End of an Era

I'm home from work early today, because it was my last day. I came home and looked back at my Today Page entry for January 11, 1999:

Good day . . . yes, I went to work today. I really, really liked it. The people are cool, the place is nice, the work seems interesting . . . and I'm getting paid . . . what more could I want?

And I did like it, very much, especially for the first year. Things did change a lot after that, and I haven't been doing that same job for a very long time, but I sure learned a whole lot over the last three-and-a-half years. It was my first real job after grad school. I've been there through three layoffs, five different supervisors, and thousands of projects. I learned so much about working in a corporate setting -- and also learned that maybe it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life.

The best part was that I made two wonderful friends while I worked there, the kind of friends you keep after the job is long gone. Clarissa, who left last year, and Amanda, who took me to On the Border for lunch after I turned in my badge today. I feel so lucky to have met them both!

So, goodbye to B. Now that's just another exit off the highway to me...