No, I’m not saying goodbye to blogging. I’m talking about goodbyes in the workplace. I’ve reached that “final week” in which every day has its own set of “last times.”

Yesterday was my “last Monday” at WXXX. This will be my “last Tuesday.” This week, probably Friday, I’ll edit my “last topical promo,” and by Wednesday or so, I’ll have edited my “last image promo.” Friday evening, I’ll send an email message, “my last email message,” just to tell everyone how much I’ve enjoyed working with them, and that will be perfectly sincere.

Some of my co-workers — you know, I can’t even force myself to seriously adopt “cow-orkers” the way AOL’s Joe used to do — have been good-naturedly referring to me as “short-timer.”

A few friends are meeting me for lunch or dinner at various points along the way this week. Last night I had dinner with an old friend from another station in town who I used to work with back in South Carolina. Today, I’m having lunch with another old friend who works at a different station here in town now. Later this week, my department is taking me to lunch to celebrate. And this weekend, a bunch of folk from the station are getting together for a “farewell dinner.”

(No, that’s not the norm.)

It has been my experience that with most offices, when someone leaves, everyone wants to gather at the local watering hole — and in Richmond there are plenty — and toast the departing with drink. (Not so much with song, these days, but extra drink instead.) It is sometimes the case that people who show up to get smashed say goodbye don’t even know the person all that well; they’re just there because they’re hoping they can become so drunk that they’ll fall all over themselves just join in on the good-natured fun.

But that’s not me.

I’m told that a lot of co-workers will be attending, and that surprises me a little. Not in a false modesty kind of way, but in a sort of surprised, “wow, they’re actually sorry to see me go?” kind of way.

They might ask me to say a few words, which would be unfortunate because it would take time away from eating. Still, I’m trying to come up with something profound. So far, this post is as much as I’ve come up with, but I’ll keep working on it.

While I keep packing.