It was an interesting day in my town yesterday. Big assed thunderstorms rolled through--but in my neighborhood there was a 70-mph microburst. Buildings torn apart at the airport, trees down everywhere. One of the plum trees in my front yard went town, portions of the fence blew out.

Hubby was in the living room when it hit. We have a big window there with a solid middle section and two side windows, which were open. He says the wind was coming in through one window and powering out through the other. The air conditioner in the outbound window was blown out onto a chair on the porch, plus a couple of models he was working on on the far side of the living room got blown out into the front yard.

Then, just as he had the living room windows closed and was breathing a sigh of relief, he realized the noise he was hearing was heavy rain hitting the wall of the hallway after blowing *through* the bedroom. The bed was soaked but is drying--hooray for low-humidity places--only a couple of books got wet, and my computer keyboard should be fine once it dries out.

Lots of trees and power poles down, but no one was seriously hurt. Interesting days.

Holy cow, Connie! I'm glad you're both ok but that sounds like a ton of damage. I had no idea Utah had crazy storms like that.

Cashmere, you have all of my job ~ma this morning. I hope Job Guy LOVES your stuff. (That sounds a little bit porny. Sorry.)

I think you pretty much covered the perfect cc peeps, Nora. Oh, and GO YOU!

Happy Anniversary, Miracleborns!

I just found out that a co-worker's religion bars the celebration of holidays, and thus they co-worker is offended when birthday celebrations are discussed/planned at work.

...well, I did try fleetingly to muster some understanding for the co-worker, but I find myself returning and returning to the opinion that the co-worker is an ass. Getting offended by people discussing the ritual sacrifice of a goat, I guess I could understand. (Although when all our neighbours were slaughtering their Eid sacrifices IN OUR BACK GARDEN, and we were woken by the hacking of bone and the fretful bleating of soon-to-be-steak, I was not offended. Squicked, yes. Offended, no.) Getting offended by people discussing doing something nice for somebody to celebrate their birthday? Really fucking stupid. And possibly jealous. (It's not like they're saying the birthday person get extra points with God, even! Just 'hey, we like you! Today is your day for people doing nice stuff for you!')

In conclusion: let's make out. But not with the co-worker.

Go, Nora!

Go, Cashmere - how can Job Guy help but love your stuff!

Um.... there was something else, but I forgot.

In conclusion, let's all make out with Fay.

I have added our attorney to the cc list.

Much job~ma, Cashmere.

And wow, Connie. That's some impressive weather.

Um, letter~ma to Nora? I must have skipped and skimmed over the back story, but I hope the letter gets the desired response.

::makes out with Fay::

In conclusion: let's make out

Speaking of! My boss and co-worker whose families are friends and who go to the same church were talking about a wedding of a fellow church member that they went to/were in this past weekend where the bride & groom had their first kiss when they were married! And I know that my old boss (who is also a member of their church) first kissed his wife at their wedding. WACKY!

We were talking about this because my boss and co-worker were talking about how after that first kiss the couple was a bit too PDA at the reception. My other non-church member co-worker and I were like Who can blame them! But we all thought the couple should have been given a 1/2 hour or so totally alone after the wedding to be together before having to be out amongst their friends and families.

Not even kissing before getting married! it's so far out of my realm of experience that I can't really begin to imagine what it would be like. I guess it's not really a law or whatever in their church but many couples do it (or don't do It as it were). My boss claims that all the couples like that that he knows are happy afterwards. Also he says that their church is not weird or puritanical about sex.

I did not get into the story here, but basically, I'm tangling with Verizon over a charge that they shouldn't have levied, never took off, sent to collections, and have put on Tom's credit report, despite monthly calls the Verizon Customer Service to get this straightened out. Ginger suggested we write to the president of the company, and I'm drafting the letter with the giant cc list to others in the organization, our lawyer, the media, and the BBB.

Nora, while you're cc'ing it to here and beyond, put tips@consumerist.com on the list as well.

Thanks, Amy, it's on the list.

Have also called our attorney, since we are bandying about talk of legal action and cc-ing her.