I'm leaving The Naperville Sun

1. Lots of free pens: I've got so many pens in my car, my desk and lunchbags, it would make the rubberband man jealous from that Office Max commercial.

2. Riding around in a NASCAR stock car at 163 mph: under my own control, at Joliet Speedway for a promotion. It's not often that people get to drive a car at extreme high speeds--unless they're in a white Bronco--but I was in full-gear with a hangover rounding the track. The most important part of the story was that I didn't exactly tell the truth about my ability to drive stick. I couldn't, but somehow I managed to put it the 4th gear.

3. My own column: Where people can discover how I still randomly call my friends at obscure times of the morning to make them semi-paranoid. It was a chance to share my thoughts on entertainment, a dash of sports, and the public-relations campaign that Naperville is constantly on. It was one of my favorite times of week.

4. "Broke Back Mountain" column: I wrote a column about the movie shortly after it was released. It was supposed to be a straight-man's feelings about publicly attending a film about homosexual love story. The movie was brilliant, but that didn't mean it was easy to attend in public view. I brought my then-fiancee at the time because of my insecurities. Obviously I wrote an honest account about this experience in my column and it generated more hate mail than I can ever recall as a writer here. It was sort of my baptism into the craft.

5. Celebrities: As an entertainment writer, I was privy to meeting numerous celebrities. To boast, I'm not easily star-struck. I always found it easy to talk to people, even popular or important figures. I one time told John Ratzenberger (Cliff from Cheers) that I'd give him a call back because I was eating...I think left-over chicken. Sweet guy. But I was so impressed by Tim Russert's patience and humility around other people. When he visited Naperville, he seemed as excited as the people were about his appearance. It was one of the many pleasant memories I had here.

6. "American Idol": The girl who made Naperville go pop was Gina Glocksen. I covered the Naperville resident's climb to celebrity in the reality TV show. I didn't think it was much work, but it somehow became my most famous work here. I remember reading through emails every morning as if I was conservative radio-show host. The show is that popular.

7. Stories about a little bit, but mean a lot more: It's the Saturday shift and just about no one is in the building. Aside from usual chores as a reporter, I would have to cover the weekend event. A lot of times that meant Ribfest or Last Fling. What that meant for me was, I ended up eating for three hours and writing about it four hours later. Not a bad day at work. Especially during Oktoberfest. The Sun is privy to a sponsorship. So that means I get a beer stein with beer in it. I love being German.

8. Reading: I can say that as a guy in his 20s, I read a lot more than the "Madden", hot-wing, Maxim crowd. I love researching, reading and finally writing. It's probably one the richest experiences as a journalist. More importantly, were the free books I received. You know you've got a perk when, other than paper clips and functional bathroom space, you can read Patricia Heaton's newest book about motherhood...for free!

9. Phone calls: As a reporter, you like to think that people know your name from writing all those articles. Not really. I recently denied entry into the Naperville Police station when trying to sift through the police reports for our weekend blotter. I didn't have identification. I told them my massive head is printed in color every Thursday. Not good enough. I guess people have been going through the reports and calling these offenders at home, asking if they need a lawyer. The funny part about people knowing your name is they often blame you for stuff you didn't even know you did. I received a phone call from an elder woman who was lecturing--better yet, chastizing--me for ruining the city. I was called a muckraker and someone who doesn't have virtues. How could I possibly mock the idea of "Naperville not being the best place to live in the country?"

10. The people: It's really what this job is about. We observe and report on human culture, behavior as it exists, thrives and is destroyed every day. It's true that writers are hard pressed into thinking their observations may change society for the good. It's what we all hope for. No matter what we do, we're hoping it fits into the big picture.

Sure I drank beer at Oktoberfest, played with dolls at American Girl and pried meet from my teeth at Ribfest, but I've also told the story of a disabled woman who became a masterful painter and artist in this city. I've witnessed and documented the impact of a basketball championship for a group of teenage children with mental disabilities. I was there when police came out with a little body bag holding the remains of an unknown child in unicorporated Naperville. To this day, we don't know who the child is.

The Sun has been good to me, and the people have been even better. I hope you might see my name in a few stories in the future as I freelance and hopefully continue my column. My passion for writing won't go easily as I pursue a career in marketing in downtown Chicago.

So as my father always said, "Brush your teeth, clean your hands, say your prayers and don't piss off your mother."

Thanks.