The Burlap Soulmate

There must be something in the air. In the midst of my current stretch of unemployment, I gave my old boss a call, hoping he might have some programming or design work that could make us a few bucks on the side. Turns out my old company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He tried to put a positive spin on it, as he always does, but bankruptcy is never a good thing. He says they will likely sell the Alabama plant as well as the street sweeper product line, which represents a HUGE chunk of enginering time and a lot of money down the tubes. He did say he was very interested in getting some work out of me, but I find it unlikely he will be able to sell that to upper management. Or that any work I do will actually be paid for. Then this morning, I receive a letter from our jeweler (I love saying that, makes us sound like elitist snobs: OUR jeweler) and was informed that he is going out of business and offering his special customers (like us) a chance at some early and significant savings. While this may seem like good news, it is really very sad and tragic. Aside from really liking the guy and not wanting him to endure the heartbreak of losing his business, we're simply not able to take advantage of this very kind offer right now. And how are we going to match Staz's engagement ring with her wedding band if the guy who sold it to us is no longer around? We just really feel bad for him, as he was so very nice to us, and seemed to genuinely share in our joy when I finally picked up Staz's ring and made everything official. In other news, we went ice skating today. That is WE went ice skating today. I not only got Staz but also her mom up on ice skates. (!!) They both did REALLY well for first timers so you should send some congratulations her way. For me, it was so tremendous to be outside with good friends and having so much fun. I really enjoyed doing my best to teach them and watching them make significant progress in a few short hours. As if that weren't enough, her mom was so happy with how well she did, she wants to go again. Too cool. At the moment, I'm tired, cold, stiff, and sore, but I had a blast and hope we can do it again. Maybe next time we won't have to mess with the rented skates.