My laundry room is in the basement, near where the furnace is. I don’t mind being in the basement, because the furnace helps to keep it warm and dry down there. The kids have their games, television set, and play room down there, so it isn’t dirty and dingy like some basements. Last week I was doing laundry and forgot the HVAC technician was supposed to be there to service my furnace. When he showed up, I was in the middle of doing laundry. I ran upstairs when I heard the doorbell and let him into the house. I apologized for the mess, but explained it was laundry day. I finished putting clothes in the washer, and headed back upstairs. I’m pretty sure he forgot about the washer being near the furnace until half an hour later. I was getting ready to head back downstairs to flip the clothes when I heard a yelp. The HVAC technician was lying on top of my laundry basket, and he squashed the basket into the pile of clothing. He was laughing and said he had a soft landing. We were both laughing as I gave him a hand getting out of the basket and tried to resurrect my mangled basket. When we both quit laughing, I noticed the mood wasn’t as somber as it was earlier. Laughter was good for turning strangers into friends. We had coffee and cookies as he explained what he had done to the furnace and he promised not to be a stranger. The HVAC technician even asked me out for a drink before he left.