Lastday at Hole's

March, 1998: Earl begins his work at Hole's

Ah, Lastday! When citizens ascend to the heavens in Carousel to be Renewed!

That's my hope, at any rate. Today was my last day at Hole's, the end of a seven-and-a-half year gardening odyssey. During that time I've cowritten hundreds of articles, contributed to over a dozen books, helped produce a handful of short television episodes, and written over a thousand speeches. That's a fair chunk of verbiage, and I'm very grateful to Bruce, Bill, Jim, Valerie, Dave, Ted and Lois for taking a chance on a very green writer. I had a lot of fun, learned about the art and the craft of writing, and helped make a real difference in the lives of my fellow Canadians. Not many jobs can offer that.

I was particularly moved by the generosity of my coworkers, who presented me with a very nice card overflowing with warm thoughts and a hefty gift certificate for Chapters.

But most of all, I have to thank my boss and friend Bruce, who not only gave me an absolutely gorgeous collected Calvin & Hobbes with a personalized bookplate, but with a few simple words helped me understand that my changing relationship with Hole's isn't a calamity, but a brand new beginning, full of opportunity. Bruce took a big risk in hiring me back in 1998, and I'll always be very grateful.

Thanks Bruce! Serial commas rule!

October 21, 2005: Earl's last day at Hole's