… got twisted upside down.

Last Tuesday I was laid off. Not a terrible thing, I had been wanting to look for a new job for a long time before that. I was given 2 weeks notice before that, and a decent severance, and I had an emergency fund built up, so it wasn’t a problem. Still, those two weeks were busy, finishing up work, reaching out to contacts about new employment, etc.

Coincidentally, while my last day was Tuesday, I was scheduled to leave Thursday morning for a weekend trip in the Southern California desert. I just got back, and it was a blast. On Thursday, after I arrived at my hotel for the night before heading out into the desert, I was joking online about what major event would happen over the weekend (besides the End of the World). See, things like wars tend to start whenever I go on vacation.

Sunday afternoon, a massive tornado ripped through the city of Joplin, Missouri. About 75% of the city of 50,000 is reportedly leveled. At least 120 confirmed dead so far, only 24 hours later (and sure to rise).

My family lives in Carthage, a suburb of Joplin and a few miles away. Thankfully they’re OK and safe. I’ve been talking with them since I got back to my hotel Sunday evening.

Monday, during the drive back to Reno, I had some time to think, and decided to get out there to help with the relief efforts. I had originally planned to start pursuing jobs when I got back from vacation, but I’m fairly unattached right now and can afford to put my life on hold for a few weeks or months. I did have a consulting project I was going to begin work on tomorrow, but it’s an exploratory audit and not time sensitive, and I was able to push that back a few weeks (sorry Rob!) Otherwise, I’m pretty free now and feel like I can make a difference.

So tomorrow will be figuring out how to wrap up my life for a semi-temporary leave of absence, and Wednesday morning I plan on beginning the drive to Joplin, hopefully making it there by the end of Thursday. Friends and family can follow my status or get in touch with me: