Becky Carlson

Victoria Hammel

Melissa Jeselnick

Dean Malmgren

Matt Hovde

Lauren Collins

Meridith Halsey

Ben Healy

Fra Valsecchi

Brian Lange

Murphy MacDonald

Sam Becker

English

Sam was a talented designer and developer. He was always dabbling in something whether it was helping colleagues debug code or turning them into rodents, he was always up to the challenge.

Little did he know that some of the code he debugged was unleashing yet unknown layers of complex realities.

As he scanned the final line, preparing to release the latest build, he paused - the cursor flickering...

...which reminded him of how much he loathed his zsh configuration. Rather than hitting `submit`, Sam happily procrastinated and discovered a new Pantone color palette that would finally be visible on all of his displays.

Sam was firing on all cylinders - his attitude, his wardrobe, his home office. Rocking a mathematically impossible 110%. He felt like the '85 Bears. He smiled, nodded to himself, and pushed the button. No regrets. It was all lining up nicely. Until...

his son Arthur, his funniest sidekick, interrupted his flow and challenged him to an ice cream eating contest. There was only one rule - no hands. Sam knew he needed to entertain Arthur but he also knew...

that Arthur was allergic to dairy. But, perhaps there was an opportunity hidden here! What if Sam could find a way to balance his work flow with Arthur's innocent and joyful request for an eating contest?

Why, that would be life-changing! But alas, the things that we imagine might change our lives are not always possible, and this seemed to be one of those times.

Be Optimistic! Isn't this what we keep telling ourselves? He grabbed two of his favorite books ("Copying and Pasting from Stack Overflow" and "10 Amazing Facts About Guinea Pigs (Including Lifespan)"), put on his light pink power hoodie, and rushed out of the house.

Sam went from a brisk walk to a trot to an all out run, sneakers pounding the pavement, hoodie strings swinging. He felt liberated as he ran towards his destination, books under his arm.

Running down the street Sam heard a chiming tune. It grew louder as he approached and saw a strange animal atop a repurposed ice cream truck. The window opened releasing the unmistakable scent of BBQ Boag, and a voice said "I've been waiting for you."

Lauren Collins
@laurencollins

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