Tales of a coffee-holic: Goodbye, Sidney

There are a lot of things I’ll miss about Sidney and quite a few that I won’t.

As I prepare to leave for a new job at the beginning of September and look back on my year here, I’ve learned a ton and met many people who I’ll never forget.

When I arrived here, I was skeptical that I could make any friends and thought that everyone would probably hate me. But I’d like to thank the people of Sidney for (mostly) welcoming me and making me feel at home in what was once a strange and foreign place.

I’ll miss working with all the local officials who were always patient in explaining complicated processes and friendly to a new person who was probably in a little over her head.

I will not miss this infernal wind that manages to make a curly-haired person like myself look ridiculous in seconds after leaving the house. I think the Nebraska wind might have immoral intentions. It always seemed to blow the hardest when I was wearing a skirt.

I will miss my interviews with local law enforcement, who always managed to make me laugh with their off-the-record banter.

I will not miss the over-eager men who frequent certain local drinking holes that seem to think a woman is like a dog who responds to whistles across the room.

I will miss all of the lovely people who work in my office so much. I thought that no one here would ever like me, and you all proved me very wrong. You put up with all the weird noises I make while writing stories, with my random fits of laughter and with my frequent cursing and I thank you for that.

I hope I never forget all that I’ve learned here.

I learned that some portions of murder trials can be very, very boring.

I learned that people here really care about their windows. Sometimes too much. I also learned that old wooden windows such as the ones in my apartment leak air like crazy. I fixed mine with duct tape. I never knew that so many people could get angry about a gravel pit or that old windows could cause such a fuss.

I learned that if you do a good job and work hard, people will generally respect you, which is a nice feeling. I hope it carries on into my future career.

I’ve enjoyed reporting your news this past year, Sidney. Supplying you with what you needed and I wanted you to know it has been a pleasure.

Thanks to all of my supporters who complimented my work and let me know that I was on the right track, and thank you to those who criticized it as well. We all need to know when we’ve messed up. And if you’re a criticizer, at least I know you read the paper.

I might have never thought it possible when I first came here, but I will truly miss Sidney.