End of the line

Friday will be my last day at the paper. I met this afternoon with my boss and the publisher, and we've reached a deal that makes all of us happy.

I leave in a relatively comfy position, and I leave early enough for them to transition quickly toward a new city editor.

I wrote a lengthy version of this blog entry, describing my real feelings and all the crazy backstory. But I realized that A) the Internet is a bad place to air these kinds of things and B) it's not as bad as I was making it sound.

What's important is that I have time and resources to really focus on finding my next job and making sure it's an opportunity Karen and I will both enjoy. Also, I leave on good terms with the publisher, who said he will never forget what I accomplished for a paper.

But if you know me, you know that this has been a difficult and often frustrating arrangement for months. Ending it is a good idea.

Now, with four days left, I wonder how I'll feel next Monday, the first time I will have been unemployed since January 2000.

Something tells me I'll feel pretty good.