So long since my last post, and soon so long to Newark

I've had a whirlwind couple of weeks, which is why I haven't updated the blog. I went off to attend a journalism conference in Puerto Rico, returned home to an unpaid, furlough from work, which left me with a lot of time to catch up on housekeeping at home. Time for self-appraisal too.

I will soon be reaching the end of my time at the Star-Ledger, a job that I've enjoyed very much for 4 1/2 years. But it's time to move on. I've accepted a business writing position for a subscription newsletter in Hoboken, and will start there later this month. It's a stable job, about a timely subject.

Before then, I'll have a couple weeks left in Newark, and look forward to writing a few more blog entries about my experiences in the city, and with it's people.

For now, I'll include one small disappointing note: I drove over the Jackson Street Bridge on Wednesday, and noticed trash floating in the Passaic River. Now, that's no surprise. But it was still a sad sight.

I grew up in New York, during a time that you'd never think about swimming in the Hudson or East Rivers. Both were green, and allegedly very dirty. Well, that's changed now. Just look at how many people actually ride kayaks along the water.

I hope the same will be true for Newark's river. School children already have braved the water in boats they built in school this spring, and the city has plans for creating a waterfront park in the Ironbound. However, it will take time before the river is a healthy place again. It's contaminated from a years of industrial waste, and of course, garbage.