Well, It Is Take-Out-The-Trash Day ...

Though I’m a staunch defender of Chicagoist’s editorial we, and abhor anything that smacks of grandstanding, I’m also not without an ego. So permit me a brief indulgence as (per precedent) I take a moment to rock some first-person singular and say goodbye.

It is with a heavy heart that I leave the Ist-a-verse this week for a job in the big, bad MSM. I’ll be working behind the scenes at Time Out Chicago as its Web Editor, which means I’ll be making their site as hot-shit as Chicagoist is, though I won’t be able to drop as many references to comic books, Kicking and Screaming, and obscure figures from rock and roll history.

Over roughly 800 posts, I’ve been lucky enough to have both a long leash and a smart, witty, responsive audience that’s provided both cheers and jeers, when necessary. I thank you, our readers, for that, as you’ve helped make me a better writer.

Thanks also to Rachelle (and Margaret who I’ll be sharing office space with on Monday) for giving me the opportunity a couple years ago; to the other writers of Chicagoist who’ve provided me with a better education about living in Chicago in just over two years than I ever had in my twenty-(redacted) years previous; and to the many people I’ve met in my time here, both online and off, who’ve changed my life immensely, both professionally and personally.

Though I wouldn't think of missing Ctrl – Alt – Rock v. 2.0 next month (and neither should you), my last official Chicagoist act will be this coming Tuesday, the 30th, at Schubas. I’ll be moderating a discussion between two men much smarter than me called “What Can Blue Do For You: The 2006 Elections and U.S. Foreign Policy”, presented by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, as part of their Globally Occupied Attention Series (or GOAt). I was asked to do this gig by some folks who saw me do this, so I’m at a bit of a loss to explain their motivation. Click here to register. Please come by, check it out and have a few beers. It’s a great organization, and I promise to try and work in a dick joke or two.

Dignity, people. Always dignity.