The Burlap Soulmate

It's been a very interesting week around here. Much of it I will leave to Staz, whose eloquence and writing skill I cannot begin to compete with. But I will address some of the other stuff: I finally received my unemployment check today. Woo hoo. It's not much, but enough to restore our internet (which I use for job hunting by the way) and stock the fridge, which at this moment contains a tub of expired yogurt and some leftover spaghetti sauce. Fortunately, there may not be much need for those checks much longer. I have no less than 3 verbal job offers and one pending. I have a decision to make which may or may not be all that difficult: 1) The front runner:
I get to use 3D cad to design workout equipment. It looks and sounds fun. It's the highest salary offered so far, by a significant margin. The commute is a little far, and theres a lot of construction along the way. But I think I can deal. It's a large stable company with a little satellite office that has a lot of autonomy. They want me to start Monday. I told them I'd think about it. 2) The also ran:
Also using 3D cad. This one makes mill pinions and gear couplings for the steel business. A very successful and stable company. Employee owned. Lots of little perks, stock ownership, bonuses, etc. Money very good, but not as good as above. They were actually the first to make an offer, but official start date is still pending a background check which could take until the end of next week. 3) The old familiar
A company I used to work for found out I was laid off (probably because I called and told them) and offered me my old job. This was a company I had a hard time leaving because I really enjoyed the work, really enjoyed the people, enjoyed everything about it except the money. I never wanted to be one of THOSE guys, where money meant everything. But the truth is, when you can't pay your rent with what you're making, it kind of is, and you need to re-evaluate what you're working for. I would love to go back there since it is a fun product to make and I would be very beneficial to it's success. But I simply can't justify it with the other offers on the table. 4) The pending
Possibly the best offer if it ever happens. I've been told 'it's coming,' just not when or how much. In it, I would be CONSTANTLY on the road, working with automation and vehicle launches for a very stable and profitable car manufacturer. The experience would be great and the money promises to be more than I've ever made. I think it would be a lot of fun. The one and only downside is the travel. They would pretty much own my a$$ and I would be gone three weeks of every four. But we've been discussing it at length, and it may very well be worth it to get us out of this hole we're in. So wish me luck. What a delightful problem to have I suppose. It will most likely come down to a contest between 1 and 4. Again, 4 is not actually on the table as of yet, but is supposed to be soon. If and when it does, you will definitely hear about it.