Op-Ed
Tequila Sunset
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A tequila sunrise is a great way to start your day. Now, drinking in the morning is not something I do or condone or think is in any way acceptable. But, if the situation seems appropriate, and you’re in the mood, then why the hell not. You’re only in college for four years. So indulge.
It is not until now, three years after I started writing this column, that I realized that you can make a fairly appropriate pun on The Sun with my moniker, “Tequila Sunrise.” How fantastically apt. A sunrise and a sunset. And a beautiful day in between.
Sun Podcast: A podcast is available for this column. Click here to listen to or to download it.
The Sun is the best thing that happened to me. The people I met here, the things I got to do, the doors it opened for me. I mean, I got to put out an entire frickin’ page in Spanish! Turning this into El Cornell Daily Sol for un día is one of my proudest moments. Because — and I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed — I’m Mexican. You’re surprised, of course. I actually feel that I don’t brag about it enough. A huevo!
All I ever wanted to do, dear reader, is give you something funny to read, something different, something to make you crack a smile for a short moment in your day. If you enjoyed reading these half as much as I enjoyed writing them, then I did my job. Thanks for reading. It’s been an absolute pleasure to write for you guys. Hope you liked it.
And now for the overwhelming display of gratitude and affection. I have to restrict this list to Sunnies only. All those not on here (i.e. non-Sunnies), you know where you can find me. I’ll say goodbye in person and probably hug you too long. Then we’ll proceed to the tequila. Of course.
Erica, I couldn’t have found Lupe a better mother. Fifty years from now, I’ll still be saying what an honor it was to work with you. I look up to and respect you more than anyone else at Cornell. Sunny nights, E. Mike, it’s a miracle that out of me, you and the office, all three are still standing. That summer was invaluable. It gave me one of the best friendships I’ll ever have, which, in turn, led me into one of the best experiences I’ll ever have. God bless. Per, compadre, a gentleman and a rogue, I know how you despise the schmaltzy stuff, so I’m just going to say it and then we’ll move on and pretend it never happened. Thanks for being everything one can possibly hope for in a friend and then some. I can’t wait to start breaking stuff with you again.
Jonny, Juanes, Jon, bro, amigo, my kid brother on The Sun. Yes, do the old man a favor and add the brother. Still and forever incredibly proud of you. Fleming, we will probably end up killing each other, and it will probably be by accident. But it certainly would make a fitting end to a great friendship. Testa, your rapist — I mean, rakish — wit will be sorely missed. You are an irreplaceable paradox of the intellectual and the lowbrow. Tim, shake’n’bake, baby. I always feel cooler when I’m walking down the street with you. Good man. Dwyer, the most exuberant of exuberants. Your joie de vivre and enthusiasm always make the office and the bar a better place.
Liv, in an office full of characters, you are perhaps the most underrated one. In the words of the immortal James Lipton, you are a delight. Kyle, if we somehow end up at the same law school … wow. That poor city. I don’t even want to think about it. Tsao, I think the highest praise I can give you is that you’re everything a Sunnie should be. Last year you said we needed to find a team to root for. Let’s Go Red? Becca, the only thing that can almost match your dedication is how colorful you are. Sometimes, you even almost made me feel bad about stealing everyone to play Beer Pong. Almost.
Temel and Eric, thanks for believing in me. Zach, my mortal enemy. I’m really sorry you lost your job to a Mexican last year. Those bastards. Mascaro, who, despite flooring me once, always remains an enjoyable punching bag. Owen, Erica Stein and Andy Guess for setting the bar so high. The irascible Schroeder for hopefully learning, despite my best efforts, to love Mexicans.
Emily, you were always there before moving to D.C. for the semester. Miss you tons. Perlin, who tries mightily to be Terry Tate. I’m rooting for you, kid. Mark Rice, who loves to speak Spanish when drunk more than I do. Matt, who actually had me looking forward to Thursday nights at the office. And, of course, Ali P., who has as sweet a smile and as great a hug as anyone else in this school.
The opinionators, especially Missy, Mark, Carrie, Paul, Jackie, Behzad and Doug. Thanks for making this the best job on campus. The new kids, particularly Molly, Noah, Nate, Dave, Lance, Harrison and Rebecca Beth, all of whom I am sure will continue the storied tradition of Daily Sun shitshows. Lauren, who I can always count on for a smile and a hug, and never fails to make my day better. Goldman, with whom I’ve worked little but drank lots. Weitz, who talks a hell of a talk and then cowers a hell of a cower. Pepper, who, despite his hubris, always finds ways to get it extremely, catastrophically wrong. The immensely gifted Bonow, with whom I now have more in common than before. SHoutout to Natalie and Eric, part of a group full of truly awesome people. Julie G., ZZ, Katy, Claire, Amy G., Jules, Rebecca T., Vanessa, anyone I forgot. It’s one hell of a paper.
And it’s one hell of a school. It’s tremendous. And I hope to always be back, always be around, because I’m so proud of this, of being a part of Cornell. I’m proud that I can call its students my friends, its teachers my mentors, its community my alma mater. Cornell has been so good to me. So good. Those of you fortunate enough to be here for another stretch, take advantage of it. There’s so much you can do, and all you have to do is get up and do it, do something, one thing, anything, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do it. And I promise you, your life will be so much richer for it. Those of you like me, graduating less than a month from now, please step back and take a moment to appreciate this wonderful thing called college. More importantly, take a moment to, for the last time in a while, be with your friends. Next time you’re out, look at them joking, smiling, laughing, singing badly, making merry, always enjoying the immense pleasure that is each others’ company. And realize how good it is that you feel so damn sad. It wouldn’t have been worth it otherwise.
And what makes leaving easier is knowing that all of my friends, all of you guys, the merry band, the happy few, all of you who made Cornell special, will always be around. I can’t wait for the hockey game in November, the reunions every few years, and the one or two, or — God willing — several points in our lives when you and I happen to be in the same place, and we can sit down and have a beer and a chat and talk about the old times. The good times. The Cornell times.
Gracias. Y adios.
Carlos Maycotte is The Sun’s former Associate Editor. He can be reached at cam98@cornell.edu. Tequila Sunrise appeared every Thursday.
Originally published May 3