I don't mean to keep spamming natter but it helps me when I'm nervous. First batch through Wichita and we are still here. Lots of more serious storms to our west and more to the south.

eta: Okay, I'm gonna make myself cowboy up and log off the computer (like you are supposed to do in a storm).

Sox, what's the news about my cousin? Tell me!

I am sworn to secrecy for a few days more, and until the parents know.

All ~ma to the Midwest.

Consuela, I wish you could pummel.

Theresa, I completely understand. When they had tornado day in AL (due west of me) I was spamming Natter all night.

I appreciate the updates, Theresa.

I'm watching the press conference from Joplin. NWS changed their rating of the Joplin tornado to an EF5 after determining that there were winds over 200 MPH.

Yeah, it's probably smart to be off the computer, but if you can't, we're totally here for you, Theresa.

Should we provide encouragement, or prayers for your sanity?

Well, it would be supremely unhelpful for me to pummel her. She's in her 60s and is Never Going to Change. Her methodology is basically to take on as much work as she can, do only the parts that make her look good, not tell anyone (i.e., me) what she's doing, delete all evidence that she's not doing as much as she claims she is, never save anything onto the network, and hide the hard-copy files away where nobody can find them.

Oh, and then she'll send out the occasional email making me look like an idiot because I don't know something--because she didn't tell me what she was doing.

I feel like I'm trapped in an episode of Mad Men, where the only way to get ahead is to stab your coworkers in the back. Thankfully, she's the only one here like this, but I am required to have her do a bunch of my projects, and it's like pulling teeth to get updates on anything, or in fact to get her to do the work at all. I am in this horribly passive-aggressive spiral with her.

Ascend, already!, I want to say. But she already did retire, and then came back as a consultant, because her daughter is in college. Bah.

AL, and MO have just prepped me to be all crazy nervous.

I'm watching the press conference from Joplin. NWS changed their rating of the Joplin tornado to an EF5 after determining that there were winds over 200 MPH.

Previously they kept saying 198 MPH, and I was rolling my eyes. Really? You're not going to give them the 2 MPH to make it an F5? Evidently, they recorded it anyway.

I guess I should look at the news and see what is headed here. really don't wanna.

I am spending the night doing job applications. I've been mostly tracking what I've sent out since January and it looks like btw 35-40 that I've sent out. 2 in person interviews and 1 phone interview, 0 offers. bleargh.

I think you're at the very tail of it, msbelle. The worst of it should go north of you.

I hope that means an offer is just right around the corner, msbelle.

Looks like I only have to be nervous until 11pm Central for Wichita. Then this all starts up tomorrow for all the people east of here. I hope Mother Nature gives Joplin a break. Jesus.

etaa: If anyone had a video camera out they had a good shot of me running after a dauchshund that was loose and panicked and running up and down my street. (Please, God don't let me running go viral) But a black car stopped and a little girl got him. It was too far away from me to ask any questions. I felt better that he had a place out of the rain or was with his owners.