The holiday, which falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday, commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion and death at Calvary.

Now I have another reason to remember the day, as it will be my last at Saratoga Today.

Over the past two years, I’ve written hundreds of articles on various topics. My primary beats were education and arts and entertainment, but I also covered cops, business, environmental, health and general news in my time at the paper.

In a previous column I mentioned that I’d be moving to North Carolina in the not-too-distant future. Although I’m not getting married until June, I’ve decided to head down south now.

I’m not particularly fond of overlong farewells or weepy goodbyes. So instead, I’ve composed two lists.

The first is everything I’ll miss about Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region. The second is all the things I’m looking forward to.

I’ll Miss:

• Listening to WEQX, which may

  be the best radio station ever

• Bonfires with Kirby and the gang

• Lounging around with my

  roomates, Rick and Jeff

• Karaoke at Maxie’s with Rita and

  Gina

• The jukebox at Desperate Annie’s

• Enjoying cheap beer and a few

  games of darts with co-workers on

  Fridays after work at The Bullpen

• Late-night runs to Esperanto for a

  slice of pizza and a dough-boy

• Great, cheap shows at Jack Rabbit

  Slims, King’s Tavern and

  Northern Lights

• Yaddo

• Getting a wholesome, delicious

  meal at a reasonable price at Jitters

  Café

• Watching movies at the Malta

  Drive-In and Spectrum 8

• The feeling I got right after I’d

  finish writing an article,

  especially the last one of the week

  on a Thursday afternoon

• This may sound vain, but seeing

  my name and work in print

  weekafter week

I Look Forward To:

• Living with my fiancée, Jen

•  Planning the last leg of our

  wedding in the same state

• Our wedding

• Our honeymoon in Greece

• Living in a new, warmer state

• Winters and snowfall that are

  nothing like those of Upstate

  New York

• The lower cost of living

• Cheaper gas prices

• Starting a new job in a

  different field

• A less stressful schedule

• Meeting new people

• Finding new hangouts,

  dives, venues, etc. to frequent

• Finding new local bands to

  interview

• My Web site, which is currently

  in the works. Try googling the

  name of my column in about a

  month or so

• Starting a band

• Freelancing

• Writing fiction again. I’ve already

  got an idea for a screenplay and a

  novel

I hope people have found my articles to be objective, informative and entertaining. Thanks for reading.