Everyone’s Telling “Chase Stories”
While putting out the latest fire(s) today, I find myself asking Chase more questions in a single day than I ever have before.
I guess it’s all the prospect of him not being just a desk away really sinking in, causing me to panic and just ask him about something, as opposed to take the (extra) time to figure it out for myself.
I joked with him earlier this afternoon that I’d be stuck to his leg, crying like a four year old deathly afraid of being left at daycare as he tried to leave the building tonight. It’s not a unique sentiment.
His laughter was a mixture of amusement and fear that I wasn’t joking, I think.
At Chase’s Farewell Lunch, a few people were telling Chase stories and I decided to tell mine:
When Chase first interviewed me, I was slightly nervous and still unsure that I would even seriously consider an offer, much less a job with Mozilla Corporation.
We began talking, and the conversation flowed back and forth freely. At one point, he asked “What do you read to stay on top of developments in the release engineering field?”
“Slashdot, of course,” I immediately answered. “Uhh… I like reading JoelOnSoftware.” He abruptly stopped me; “What’s his last name,” he asked?
“His last name?”
“Yes, his last name.”
“Spolsky?”
He smiled his unmistakable Chase-smile, and said “Yeah, that’s right.”
For whatever reason, at that point, the interview changed somehow. The tone became lighter and the nervousness melted away.
As he began asking technical questions—”How do you create a tag in CVS,” and the like—it got to the point where he would ask a question, and then immediately say “Oh, you know that,” and move on to the next question.
He finished the interview by showing me all the build machines and the server room downstairs, and it was at this point that I realized that these were the type of people I wanted to work with.
Chase: it’s been a genuine pleasure working with you. You’re a patient, understanding, and expert teacher and made coming to work fun.
I assure you that of everyone’s amount-they’ll-miss-you per time-they’ve-known-you ratio, mine is the highest. 
Good luck, friend!