ecember began in typical form ~ snow, sleet and other signs foreboding Mother Nature's change of season. I was braced for what would be a third winter, exiled to either my abode or office with little contact with anyone outside my daily sphere of influence, which was shrinking with each passing month.
Despite having being armed with a team of lawyers in the front lines, bearing threatening warnings of the liabilities that cessation of business could create for our uncooperative contract partners, the dispute could not be settled and it culminated in a complete separation. Mine was the job of winding up a company with just short of a decade of unprecedented acclaim and success for a venue in a community of this size under its belt. I didn't relish the task of delivering news that we'd been forced to close our doors. Nor was it at all satisfying to acknowledge that all reasons for having pulled up roots in another territory to relocate to this region was for naught and all stability was sloughing away like sand under foot.
I would postpone releasing the staff until the last day of the year, concerned that unemployment beforehand would place a palor on any of their holiday celebrations. The staff had been a willing and cohesive force, supportive and eager to take on the challenge and exceeding expectation in many an instance. Rather, I began a systematic process of contacting other operations within the area and pitching them to hire my key employees. The last was reassigned two weeks prior to Christmas.
My own situation was no more comforting. First, DF had failed to sign a quitclaim on my home, and therefore I had no ability to sell it until I had his trusty signature. I buckled down for what would, most likely, be a bumpy ride and a very bleak immediate future. As the proverbial captain not expected "to abandon the ship" I was responsible for the wind up, which would take at least a fair number of months, if not more and with no remuneration until all company assets had been sold. This would call for more tightening of the belt, personally, and seeking comfort in the prospect of better in the future.
My search for information that would lead me to Doug was well underway by the early days in December, and I had formulated a goal to have it complete before the end of the year so that I had something to look forward to as well. I became the consummate web-crawler, reading anything and everything I stumbled upon. I delved into SEC filings of corporations in Tallahassee, reading all of the 10Ks, 8Qs and 14As that might list names of shareholders and trustees. Minutes lapsed into hours, hours into days, I navigated Cyber space for a clue, or anything that would help to solve the mystery of his name, company or location.
Meanwhile, I kept a close eye on ILW to see if Doug would appear there as if by some miracle. That's when I noticed that a current and active ILW member used similar vernacular, grammar, sentence structure and syntax.
Despite having being armed with a team of lawyers in the front lines, bearing threatening warnings of the liabilities that cessation of business could create for our uncooperative contract partners, the dispute could not be settled and it culminated in a complete separation. Mine was the job of winding up a company with just short of a decade of unprecedented acclaim and success for a venue in a community of this size under its belt. I didn't relish the task of delivering news that we'd been forced to close our doors. Nor was it at all satisfying to acknowledge that all reasons for having pulled up roots in another territory to relocate to this region was for naught and all stability was sloughing away like sand under foot.
I would postpone releasing the staff until the last day of the year, concerned that unemployment beforehand would place a palor on any of their holiday celebrations. The staff had been a willing and cohesive force, supportive and eager to take on the challenge and exceeding expectation in many an instance. Rather, I began a systematic process of contacting other operations within the area and pitching them to hire my key employees. The last was reassigned two weeks prior to Christmas.
My own situation was no more comforting. First, DF had failed to sign a quitclaim on my home, and therefore I had no ability to sell it until I had his trusty signature. I buckled down for what would, most likely, be a bumpy ride and a very bleak immediate future. As the proverbial captain not expected "to abandon the ship" I was responsible for the wind up, which would take at least a fair number of months, if not more and with no remuneration until all company assets had been sold. This would call for more tightening of the belt, personally, and seeking comfort in the prospect of better in the future.
My search for information that would lead me to Doug was well underway by the early days in December, and I had formulated a goal to have it complete before the end of the year so that I had something to look forward to as well. I became the consummate web-crawler, reading anything and everything I stumbled upon. I delved into SEC filings of corporations in Tallahassee, reading all of the 10Ks, 8Qs and 14As that might list names of shareholders and trustees. Minutes lapsed into hours, hours into days, I navigated Cyber space for a clue, or anything that would help to solve the mystery of his name, company or location.
Meanwhile, I kept a close eye on ILW to see if Doug would appear there as if by some miracle. That's when I noticed that a current and active ILW member used similar vernacular, grammar, sentence structure and syntax.
They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly,
But bear-like I must fight the course
~ Macbeth, Shakespeare
But bear-like I must fight the course
~ Macbeth, Shakespeare
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