with others and to work to meet deadlines as necessary.
14) A serious passion for gaming.
15) The ability to work full time in San Francisco, California.

Contact:

Due to the immediate nature of this position and current government employment-visa sponsorship restrictions, we are unable to consider foreign candidates.  Relocation assistance is available to qualified applicants. 

For immediate consideration, interested and qualified candidates should send their cover letter, resumes and reels to .  Please include in the subject line “Senior Environment Artist”. 

Portfolio samples may be submitted in the following formats:  CD, DVD, or Personal Website.  3D samples should show wireframe examples as well as final textured assets.  All artwork should explain clearly what you did specifically, especially on collaborative project.  Reels should be sent to:
Recruiting:  Senior Environment Artist
Double Fine Productions
525 Brannan Street, Suite 200
San Francisco, CA, 94107

SENIOR MATERIALS ARTIST

Description:

Double Fine Productions is currently looking for a highly experienced, professional Senior Materials Artist for its San Francisco development studio.  The primary job responsibility is to create highly original game world art.
The position requires the ability to create materials, including authoring the input textures such as normal, gloss and diffuse maps, and apply them to the models and integrate the models into the game using proprietary editing tools.  The ideal candidate has at least 5 years experience creating textures, materials and shaders for architectural buildings, terrain, ecosystems, characters and props in Maya with at least two years in a senior position on highly regarded, published console titles.  The position requires an understanding of art pipelines on Xbox 360 and PS3, and an interest in finding ways to evolve and improve the material art creation pipeline.  Since new intellectual property is involved, a clear long-term understanding of the game’s design vision is needed, and the ideal candidate will understand how to uphold it though the texturing of the game’s environment and characters.  The ideal candidate has a strong preference for working in a highly creative, innovative small development environment.

Responsibilities:

1) Use proprietary and third party tools to create stunning material art in any style while adhering to memory and performance budgets.
2) Offer artistic vision to develop the look of the game.
3) Create clean and organized UV layouts for the terrain and props.
4) Educate other artists in techniques for creating high quality materials.
5) Work closely with the Environment Artists to create textures and materials and assist with their application to the environments.
6) Work with the technology team in developing/refining materials and shaders.

Requirements:

1) Experience using proprietary editors, software and tools.
2) Skilled at efficient UV unwrapping and mapping in Maya.
3) 3d Modeling skills in Maya is a plus.
4) The ability to create custom materials and all associate maps (diffuse, normal, gloss, occlusion, etc.) for all assets.
5) At least four years in game development, with at least one major shipped title.
6) A strong portfolio demonstrating texture/material/shader creation, traditional art skills, design sensibilities and attention to detail.
7) Proficiency in a variety of 2d texture creation tools such as Photoshop or Painter.
8) Proficiency with procedural texture generation is a plus.
9) Experience with CGFX or HLSL creation using tools such as Mental Mill or FX Composer is a plus.
10) Proficiency in creating normal maps from geometry source, using tools such as Mudbox, Zbrush, or Maya.
11) Experience with pre-rendered shader creation for use with rendering engines such as Mental Ray, V-Ray, Brazil or Render Man is a big plus.
12) Ability to work within a variety of art styles.
13) Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills.
14) A keen eye for silhouette, form, color and light.
15) Self-driven individual with strong written and verbal communication skills, and excellent interpersonal, organizational and mentorship skills, including the ability to provide relevant art critiques.
16) Willingness to provide and accept direction, and the ability to embrace change.  Ability to collaborate productively with others and to work to meet deadlines as necessary.
17) A serious passion for gaming.
18) The ability to work full time in San Francisco, California.

Pluses:

1) A four year degree is a plus.
2) Experience writing/creating original shaders.

Contact:

Due to the immediate nature of this position and current government employment-visa sponsorship restrictions, we are unable to consider foreign candidates.  Relocation assistance is available to qualified applicants. 

For immediate consideration, interested and qualified candidates should send their cover letter, resumes and reels to .  Please include in the subject line “Senior Materials Artist”.  Portfolio samples may be submitted in the following formats:  CD, DVD, or Personal Website.  All artwork should explain clearly what you did specifically, especially on collaborative project.

Reels should be sent to:
Recruiting:  Senior Materials Artist
Double Fine Productions
525 Brannan Street, Suite 200
San Francisco, CA, 94107

SENIOR TECHNICAL ARTIST!

Description:

Double Fine Productions is currently looking for a highly experienced, professional Senior Technical Artist for its San Francisco development studio.  The primary job responsibility is to bridge communications between the art and technology teams to generate tools and workflow enhancements to benefit artists in technical specifications for the programmers creating those tools and pipelines. It is the function of the Senior Technical Artist to ensure the cutting edge of graphical tools and technologies is made accessible to the team’s content creators.

The ideal candidate has a minimum of 4 years experience in technical art production, with at least 2 published console titles.  Published or current games should reflect direct experience defining art pipelines on Xenon, PS2, Xbox and/or Gamecube development.  The role demands extensive knowledge of scripting languages, error reduction tools, and character and world modeling/animation technical direction.  The ideal candidate is able to problem-solve technology issues related to art production, and be able to launch the development of tools and processes from the ground up through the verbal and written communication of technical specs for art production pipelines.  The position requires an extensive knowledge of 3D art packages and scripting languages, and an avid interest in staying and pushing the bleeding edge of game art development.  Since new intellectual property is involved, there is a need for a clear, long-term understanding of the game’s design vision, such that the specification of the pipeline at the outset reflects rapid prototyping functionality in addition to the long-term production needs of the art staff in realizing the project vision.  The ideal candidate has a strong preference for working in a highly creative, innovative, small, intimate development environment.

Responsibilities:

1) Work with the artists and programmers to define and maintain and art production pipeline, process and workflow.
2) Specify and problem-solve technology issues related to art production.  Solve pre-production and production issues relating to the more technical aspects of art production.
3) Use scripting languages to further productivity and create error reduction tools.  Be able to identify and implement batch systems to reduce repetitive or time-consuming work.
4) Maintain and enforce naming conventions, directory structures and asset management.
5) Communicate technical issues to the programming staff.
6) Troubleshoot problems in current and newly developed tool systems, produce test cases, determine the best course of action, and implement solutions.
7) Mentor and train members of the art department in areas of expertise.  Manage and train Technical Artists in the skills required to exploit the art path efficiently.
8) Work with the programmers to develop new shaders and special effects for the environment and character modeling teams.
9) Author and maintain clear and cogent technical and art documentation on project vision, process and pipeline.
10) Liaison with external vendors to develop custom solutions or extend their service to the company.

Requirements:

1) BA in Art or equivalent field, or BS/BA in Computer Graphics, or equivalent educational experience.
2) Minimum of 4 years experience in game development, with 2 published titles.  Candidate’s role on at least one published title must have been in the position of a technical artist responsible for pipeline establishment and execution.
3) Experience in modeling, lighting and shading.  Sound understanding of design elements, color theory, anatomy, drawing and painting.
4) Intimate knowledge of asset creation in Maya.
5) Proficiency in MEL.
6) Some experience or exposure to at least one other scripting language, such as Perl, Python, DOS Batch Scripting, C/C++, or Maya API Plugins.
7) Understanding of programming principles and techniques, algorithms and data structures.
8) Strong verbal and written communication skills.
9) Ability to communicate effectively with both artists and programmers.
10) Well versed in a variety of technologies and production techniques, and should be current in the latest trends in computer graphics, production methodologies and resource management.
11) Considerable knowledge of the hardware and software requirements of game development.
12) Ability to define deadlines and task time estimates, work well under pressure, and able to multitask effectively.
13) Self-motivated, with a strong work ethic.

Pluses:

1) Avid gamer with a passion for creating top-quality games.
2) Experience leading art teams to implement a design and art vision to specification.
3) Experience developing processes and tools for working with animated characters. 

Contact:

For immediate consideration, interested and qualified candidates should send their resumes to .  Please include in the subject line “Senior Technical Artist”.

SENIOR TOOLS PROGRAMMER!

Description:

Double Fine Productions is currently looking for a highly experienced, professional Senior Tools Programmer for its San Francisco development studio. The primary job responsibility is to create and maintain the company’s next-generation development content creation pipelines.

The ideal candidate has a minimum of 5 years experience in tools core technology programming for Xbox360, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube and/or PC pipeline development. The role demands extensive knowledge of art and data pipelines, methodologies to move content from the drawing board into the game, and resolutions to workflow and automation issues. An avid interest in keeping up with technical advances in content creation tools is required. Double Fine is seeking someone who is looking to expand their current job responsibilities and tackle unique and creative pipeline challenges. The ideal candidate has a strong preference for working in a highly creative, innovative, small, intimate development environment.

Responsibilities:

1) Design and implement authoring systems for game-based tools creation including asset creation and level editing, among others.
2) Implement Maya plug-ins and stand-alone tools.
3) Work closely with the designers and artists to assess their content creation needs and provide solutions.
4) Support all users of the tools and pipelines.
5) Produce clean, maintainable, well-documented, performance-minded code in adherence with good software engineering practices and internal standards.

Requirements:

1) Has previously held a tools programming position on at least 2 shipped games published on multiple platforms.
2) Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Engineering, or equivalent industry experience.
3) Minimum of 5 years of programming experience, with demonstrated experience in 3D graphics, 3D game math, animation, numerical methods and linear algebra.
4) Experience writing tools and exporters for 3D editors.
5) Demonstrated skill in sensible API design.
6) Experience with Maya and in writing Maya plug-ins.
7) Service-oriented attitude and a talented eye for efficiency and workflow.
8) Excellent documentation habits including code and how-to guides.
9) Experience developing Windows applications, using .NET, .MFC, WTL, C#, Visual Basic or Win32 API.
10) Fluency in C/C++ and STL and excellent C/C++ programming skills.
11) Experience with scripting languages such as Lua, Perl or Python.
12) Strong verbal and written communication skills.
13) Ability to proffer reasonable time estimates for scheduled tasks, and to work within a schedule.
14) Self-motivated, with a strong work ethic, able to successfully multitask under considerable pressure.

Pluses:

1) Avid gamer with a passion for creating top-quality games, particularly multiplayer online games.
2) Experience with low-level device based programming and assembly languages.

Contact:

For immediate consideration, interested and qualified candidates should send their resumes and their favorite obscure geeky joke to . Please include in the subject line “Senior Tools Programmer”.

SENIOR VISUAL EFFECTS ARTIST!

Description:

Double Fine Productions is currently looking for a highly experienced, professional Visual Effects Artist for its San Francisco studio. The primary job responsibilities are to define the visual benchmarking and production methodology for the creation of computer-generated FX animations as well as design and create elements for real-time, in-game digital effects using 3rd party and proprietary tools.

The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of the creation of stunning in-game visual effects and has relevant game industry experience. The candidate should demonstrate creativity, technical and artistic skills, and have a deep understanding of how to work within the constraints of a real-time console game environment. The candidate must exhibit excellent verbal and written communication skills. The role requires a minimum of 3 years of video game experience, and at least one published game on PS2, Xbox, Gamecube or PC. Additional key success factors for this role include the ability to work well with others, and a passion for adding the extra polish that truly sets a game apart.

Responsibilities:

1) Work closely with the content creators to bring gameplay-appropriate stylized effects to life.
2) Use Maya, Photoshop, Lua and our proprietary tools to create and implement special visual effects.
3) Contribute to the further development of our editing tools.
4) Contribute innovative and original ideas on all aspects of game production and development.

Requirements:

1) Experience creating particle effects and experience creating textures for particles.
2) Ability to conceptualize, present and execute ideas within a schedule while actively participating in technical and artistic problem solving.
3) Ability to quickly design custom toolsets and create assets within the confines of real-time engine memory and performance constraints and programming demands and the ability to optimize effects to achieve the highest visual quality.
4) Excellent analytical and communication skills, including a meticulous and organized approach to the creation, naming and storage of the effects assets.
5) Excellent artistic and technical skills.
6) Proficiency with Maya, including modeling, texturing and UV layout, and an understanding of rigging and animation.
7) Self-motivated and passionate about making video games.
8) Team player with a great work ethic.
9) Commitment to personal and peer development and sharing best practices.
10) Keeps current with the state of the art in visual effects.

Contact:

For immediate consideration, interested and qualified candidates should send their resumes and samples of previously executed effects work to . Please include in the subject line “Senior Visual Effects Artist”.

...or a BUNNY!
If you would like to be a bunny, I say good thinking. Because everybody loves bunnies!


We are not currently hiring bunnies, but we do have some reference here for you to study:
We are always recruiting everybody... ALL THE TIME!
Even if we don't have any current openings that are right for you right now, if you are interested in working at Double Fine, send in your stuff anyway! We are always interested in making contact with talented and experienced programmers, artists, animators, designers, and production people. Even if you're not looking for work right now, it's good to stay in touch because YOU NEVER KNOW.

I can't guarantee that we will be especially good about responding to each and every email we get. Sometimes we get busy and ignore that mail box for months on end. But don't give up hope. Eventually, the mail server will get full, and we'll need to delete some of the applications, so we'll all get together and read through the resumes in there and make fun of people's spelling errors or read their "Job Objective" statements in sarcastic voices and stuff like that.

But maybe we'll see your samples or your web page and all at once the laughter will stop, and our jaws will drop, and then somebody will say, "Whoa." And then I'll look a them and I'll say, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" And then someone will yell, "I'm way ahead of you buddy!" as they pull up in the company bus/monster truck and as we all pile in, somebody shouts out, "LOCK AND LOAD!" And we drive full speed to your house and you come out and say "D-D-D-Double Fine? But--" and we put a finger to your lips and say, "You had us at hello!" And then your parents try to stop us because they don't understand, so we duct tape them to a streetlight and peel out, popping a wheelie all the way down the street while "Sweet Home Alabama" blares out of the radio and then you and I try to say something at the same time because we're both so excited, so then we both shut up so that the other can talk, and then we both say, "No, you go!", but then we both start talking again at the same time, and we have to just laugh until we're crying tears of joy, and we sense in our hearts that we will all be best friends forever and ever, and never think about what or who we were before. We will just enjoy the ever-unfolding kaleidoscope of happiness and discovery and adventure and laughter that lie before us.

And then we pull up to the office and I yell, "Alright, back to work suckers. And no talking!" And weld the door shut with everyone inside as I laugh and laugh and laugh. Oh, the fun.