Up, up and away: Man loses $12K engagement ring in helium balloon

As almost everyone has, I've done some dumb things in my time, and when I travel down Stupid Memory Lane, it's never a pleasant journey. In fact, even now, I'm starting to feel lousy.

That's why, boy, it's always nice to learn about someone who has done something even more boneheaded than anything I've ever imagined to accomplish. Reuters reported this story just a few weeks ago and it makes me chuckle every time I think about it. I thought I'd share it here in case you missed it:

London resident Lefkos Hajji, 28, came up with an admittedly brilliant idea of putting an engagement ring inside a helium balloon. His thinking was that she could pop the balloon as he popped the question. And this was quite a ring -- worth $12,000, and apparently we're talking dollars and not pounds or euros.

So our friend Lefkos leaves the jewelry store with the engagement ring hidden in the balloon, intending to go see his girlfriend, Leanne, 26 years old.

Unfortunately, as soon as he left the shop, some wind -- blast of a draft -- swept through the city. Suddenly, the balloon slipped from Lefkos' hand, and the next thing he knows, he's watching the balloon -- with the apparently uninsured $12,000 ring inside -- drift upward. Moments later, it was far above the skyline.