End of an Era

Tomorrow is my last day at my current company. I've been there for seven years, three months, and two weeks. No wonder people keep telling me it's "the end of an era." Despite any unhappiness I've felt — particularly in recent months — it's hard to deny that I'm really going to miss it. Well, maybe not the work itself, but the intangible things for sure. After all, when you spend that long at one place, you get really used to it. All of it. The routines, the people, the ups and downs, and the constants. And I've surely got no shortage of those:

* I'll miss taking the T to and from work every day. It wasn't always fun, but it afforded me a lot of reading time, particularly when I started taking the B line back in April. But I'll also miss the folks I commuted with, like the guy with all the figurines and the guy I call "Albino Guy," who kept the same schedule I did. I will not, however, miss the girl with the annoying laugh that could pierce the silence and ruin a peaceful morning commute.

* I'll miss the regular after-work walks from the office, through the Common and the Gardens, down Newbury or Boylston St., and to the Hynes Convention Center T stop.

*I'll miss seeing the old guy in front of Macy's handing out the Metro, and the guy in the mobile post office.

* Of course, I'll miss the lunch places I frequented, like Sam LaGrassa's, the Kingston Deli (reborn as Deli One), and Susan's Deli, Of Course (yes, "Of Course" is part of the name). I'll particularly miss the chocolate chip cookies at Susan's, which were always this side of being raw and were the best cookies in the area. And I'll definitely miss eating at 1 p.m. every day with my BFAW, Cat.

* I'll miss saying "good night" to the guard in the lobby every night, and chatting with Benny, the guy who cleans up at night, who often remarked about how I was always there so late.

* Speaking of which, I'll miss working late. No, not because I'll miss working late — more because I really enjoyed the camaraderie I had with those who also worked those hours with me.

* I'll miss my "secret bathrooms." In our old building, it was on the third floor and in our current building it's on the bottom floor. You know what I mean: the lightly-trafficked bathroom where you can do your thing in peace. I always felt like George on Seinfeld when he had his own private handicapped bathroom. No, I didn't really need the privacy. But I was amused, because I could have it, and because I called them my secret bathrooms.

* Finally, I'll miss some of the fun things I introduced (not always successfully) to the culture here at work. Stuff like Argyle Wednesday and Tie Thursday. And of course, the "Martin Moment."

It's going to be a real transition when I start the new gig after New Year's, and I'm ready and excited for the change. But these things and others I will really miss.