Gainesville — With a heavy heart I write this column as it’s my last in Gainesville. I’ve accepted a position within my company that brings my family close to our immediate families and the place where I grew up.

I could fill several pages with everything I’ll miss about this great town but doing so would render managing editor Darin Allred extremely anxious as our copy deadline looms. Therefore, I’ve condemned myself to brevity with an A–Z list of what I’m taking with me.

A – Absolute Perfection. Karen Cook will settle for nothing less. Every business should maintain her standards.

B – Bosco’s Gym. Where I trimmed my waistline from 44 inches down to 36.

C – Cahoots. Uber progressive store and Paige rocks! Wonder how much money it would take for her to part with that leg lamp?

D – Denton Street. The street I WOULD have lived on had City Manager Barry Sullivan not beat me to a contract on the house I coveted. If you don’t know Barry, go to any city council meeting – he is the one who looks like Conan O’Brien.

E – Everyone is always “fixin” to do something.

F – Four way stop signs. I was just getting the rhythm down so I could make it through without people rolling down their window and yelling at me. And to the woman in the red car who gave me the finger, I know where you work.

G – German Potato Salad. Backstage Café makes the best. Order it on the side with their Club Sandwich – trust me, you will not be disappointed.

H – Haircuts with Barbara Jean.

I – Intense Heat. Where I’m going the temperature NEVER exceeds 100 degrees.

J – Johnny Leftwich. A true Texas gentleman, the pillar of downtown retail and the first person to shake my hand when I arrived to Gainesville.

K - Ken Arterbury. Every publisher needs a community watchdog like Ken to keep him/her in check.

L – Leonard Park. A weekend staple for my 4 year old son. In the past two years, we’ve easily invested $500 on train rides.

M – Mark Denison. I always looked forward to his sermons while sitting in the last row of the balcony at FBC. As I often told him, “You can always count on the cheap seats.”

N – Newspaper. The Gainesville Daily Register. Great staff! Great friends! I’ll miss you all!

O – Oil Pumps. As someone who didn’t grow up around them I can’t help but marvel as they suck money out of the ground. I wish I could have one in my back yard.

P - Pumpkin Shoot. Can’t go into too much detail, but it involves beer, firearms and pumpkins stuffed with gunpowder.

Q – Quick turnaround with driver’s license and tags. I’ve been in and out of those offices in less than five minutes. Anyone who’s spent time in a big city DMV knows Gainesville has it great!

R – Rita Greer, who sold me my house, found renters for my Florida house, will re-sell my Texas house and hook me up with an agent in NY.

S – Spurs. Commonly worn here and everyone accepts it. One can walk around as if they just came off the set of an old Clint Eastwood movie and no one flinches. That’s just totally cool. I’ve put them on and I don’t even own a horse.

T – Train crossing. What’s best is when a long train slows down, stops and starts to go backward.

U – Urban lifestyle. There is something to be said for short commutes, friendly people and having casual conversation with Judge Roane in the bread aisle at Wal-Mart.

V – Valero and Grand Central. My last stop every Friday afternoon before heading home.

W – Window at Sarah’s on the Square. The one with a bullet lodged in it. Great food, great ambiance and a great place to watch Donna Hertel multitask.

X – X-treme pot hole dodging. No, I wasn’t driving drunk – I just created a game of avoiding pot holes.

Y – Yeager. I applaud Don’s over-the-top dedication and work with VISTO – the community’s most noble outreach program. Every week I’ve seen him loading his truck with backpacks for hungry kids. On another subject Don, I also think that song is “annoying.”

Z – Zoobilee, hands down the best party in town!

Thank you Gainesville for all the wonderful memories and God bless.

Armand can be contacted at armandnardi@yahoo.com.