At the Sun, the newsroom reminded me more of a journalistic playground.  Always a bit of rough and tumble, shouts echoing over cubicle walls, good-natured ribbing that could easily be offensive without a thick skin.

    Perhaps some would object to news editors (who shall remain nameless) threatening to hurl boots at staff writers (me) who don't agree with their editorial advice, but at the Sun, it worked. If nothing else, it kept you on your toes because moving targets are harder to hit. (Note:  No staff writers were harmed in the making of the Morning Sun.)

    But through it all, the comradeship and professionalism of the Sun turned out a surprisingly good newspaper for the size of the staff and community.

    I'm proud of the work I did there and I wouldn't trade the training and experience I received at the Sun for any other opportunity.

    What first struck me at the Daily News is how quiet the newsroom seems.  It's strange for me to write without a police scanner blaring in my ear, a discussion of the background of the latest political debate in the next cubicle, creating white noise, and someone shouting for a fact check on deadline.

    I'm less inclined to be injured by a co-worker in a neighborly dispute and far less likely to hear my writing dragged through the mud in pursuit of a better article at the Daily News, but the professionalism, camaraderie and integrity that the Sun newsroom exemplified shines here as well.

    Most of the nervousness and anxiety have dissipated as I settle in at my desk, but I'm still waiting for the boot to come sailing over the wall.

    Ian Patrick Gray is weekend editor of the Daily News. He is married with three stepkids, living in Mt. Pleasant, and while not working on deadline, pursues his own frustrating dreams of being a best-selling novelist. You can contact him at (989) 839-4236 or by e-mail at igray@mdn.net.