28 = Magical Number

Casa de Skim would like to take this moment to recognize the number 28 as the Official Numero of Casa de Skim. Of what mighty significance does this numero play in the awe-inspiring awesomeness of this site? Allow me to explain...

The number eight has long followed me. Initially it would appear the number belonged moreso to my sister than I because she was born on August 8, 1980, which put her eighth birthday in 1988. To my knowledge that's where the number ends for her but for me it's continued to pursue me. Things of life changing significance tend to happen most to me whenever there is an eight around somewhere. Ditto the number two in My Fair Lady's life.

When we met the first time it proved to be a disaster. It was awkward and bland and she and I were the only ones at the party that actually spoke to one another and we both left individually and never looked back. This would be in December of 2001. Fast forward two months to February and on the final Wednesday of the month at a group event where we hit it off. I asked her out the next day for that weekend and we've been together ever since. The day I asked her out?

February 28, 2002.

When we were looking at possible wedding dates we had a slew of options including September 11. The moment that date came up there were some discussions about it but I looked a little further back in the calendar and found the perfect one.

August 28, 2004.

I left my most recent job on the 28th of June and started the following week at a place that I plan to make some sort of career out of. The potential of this start-up is literally through the roof and I lucked into the sort of position you don't get everyday. We're in a profit sharing program and once the profits start rolling in then we're granted a percentage based on how involved we are per trade show we're involved with. As the Director of Technology I'll find myself involved in literally every trade show we do for the forseeable future. Hello, payday.

This past week, My Fair Lady took the bar exam and by all accounts is "cautiously optimistic" about how she did. We don't find out until November sometime as to what the results were but I believe firmly that she passed. One graduate from Harvard who received the highest grade on the bar of his class famously began a speech thusly:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I stand here today as an example of a wasted effort."

His point was that you only need a D+ to pass and he busted out something around 900. Employers may applaud that extra mile but you can rest assured the simple fact that you passed is fine enough by itself.

So we're out of the house all day this past Saturday and when we get home we check the mail to find a letter from the Big Downtown Law Firm that My Fair Lady wanted to work for. All indications were that she would receive an offer letter. It wasn't so much a matter of "if" but "when" however she was extremely nervous all the same. As it turns out, this letter was the one contained in the envelope I pulled out Saturday night. As I read the letter to her, the tears of joy and excitement streamed forth from her eyes and it felt like vindication for the endless struggles she's endured for the past decade. She's wanted to be an attorney for almost as long as she's been alive, and here it was laid out for her in black and white. We made the effort for her to sign and seal the letter that night and I drove her to the post office then and there. She was excited about dropping the envelope in the mail and when they call her tomorrow to confirm her start date I can imagine her jumping so high her head gets stuck in the ceiling.

The result of this letter and her signing on with them is the end to a saga that has had more twists and turns than a pretzel factory. We can finally start paying off the credit cards, get her back on insurance, take care of a hundred different things we've needed to do for the past three years but haven't been able to afford it, and so forth. In addition to the money, there is the simple potential for her to become what she has always wanted and so richly deserved: A high powered attorney at law. I'm tremendously proud of her, and know she's going to kick nine kinds of butt at this firm as she helps build up their real estate division. The date on Saturday was July 29.

They mailed out the letter one day prior.