In fact, you can blame the fact that I've nursed a twenty year passion for meteorology and weather geekiness on the chicken pox.
I missed the entire first week of third grade, which meant that when the time came for me to start school I was seated in the back of the class with the only other girl who was as nerdy as I was- she was stuck sitting next to me as my interest in weather developed. It was the last week of August, 1995, and the Atlantic hurricane season was smashing previous benchmarks. A record four storms (Humberto, Iris, Jerry, and Karen- I can still remember the names!) churned in the basin at once, and I was hooked. Perhaps I was feverish, but I was entranced by the rotating rainbow colors of the radar maps.
Babysitters would joke about how avidly I waited for the tropical update on the Weather Channel- it was always at :50 past the hour- and I insisted on watching the elderly John Hope describe what was going on with hurricanes and typhoons all over the world. My peers & cousins teased me, but my parents were kind enough to indulge me by getting me the grainy Weather Channel documentary "The Enemy Wind" for Hanukkah that year. Coincidentally, Twister was released in 1996, and I insisted that the entire family attend. Dusty will ALWAYS be my favorite Philip Seymour Hoffman role, and I have a feeling that Cary Elwys still regrets having to affect that Texan drawl.
Oh, and the special effects were incredible, too- there were flying cows!
Jo: [cow
flies by in the storm] Cow.
[cow flies by in the storm]
Jo: 'Nother cow.
Bill: Actually I think that was the same one.
[cow flies by in the storm]
Jo: 'Nother cow.
Bill: Actually I think that was the same one.
If you're near the age of 30 (as I am), then you'll remember how coolly nonchalant Jo was. I know I didn't exactly understand the tension between Bill and Jo, or Melissa's conversations with her patients at the time, but as an adult they seem to make much more sense.
Speaking of turning 30...that's why I've started this blog. I'm turning 30 next July, and my 30th birthday present to myself is to fulfill my decades old dream of seeing a tornado in person...preferably one that spins genteelly in the middle of a field...not hurting people, property, or cows. Additionally, I'll be continuing my annual birthday tradition of fundraising for a chosen organization. Next year's fundraising theme will be appropriate to this aspiration I've had since I was 9: I plan to fundraise on behalf of a nonprofit that supports disaster relief.
My chasing trip is booked for the first week of May, 2016. I plan on live blogging my tour through a part of the country I've never visited, and beyond that I look forward to keeping readers updated on the fundraising campaign, which will come to fruition in July.
I guess it's safe to say- I'm off to see the wizard!
