Raise high the roof beam, carpenters

Another dear colleague is leaving my place of employment.

EPH was the first person at the Web site who really reached out to me. We had a few key things in common: We'd both come from a newspaper, we both had a long history of singing in choirs, and we both enjoyed a beer on occasion. The first time EPH emailed me, I had no idea who he was. When I confessed this, he replied with something like, "I'm the tall guy in the corner." I looked up, and we waved at each other.

Since then, we've had lunch together once, gone for much-needed coffee breaks a couple of times, patted ourselves and each other on the back for clever headlines, assigned tickers to our peers, done a number of shots, attended a health fair together, traded toothbrushes acquired at said health fair -- for he'd received a pink one, and I a blue one -- and exchanged countless instant messages covering topics both inane and weighty. I'm going to miss the hell out him.

We all kind of want to smack EPH in the mouth for leaving us, but at least this time we have the comfort of knowing a colleague we adore is leaving for the best reason: love.

This weekend, EPH, Rock and Roll Grammarian celebrates you.