Sadly, this will be my last blog post, as I go back to college next week. For this reason, I wanted to write a comprehensive article on the most important things: the experience, and the people. After living and working in Boulder, Colorado for three months, I’ve compiled information on the best parts of the area, and the best people. For your information and reading pleasure, here are:

My favorite things to do in Boulder:

1. Bands on the Bricks: Every Wednesday night at 7pm on Pearl St. are live performances. If the Champions ever come back, I recommend that you don’t miss it. This band is phenomenal and can sound like any 80s rocker you can think of. Bonus: Boulder hippies dancing to the music.
2. The Hammock Store: This temporary store on Pearl St. has an open front and just a bunch of hammocks inside for you to lounge around in and try out. Bonus: Sunny, the girl who works there, is super nice and can give you all sorts of hammock-caring tips.
3. People-watch: There are so many interesting people in Boulder, how can you not keep an eye out for characters?

My favorite restaurants:

1. Crepes a la Carte: They sell crepes, gelato, and wine. What more do you need? Oh yea, free WiFi too!
2. Nepal Cuisine: Family-owned, quiet, and cozy, this place has the best Indian food in Boulder by far, and I’ve tried every place there is. Check out their lunch buffet! All homemade, and affordable too.

My favorite bus drivers:

Since I don’t have a car, I’ve taken the bus on a daily basis for three months now. Quite a few drivers know me by face, and a couple know me by name. For those of you who take the bus, I’m featuring my two favorite bus drivers, so you know to treat them extra-nicely.

Samuel Luna: He offers me homemade tamales, is one of the safest drivers I’ve ridden with, adores his 17 grand-kids, and used to be a professional translator. He’s got a fascinating life story, and is always looking to have good conversation.

Larry Cleapor: He calls me sunshine, always asks how I’m doing, lets me know if I get lost in thought and forget my stop, and has a great sense of humor. He served in the United States Navy, and is a gentleman who rides motorcycles… now that’s a rare mix.

An Exposé on the People of Foraker

And what kind of comprehensive list of my experience in Boulder would be complete without the lowdown on all of my co-workers and bosses? Here it is, the inside scoop. The stuff you only wish you knew about the people who make your websites. The investigative reporting of: The INTERN! Enjoy.

Michael Herring, Senior Front-End Developer
Michael is an acrylic painter on the side and sells his work all over the mid-west. We even have his paintings hanging in our office. He also has a tendency to collect odd hats.

Niki Konkoly, Business Analyst
Niki ran the Cincinnati Flying Pig marathon when she was 20 years old and finished in 4:40. She’s also been on a number of backpacking trips, including weeklong trips on the Appalachian Trail and in the Smokies.

Rhonda Ford, Web Applications Developer
Rhonda grows 125 pepper plants in her garden, including the world’s hottest pepper. She was also an All-State debater in high school.

Josh Riney, Web Applications Developer
Josh is an avid cyclist, and has studied Shao-Lin Kung Fu. He studied anthropology, political science, and international affairs in college, and has no formal training in programming. Everything he knows, he taught himself out of a book!

Stirling Olson, President
Stirling is a licensed pilot, plays ice hockey, and lived in Japan for 3 years while working for Mitsubishi Electric after college.

John Woo, Contract Flash Developer
John is also a 2D animator, and has previously worked on films like The Rugrats Movie and the Dilbert TV series.

Kirby Kana, Creative Director
Kirby used to design aquarium exhibits, and used to pet the moon jellyfish. She also creates custom illustrations that people from all over the country have ordered. Her “celebrity” project was for one of ABC’s Bachelorettes. She is currently working on custom art for a new baby product just out on the market: http://www.pocketlovey.com/

Jake Sutton, Web Applications Developer
Jake has a degree in Aerospace Engineering and can therefore semi-legitimately call himself a “rocket scientist”. He has 9 tattoos, and in college, he hated his computer programming classes with a passion. Since then, he’s come around and now works with computers on a daily basis.

Peter Ko, Web Applications Developer
Peter has had 12 years of Tae Kwon Do training, and is a bo staff master. He has also had home to a zoo: two cats, a dog, two ferrets, and a bunny… all at once.

Yannick Nelson, Project Manager
Yannick went to grade school in France, speaks 3 languages, and also used to teach Israeli and Romanian Folk Dance classes.

Josh Giblette, Art Director
Josh once worked as the Red Robin mascot, and yes, he wore yellow tights with his costume (he received many compliments on his thighs). He was also a competitive inline skater when he was a teenager, and has suffered 15 broken bones.

Michael Ball-Marian, Project Manager
Michael’s first computer was a Timex Sinclair 1000 with a 2k-RAM pack. He also worked for the Peace Corps in Romania for two years where he taught English and computer courses.

Neal Enssle, Director of Technology
Neal speaks fluent German and studied in Berlin for two years. He has been a professional soccer referee, and is a registered online pastor.

Emily Murdock, Administrative Assistant
Emily is an opera singer who performs worldwide. She also knows how to rope Western-style since she used to work at a ranch camp in Wyoming.

Hannah Mokler, Web Applications Developer
Hannah is an avid skier, and has heli-skied on some of the craziest mountains in the country. She received her undergrad degree in Chemistry, specializing in Forensic Chemistry. During her senior year, she interned at the Secret Service in their fingerprint division.

Jennifer Siegfried, Senior Front-End Developer
Jen worked on a Kibbutz (cooperative village) in Israel for 3 months. She also has a form of synesthesia where she sees numbers as colors.

Troy Burke, Web Applications Developer
Troy was a mechanical engineering major in college, and got his first web job by fooling someone into believing that he could build websites. He has also built a house with AC, heat, and cable television… for two cats.

Derek Olson, Vice President
Derek has dissected a human brain for a neuro-anatomy class, and once got his pet rat drunk on whiskey and performed surgery to save its life. He has also dressed in drag for disco parties.

Well! As it’s my last week here, I have to say… this has been an amazing experience, and these are all amazing people. I’ve loved living in Boulder, working here and learning about the web, and it will definitely be a bitter goodbye. I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog series “Through the Intern’s Eyes” and maybe gained some understanding of being an intern, a web designer, and of Foraker Design in general. So long, it was great to be here!