For the chaotic final issue of the Fall Semester, Patrick Ayers gave me the “Good Comrade Award.”

The Good Comrade Award is a creation of Patrick’s. He’s only recently started this little tradition, since he’s become Production Manager, the individual directly responsible for the actual production of the newspaper, from the arrangement of the text and photos on the pages to distribution into the stands and onto the Internet. Patrick does most of the layout–placing the text documents and photographs into the actual newspaper file.

You need to know that Patrick is a Socialist, and we all take that with good humor. He has a flyer posted near where he works that reads:

the mass mediaoutpost ofsocialistrevolution

He also stores propaganda under his desk at the office while he’s in class, and then sits at a table during his free periods and tries to sell it. Patrick’s passionate.

Clearly you can see the humor in a socialist being Production Manager, or Chairman of Production, as Patrick has anointed himself on the certificates he awards. And there is a bit of humor in the awards themselves.

Later I asked him why I got it and he said it was because I’d done the production for my own sections, meaning the opinion section and the Dorchester page. Which is logical, since Patrick is Chairman of Production, and is concerned for his area of responsibility. (Editor’s note: The Dorchester page has been discontinued due to staff shortages.)

Evan, the editor of the arts section, had gotten the award the week before; he had received his for being the first section editor to get their copy to production. The award reads: “…for dedication to production, the paper, and Patrick.”

Like I said, there’s a bit of humor associated with the awards themselves, but, then again, there’s a bit of humor associated with every thing here at The Mass Media.

But especcially Patrick, Patrick can be out there, really out there. Yet, that’s why we love him–hell, we’re all eccentric.

Which brings me more to my point.

I wrote a column a while back on my “drunken pirate management philosophy.” The philosophy is that I just sail forward and deal with what lays ahead of me, and I look for gold and prevent mutinies. And I drink. A lot of that column was more or less referring to my leap first attitude. And my drinking.

Well, Patrick has that leap first attitude. Just look at this award he invented.

I remember I had once mentioned an employee of the month award to our former Managing Editor, JP, but he had feared it would raise resentment and create hostile inter-office politics, so I let the idea die.

But, a few weeks ago, at the end of a meeting, Patrick just says, “Hold on everybody,” and he pulls out a sheet of paper with the stylized award printed on it. He announces that he’s started the Good Comrade Award and that Evan has won for the week.

Now that is great in my book. Without so much as speaking to the other editors, Patrick has started an award and appointed himself judge. I love that kind of audacity. And Patrick pulls crazy stunts like that, many requiring forethought and effort, all the time.

I think Patrick may actually be better at the drunken pirate style of commanding than I.

But, heck, Patrick’s actually gonna’ miss this issue because he will be in Mexico when we publish in mid-January.

As I write this, Patrick may be building a well for some small village, or training a battalion of rebels how to handle large caliber firearms. I’m not really sure what Patrick is up to in Mexico, but I’m sure he’s doing a good job. Patrick is passionate about his work; he puts his soul into it. My grandmother would say he wears his heart on his sleeve.

So, I’m going to make a few audacious moves myself, inspired by Patrick, I’m going to suspend the Good Comrade Award for this production cycle, since I will be doing the majority of the layout work and the Chairman of Production is out of the country on a mission for the cause. In its place I am going to present, for this one time, the “Drunken Pirate Management Award.”

Patrick, of course, is the recipient, for his bold audacity in creating a ludicrous award to raise the moral of the troops. As confirmation of this honor, upon Patrick’s safe return from the battlefront, I will buy him a beer or two at our local pub, the Banshee. Cheers, Patrick.