Oh, Stephanie, I am so glad you and yours are safe, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes. How utterly terrifying.

I've got a high school friend and her family in the thick of that right now as well who are posting pictures from the backyard. I don't miss fire season. It's scary shit.

Porch wine night. White sangria provided by a local bar owner who came out to hang (I really should start hitting his bar, but it is all of 15 minutes away in SE B'more! m My nurse neighbor moonlights there.) Anyway, lots of fun and I met some new folk (boy with puppy who loves me! Puppy, not boy. Airedale puppy. Boy has boy life partner.) Unfortunately, my stomach just decided no shortly after I called time for me and came home. Sometimes happens when wine+guac, I guess it is the fats and acidity. Good news: No chance of hangover? Bad news: I don't like barfing, even if I feel better after.

I have awesome family. I think I would make a good parent and am fairly arrogantly confident of that and that if I landed in the role, I would love it and not resent it (the fact that my friend's daughter's complaint about me was that I was just like her mom tickled me to no end, because yeah, still have the chops.) But right now and for the foreseeable future, I don't WANT to be a parent. I guess it could change, but I don't see that happening given my current drift. My choice.

ION, I got a raise and a pay-promotion from my company (I'm technically a subcontractor.) Oddly enough, I'd just posted to fb about my dithering on calling myself a scientist. My new payroll designation? Senior Professional Scientist. With a mere BS. Snerk. Almost 7% raise. After taxes, that's probably an extra $nnn a month. Can't complain.

OK, so SOME of the sangria processed before the barforama.

sara, congratulations on the promotion and raise, you senior professional scientist!

Go Senior Professional Scientist go! I mean, better than being an unprofessional scientist. :)

Stephanie, that is so scary!! I'm glad you're OK, and hope everything keeps being ok.

I smell like dog. Which explains why the cats are so weird and smelling me and just being...weird.

The position title is just a bunch of words. Holds no real meaning in my actual workspace besides $$, but sorta funny with the timing.

I put some pictures in Facebook.

The kids know there is a fire. I feel like I've been a bad parent tonight because I'm tense and I've been not focussed on them. But I'm sort of afraid to go to sleep even though I know that's irrational. And I signed up for reverse 911 just in case.

I think it is pretty reasonable, how you are. You are focussed on them: their safety. Even if they don't get it.

Goodness, Stephanie, those pictures are terrifying.

We made this offer to another of our Colorado Springs friends, but I think he's headed to Michigan anyway, and I know you probably have other resources, but if you need it, our house is totally available for you to evacuate to. We're out of it for the summer, and the door has a keypad, so we could easily give you access without being there.

Congrats, sarameg, that's awesome!

We had a great night with burgers and margaritas with our old friends ourselves. We were breaking in their brand new patio and pergola. We stayed way too late, reminiscing about good times and bad, and poking old wounds to get them healing, and laughing and laughing. It was marvelous, and really good for us.

Thanks, Liese. I hopE it doesn't come to that but they are saying it will take weeks to get this under control.

I need to just put down my phone and go to sleep.