I Am A Scientist

Busted Chase=Photographic Opportunity

2012-02-24T06:26:00.001-05:00

Wednesday looked like the best chance for our area to see severe weather. So as soon as it was 4pm, I picked up and headed out to see what I could see.

Initially, I was going to creep over into AL around Ft. Payne, but I got distracted by a few cells that popped to the north of Chattanooga. It looked like a nice little line was going to form and so I considered going over to around South Pittsburg to await initiation.

I pulled into about 5 different parking lots and kept checking radar. The storms just couldn't keep it together. The cap was strong over the Chattanooga area. It was too late to try to get to the party in AL, but nothing really happened there, either, so I didn't miss anything. :)

I decided to head up to one of my favorite places in Chattanooga to take some photos and maybe see some of the storms that were fading off in the distance. So all was not lost!

Point Park is absolutely gorgeous and one of the battlefields in the Civil War.

Miles traveled: Approx. 30 (mostly driving in circles trying to figure out what to do!)
What did I see: No storms, but a gorgeous view! :D

Severe Weather on Thursday!!!

2012-02-21T06:17:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I'm a bit rusty on the forecasting so forgive me and correct me for any mistakes or anything I've missed!

The SPC has given credence to what the NAM was eluding to yesterday. Thursday has the potential for a significant severe weather event in Dixie Alley (W TN, MS, AL, GA).

This morning the SPC gave a 30% hatched probability!

Right now, it looks like the area will remained capped for a good part of the day.

Skew-T for around Memphis TN @ 18z on Thursday:

But around 21z, the cap should erode and the atmosphere should be ripe for severe weather development.

CAPE at 00z:

Unfortunately, a lot of this will be happening overnight in areas that have been hard hit before.

Stay tuned.. I'll post more as we get closer to the event!

Another AMAZING Show in Athens GA!

2012-02-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

Friday night, Stacey and I made another pilgrimage down to the beautiful city of Athens, GA for another memorable show.

We spent so much time stuck in traffic.. haha.. But as always, we listened to awesome music and danced (well... I danced) and acted a fool most of the way down there, so the time passed quickly.

On our way to get dinner, we bumped into Matt, Rachel, and made a new friend, Chris, right before the show. We walked over to Ted's Most Best where we had seen Los Meesfits at the PopFest in October. The food was amazing, and I had a Terrapin Rye Ale, which was..... FABULOUS! Hooray for local breweries!

Friday night reminded me of why music means so much to me. I had an unbelievable experience with Stacey and some great friends, Matt, Rachel, Brad, Joel, and Chris. Jeff Mangum played the most amazing set. When he started off with Oh Comely, I really thought I wouldn't be able to stop crying the entire show. That was pretty much the case. I can only think of a few songs where I WASN'T moved to tears. It was absolutely one of the most amazing music experiences I have ever had in my life!!! Laura, Andrew, and Scott even joined Jeff on the stage for a few of the songs. It was absolutely amazing. The whole crowd sung along with Jeff, and there was so much love in that room! It was just..... gahh.. chillbumps. It is one of those shows I totally wish I could relive over and over again!

Afterwards, all of us headed over to the Flicker Bar for some drinks and laughs. Yesterday morning was a rough one, but hey.. it was COMPLETELY worth it!!!!!

Tonight one more night of music where we will go see They Might Be Giants at Track 29! What an amazing weekend!!!!

RIP Andy G

2012-02-05T09:16:00.001-05:00

So, I never met Andy Gabrielson.

That being said.. I know who he is. I have watched and drooled over his videos. He chased anything and everything. He had an obvious passion for this thing that so many of us love... the weather.

I just think again this puts things into perspective. Every day you have on this planet is a gift, and you never know when you might get taken away or when the ones you love will be taken from you. It is so important to let those you love know how you feel about them.

Don't let fear get in the way of your dreams or goals. This is the only chance we have on planet earth, so do with your time what you can.

RIP Andy... My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Just Some Random Thoughts :)

2012-01-28T07:54:00.002-05:00

I'm not even sure where to begin! :)

First of all, I have no clue when I'm going to graduate. I feel really... overwhelmed right now. I kind of feel like I'm going nowhere fast on this whole thesis thing. My proposal is still only marginally approved, and as I type this I continue to sit and stare at a blank screen. So what do I do? I'm turning to creative writing this morning to unblock this writer's block.

Secondly, I have so much awesome coming up in the next few weeks. I'll be glad to have some busy weekends actually. The best Valentine's weekend ever will be coming up February 10th and February 12th. February 10th, I get to see Jeff Mangum in concert. I'm sure this doesn't mean a whole lot to many of you, but Neutral Milk Hotel was one of those bands. When I heard In the Aeroplane Over The Sea for the first time, it was like someone opened my eyes. I remember when Stacey told me they were playing at the Blue Angel wayyyy back in 1996 when I was working at the record store. I was so excited! Little did we know that would be the only opportunity we would ever get to see NMH, because not long after Jeff Mangum dropped off the face of the earth, basically. That is still one of the greatest shows I have ever seen. The Gerbils, Elf Power, and Neutral Milk Hotel.... They had sound problems at the Blue Angel and I remember one of the songs was sang without any sound equipment at all. It was nearly a religious experience in that moment.

One of my favorite songs from them:

Then on February 12th, I get to see yet ANOTHER band that has helped make and mold me! They Might Be Giants!!!!!! I still cannot believe I have never seen them live! Yesterday was their 30th Anniversary of being a band! So excited!!!

Anyway.. exciting times ahead! :) And now.. more reading for me and then some photography fun this afternoon. I think I'm going to head down to Coolidge Park!

Chase Log for January 22, 2012

2012-01-23T20:49:00.001-05:00

When we woke up yesterday morning, it became very obvious that the storms would not initiate in Arkansas, Mississippi or W. Tennessee until after dark. After a lot of back and forth trying to figure out whether we should take a chance or not, Wes and I decided to make a play on the warm front that was hanging out in South Alabama.

We ended up socked in fog pretty much all day. So it was a big ole bustaroo!! We made it as far south as Tuscaloosa before we turned around and came back.

Unfortunately, overnight that area we were in near Birmingham got slammed by a powerful tornado. I managed to get a radar capture of one of the tornadic supercells that passed just south of the city.

Another sad severe weather event. 2 people were killed and hundreds were injured. Personally, I think it's remarkable that only two people were killed considering this tornado rolled through in the middle of the night. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected.

Miles traveled: 300
What did I see: Some sad tornado damage from April 27th, tons of fog

CHASE ON!

2012-01-21T06:22:00.000-05:00

So tomorrow will be the first official chase of 2012!!

As you can see from the Day 2 outlook below, there is quite a bit of ground covered in the SLIGHT risk issued by the SPC.

In my opinion, the best spot for isolated supercells is going to be North AL/MS. From what I'm seeing, initiation could start really early, like noon or so. So we'll have to head out pretty early in the morning to get there! I'm game!!!

Dewpoints will be in the 60's tomorrow.. IN JANUARY! This is just insane.

With all my talk about tomorrow's chase, I almost forgot to mention there is a decent line of storms heading my way right now. A tornado watch was just issued for our area until 1pm.

Here's a look at what's coming for me! Not too much excitement at the moment, but I could definitely get some good wind and hail out of this!!

First Chase of 2012??

2012-01-17T21:08:00.001-05:00

Okay.. so it wasn't REALLY a chase, per se. It was more of a giant pile of pooish storms came heading my way. Regardless.. I had an amazing time!

I started hearing that the severe weather was entering the Nashville metro area about 2:30pm EST. I started trying to figure out if it was going to make it this far south, but sure enough..The storms were looking healthy, but not severe when I left. I hung out a few minutes in the weather before deciding to make my trek home.

I TOTALLY forgot I had PYKL3 radar on my phone and suddenly realized I just left a severe warned cell. But I left the store and saw that the line was heading my way. I just needed to go a hair north and wait for the show! Sure enough, I drove north.. pulled into a gas station and saw an amazing wall of black headed my way. Then it was incredibly rainy and windy.. and my face... looked.. like this. :D

Anyway.. it was enough to get the blood flowing!! I love this stuff!!

2012!!!!

2011-12-29T12:40:00.001-05:00

So now we look forward to 2012! I always like to make little goals for myself. I don't call them resolutions, because it almost sets you up for failure..Anyway, enough blabber!

Last year I did pretty well with my goals, so let's see how we do this year!

#1: More storm chasing, which I already know will happen. I am finally going on a chasecation with one of my chaser pals and I absolutely cannot wait! :) Something crazy could happen between now and then, but regardless, every chance to chase a storm I'm going for it. I traveled almost 1000 miles in 2011! I would LOVE to double that!

#2: GRADUATE! Again.. this goal should definitely come to fruition as long as nothing too terribly insane happens.

#3: Read more. I love reading for fun. School makes me forget that I do.

#4: FINALLY, I am going to train for that 5k. And I'm not joking this time. I will start training, and by fall, I will RUN not walk in a 5k!

#5: Squeeze in a photography class to better learn my camera. I think I'm getting a good grasp on composition, but I need better skills with those manual settings. It will be awhile before I have time to do this, but I'm gonna try to do it in the fall of 2012.

#6: Hike more. I forgot how much I love being outside, and I remembered a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to save my sanity. So, every time I can, I'm going to play outside in the woods. I love it there. I love the silence. :D

#7: Wean myself away from the laptop after I graduate. Yes... I mean it... I spend far too much time online. This will help me better achieve #6!

#8: See the northern lights. I know this is going to be next to impossible, but.... I have to see them.

#9: Make sure all my friends and family realize how much I appreciate them. I feel like sometimes I don't do such a good job. I really do love the people I let in. I feel like sometimes I need to be a much better friend.

#10: Keep smiling and living positively! :D

Thanks for reading my babble, you guys! <3

2011-Part 2

2011-12-28T12:02:00.002-05:00

The second half of my year was far less eventful. :)

Just after April 27th, we headed off to San Francisco for an amazing vacation. San Francisco is a beautiful city. We had such an amazing time there!

I finally got to meet south Georgia weather Jenn (Dewdrop)! She's so much fun. I met up with her and some of my other weather loving friends down in Peachtree City at the NWS to see the Hurricane Hunter aircraft! It's funny.. I have talked to Jenn for about 2 years now and she was just as awesome in person as she has been through email! I also finally met Jesse Hines and Ashley Poling (TVN friends) for the first time in person! Jesse and I have been pretty good friends for about a year and at that time I hadn't known Ashley for too terribly long, but she's pretty awesome herself! Here's a photo we all took together at the airport! :)

My summer ended up pretty normal, and I finished the absolutely WORST semester of grad school I had with Biostats and Project Management. I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind! Bahahah! But alas.. I survived! And the fall semester came and went with little fanfare. I hope to graduate in the Spring, but most likely I will graduate in the Summer. It's totally okay though! I want to be able to do good work on my thesis. :)

Anyway, one of the other highlights of my year was Athens Popfest in October. It has been a really long time since I had so much fun! Stacey and I really had an absolute blast! :D I got to meet one of my music idols, Vanessa from Pylon, and we also met some amazing people, John from NC and Jill from NY. We will definitely be back for the fun next year!!

Me, Stacey, and Vanessa Hay from Pylon!

So that's pretty much a wrap! :) 2011 was an amazing year for so many reasons.... I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for me, and tomorrow I'll outline my plans for 2012!

2011 In Review-Part 1!

2011-12-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

2011 has been another amazing year.

We started the year in January with an epic snowfall that I missed because I was in Indiana on a business trip. We got well over a foot of snow. My work stuck us on the corporate jet (woot!) on Sunday before the storm hit to ensure we made it to our destination. Sure enough, that evening the snow started and did not stop for some time. When I landed on Friday, there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. In fact.. there was enough that I was able to go sledding down the hill in the backyard which I enjoyed! :)

In February, the wacky weather of 2011 really started up for us! On February 28th, I drove north and west during my lunch break towards a QLCS that was heading our way. I made it to the line and all I got to see were some cloudy skies and a bolt of lightning, so in my mind, the severe weather threat was over. I ignored the system until a little later that afternoon and I received a message from one of my weather loving friends who asked me if I was paying attention to what was going on. I pulled up the radar and saw the line was seriously kinked and heading our way. This was the first system of the year that directly hit my workplace (shattered a window!) and an EF1 tornado hit in Red Bank causing damage.

Radar imagery of the QLCS of February 28, 2011:

March was a pretty quiet month weather and otherwise. I went to the GMP conference in Athens, GA which is always fun. For my birthday, my dream finally came true and I got my Nikon D3100 DSLR camera! :) I am still learning my camera, but I totally love it! As far as the weather goes, I had a couple of mini chases that didn't really result in too much more than this double rainbow I found in my backyard after driving all over looking for storm action. :)

The quietness of March turned into the most amazing weather month I've ever witnessed. On April 4, 2011, the day before I got my wisdom teeth removed (ugh.. haha), an epic system rolled through that caused over 700 wind damage reports!

After that, there was the April 15th tornado outbreak that rolled through Mississippi and Alabama. The severe weather rolled right on through to produce another tornado outbreak on April 16th in North Carolina that produced a tornado that went straight through downtown Raleigh.

Then, the end of April approached. Starting on April 25th, an epic system started wreaking havoc on the US. I started looking at the models and realized I had a REAL chance of seeing a tornado relatively close to home in the next couple of days! I contacted one of my good friends that I had met on StormTrack, Wes Carter. I asked him if he wanted to chase on April 27th locally, but he had a prior obligation. We looked at the models and, sure enough, storms were going to be at a reachable distance on the 26th. So I took the day off work and had one of the best days of my life. We headed initially towards northern Mississippi, but as the day progressed we realized we'd have to cross the Mississippi to see anything before dark. We headed over towards some developing storms and soon the storm we'd been tracking became tornado warned! Seeing that supercell with my eyes does not even compare to the photos I took with my camera. I wish I could explain into words what that one day did for me. That day.. sealed the deal.. I was 100% in love with storm chasing. I saw my first wall cloud and my first green skies. We punched the core of the storm. :D It was my first long distance chase, and I will never forget it and I cannot thank Wes enough for allowing me to tag along with him! It was a great time! :)

Radar image from our storm!

My best photo from the day:

When I got home around 2am on the morning of the 27th, I had a pretty good idea of the potential of the day. Even though I have been a long time weather nerd, I never could imagine that something of the magnitude of April 27th could happen here. The morning started with a tornado that hit very close to my work place. The sun came out and they sent us home (thankfully) due to the power outages. I was still pretty tired from my trip, and I thought chasing might not be a good idea. Furthermore, I was seriously worried about my friends and family. In retrospect, I really should have at least done some spotting, but, once everything got started, I was somewhat shell shocked. I know that might sound stupid, but I don't know how else to describe it.

My home was not hit by the Ringgold tornado. My brother's home, however, was not as lucky. Ringgold is beautiful again and no longer the pile of ruins it was after 8:10pm on that day. So many lives were lost, included 70+ in the Chattanooga area with 8 of those being in Ringgold.

Still, I have nightmares. I have always had nightmares about tornadoes, but this is different. I am one of those people who turned their fear into an obsession, but April 27th changed me forever. I'm not trying to be melodramatic. I'm just trying to explain the impact of that day. I have videos and photos we took that day. I still have not watched the videos. I know for a storm chaser/weather lover type person that might sound odd. I just do not really care to relive that day just yet. It's hard for me to watch videos of the Alabama tornadoes knowing that so many people were dying at that moment. These were some of the most beautiful tornadoes I have ever seen, but yet.. I cannot watch without tearing up. To my Alabama friends, Annie O and Jenn from Cullman... I cried and prayed for your safety that day. I will never forget that moment in TVN Chat when the Tuscaloosa tornado was bearing down on Annie. Ugh.. It's hard to even write about, really...

Shell shocked.. that's the best way to describe it.

I was afraid that I would go back to being the scared person I was before I learned to love weather. But they say.. if you fall off a horse, you have to hop right back on. So I told myself that I would not stop pursuing my dream.

Part 2 tomorrow.... :)

Tornadoes and Christmas!!

2011-12-24T08:24:00.000-05:00

First, let's start with the weather. On Thursday, a QLCS came rolling through the area. I didn't experience any severe weather, personally. Although the rain was insane driving home and as weird as that seems... I was giddy driving through all that heavy rain and wind. Haha..

Unfortunately in Floyd and Gordon county, tornadoes struck and caused quite a bit of damage. Floyd County has been initially rated as an EF2 and Gordon County has initially been rated as an EF3. Interestingly, I was watching radar on this storm and it didn't look super impressive. See the link below for the information on those tornadoes.

http://stormtrack9.freedomblogging.com/2011/12/23/nws-confirms-ef-2-tornado-in-floyd-co-ef-3-in-gordon-co/15060/

Now then, I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas! It has taken a lot for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year, but finally.. on Christmas Eve, I woke up feeling it! :) Like magic...

I will post a year end wrap up next week! Have a Merry Christmas! :D

Feeling Funky

2011-12-12T20:24:00.002-05:00

I can't put my finger on it, but I just have those days where everything seems off. Today, I woke up fabulous. Great mood most of the time. Then all of the sudden.. boom. Everything kind of went downhill, and for no good reason, the funk settled in.

Mentally, I'm exhausted right now. I just feel like so much is going on, but nothing is getting done. I've been trying to plan my schedule to finish my thesis. I will not graduate in the Spring. This has really started to bring me down.

I know these things seem minor to most people, but for some reason, my head wants to be sad about it. And just today.. because this weekend I came to the realization that I wouldn't be able to graduate in the spring unless I tried to kill myself with school work.

So that's my depressing blog for the day.

On a positive note, we spent the weekend in beautiful Athens GA to see our good friends, Casper and the Cookies! :D

Here's a funny photo of Kay and I punching the Santa Claus at the 40 Watt on Saturday!

Doing BETTER about BLOGGING!

2011-12-08T04:04:00.001-05:00

No excuses... There SHALL be more blogging! :)

Something you may or may not know about me is that I have a deep love for creative writing. It relaxes me. It helps me think. It helps me write for NOT fun.

I've been doing more and more creative writing lately, and it feels great. If I get brave, I might start posting a few things here.

Yesterday, for about 5 minutes, we had some HUGE flakes falling out of the sky. It was beautiful, but only for a short moment and then it was gone. I'm weird. I don't LOVE winter, but I do love the snow. I can't WAIT for more snow.

And really?? In just over a couple of months?? I'll be back posting about severe weather.

:D

End of the Semester!

2011-12-04T07:05:00.001-05:00

So fall semester is technically over. I have a few things to wrap up here and there, but otherwise it's over! This makes me both nervous and happy. I have quite a lot to get done in the next few months before I can graduate. The goal is still Spring graduation, but I have already told myself I'm not going to beat myself up if it doesn't happen.

Typically during my winter downtime, I work on forecasting and stuff like that to get ready for the spring. Unfortunately, this winter break, I'm not going to have as much time to do stuff like that. It's going to be thesis, thesis, thesis for me from here on out.

I will be going on chase-cation this year, though. :D The goal is diploma on Friday, tornadoes by Monday. But let's get real here.. it's me! The massive death ridge is going to set in and there will be nothing but sunny skies for 10 days.

OH! And FINALLY I can share the news that I was promoted to Manager! :D I really cannot say enough about the people I work for. And... I REALLY love my job.

Now then... BRING THE SNOW, winter! :D

Um yeahhhhhhh

2011-11-07T22:53:00.000-05:00

Well so.... I lied. I didn't post "tomorrow" and to be honest.. I have no idea what I was going to post!

Sorry to disappoint all THREE of my followers! :D Bahahaha..

So, let's see here..

School is sucking the life out of me, but what's new there?

Instead of trying to remember what I was going to post about.. I will just talk about the now.

Today there was quite the severe weather outbreak in Oklahoma. The photos I've seen are some of the most photogenic I have seen in quite some time! I was hoping that this would all hold together for a chase-a-tunity, but the instability just isn't going to be there on Wednesday by the time this system makes it over here.

Also, I just bought a 70-200mm lens off of one of my friends. PUMPED doesn't even describe it! I cannot wait to get out and play with this bad boy when I get it. :D I really haven't had a good chance to take many photos of the fall colors this year, but I got a couple in my backyard the other morning.

This weekend I HAVE to get out there and see what I can capture. I will hate myself if I don't!

Here are the fall shots I've gotten so far! Enjoy!

Sorry!

2011-10-07T07:06:00.001-04:00

Little blog has been neglected, but NEVER FEAR!

There is a big one coming tomorrow! :D

Come on, Irene!

2011-08-25T06:22:00.000-04:00

So Irene is looking to pummel the most populated area of the US... the Northeast... This is bad news for those on Long Island. I have already seen where they are encouraging those to leave Long Island now who can, because traffic is going to get insane!

Irene is now a Cat 3 hurricane and is forecasted to become a Cat 4 storm before brushing the NC coastline. By the time it tangles with the NE coastline, she'll be a strong Cat 1 and possible even a Cat 2.

She is classic looking right now... Looking very much like a buzz saw. The eye is well defined. She's a beauty, but this is bad news.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-23T05:05:00.000-04:00

I've been watching Irene closely... She showed up on the GFS so far back that I thought there was no way this imaginary storm would happen. I tend not to believe the GFS at hour 380 simply because it always seems like they throw some doom there at the end just for fun. :)

Anyway, now Irene looks like she's going to be a real threat to the US coast and probably have some affect from Florida to Maine!

School ruined a possible chase of the tornado producing outer bands of the storm, but the track keeps pushing eastward, and making the storm too far away to reach and make it back to work on Monday.

It is all good though. I'm not sure I would want to tangle with a major hurricane.

Anyway, here is the latest spaghetti model for Irene. Notice the eastward trend. There is still a chance, IMO, that she'll go to the fishys, but we'll see.

And here is where the GFS has the storm impacting the Outer Banks of NC.

And eventually, it shows Irene still impacting the coast, even NYC and Boston.

More details as the storm progresses!

Possible Local Homegrown Chase on Saturday!

2011-08-12T06:16:00.000-04:00

This morning the severe threat for Saturday was pushed further west than I hoped it would be. Right now, it looks like a linear system will be pushing through during the overnight hours here in town.

We'll see... Right now, I'm still planning on chasing locally unless the sun goes down before I can see anything. Otherwise, it will be more lightning shots from the front porch! :)

The meteor shower begins tonight, but it will apparently be occluded by the full moon and cloud cover here locally.

I'm still going to see if I can see anything. :) I am hopelessly optimistic, which means I'm frequently disappointed.. Bahahah :)

And so it begins.....

2011-08-11T06:30:00.000-04:00

I am beginning my thesis work now. I finally sat down yesterday and started drafting the proposal, and I really thought about who I might put on my committee.

And during all that thinking, of course, I wouldn't be me if I didn't immediately start thinking about what I will do next.

I'm probably going to take a year off from school and then get my MBA. I have also considered doing something for fun, like maybe Penn State's online Met certificate. We'll see what happens... :)

As my good friend Jo always says... horsey cart.

A Less Vague Blog Post

2011-08-09T06:07:00.000-04:00

I'm my effort to cause less drama, I have caused more drama. It does make me sad a bit, but you know.... what can you do?

Just for my own benefit, I'm putting this out there.. I'm not being snobby or whatever.. I'm just trying to pare down the number of people who see every detail of my life. And I'm not going to talk anymore about it!

NOW!

For today, we have a chance for some severe weather. I think there's much more of a risk for strong winds, but they also put us into 15% hail category. I'll believe it when I see it!!! Camera bag is packed and ready to go!

And on Sunday night, I finally got that lightning capture I've been waiting for! It's a little overexposed, but regardless! It's the best I've done so far!

Sighhhh.........

2011-08-08T05:49:00.000-04:00

My goal is to live a drama free life as much as I possibly can!

That's all.......

3 WEEKS of FREEDOM!

2011-07-26T06:23:00.000-04:00

I have decided what to do during my 3 weeks between semesters.

Photography.

Get ready, because my goal is to spend quality time outdoors working on my photography... composition and getting the right settings, mostly.

It is odd, really. I'm not stressed at all about this week. Granted... it is only Tuesday! :)

So get ready for some photos starting next week!

Two Weeks and Rock and Roll Weekend!!!!

2011-07-21T06:41:00.000-04:00

So first and foremost..... July 30th marks the end of my summer semester!!!! I've survived! :D Now all I have left is my class on Process Validation and my thesis. I am so happy! I've already decided that I will spend my weekdays working on my thesis and the weekends on my Process Validation class. May 2012..... it won't be long now! :) I will gladly welcome the return of my free time.

What have I missed the most? Reading for fun is a huge one! I have a pile of books I want to read when I get done.. :)

And I've been working like mad so that I can enjoy an awesome Rock and Roll weekend! Friday, we'll be heading down to Athens, GA to see our BFF's Casper and the Cookies play at the 40 Watt with the Shut Ups!

Gonna be awesome.... All kinds of awesome! :D

Tired.....

2011-07-19T06:14:00.000-04:00

Okay... I'm going to rant a bit again.

I'm sick of the online world.

There.... I said it out loud.

It's nothing against anyone or anything. I have made incredible friends online. It's just lately I feel like deleting my total online presence and going back to the life before.

Day 1

2011-07-11T06:30:00.000-04:00

Day 1.. and for a change I'm not discussing the SPC outlook!

I'm doing a little experiment. Mostly because I've felt so stressed, and I feel like my mental and physical health is suffering. So....

I'm trying a low sodium version of the South Beach diet. 30 minutes a day must be spent on either meditation (i.e. being somewhere quiet... away from computer, phone, TV) or exercise. At the beginning of the week, I'm taking my BP and recording my weight.

After 1 month, I'll present the results here and see if I stuck to it or not! :)

Anyway.... I hope it works! I've been feeling rather crappy lately!

Flashbacks...........

2011-07-06T06:31:00.000-04:00

Okay okay... I have BITCHED and MOANED about this biostats class, I know. However, yesterday I had that deja vu moment.

I was working on my homework and I started doing exactly the same thing I used to do in my Calculus class. I'd go back, review, start second guessing myself.. changing answers... review again, change everything back... ugh....

Math and I really have serious issues. The anxiety is back!!! I only have a few weeks of this class left. I gotta survive!!!

Chasing Alone vs With a Partner

2011-06-29T06:33:00.000-04:00

I have been doing quite a bit of thinking lately. I know, I know it is scary!

This year was the first time I ever chased with anyone other than myself. I really enjoyed myself! Having someone to get excited with you was fun. Having someone to talk to during the boring parts.. Really nice.. :)

Chasing alone has it's benefits, too. Being able to pick up and go at a moments notice. Making my own decisions and bailing or sticking around when I want to. The problem with chasing alone is going long distances. I just don't feel comfortable driving long distances on my own.

I have been blessed by meeting so many people who want to go along or have invited me to go. And in the spring, it really is happening. Jenn and I are going west together to chase the Great Plains after I graduate with my Master's Degree! What a way to celebrate! :)

I guess the reason why I posted about this is because I feel like even though I do have options for chase partners, I feel like there are times when whether I like it or not.. I'm just going to have to suck it up and go alone.

Time to get brave. :) There is nothing that will stand in my way!

Photos from June 15th, 2011

2011-06-26T09:02:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I didn't any of my photos from my June 15th chase!! Thanks to Sean H. for reminding me! :)

Shelf Cloud! :) This is looking towards Signal Mountain from Signal Mountain Road. The wind is really starting to pick up here and you can see by the flag. I get mesmerized and sucked in to what I'm seeing. :)

This is what I saw when I got home from the chase! View from the back porch:

The Scars of April 27th

2011-06-24T06:27:00.000-04:00

Everywhere you look here... There are still scars from that dreadful day. Where I work, stripped trees still line the path to get there. On the other side of the mountain, mangled buildings from the EF2 that hit that area in the morning. I almost forget they are there since this has been my scenery for the last 2 months. That doesn't even include Ringgold.. which is getting better all the time, but still the scars remain.

In 1997, an F3 tornado tore through East Brainerd in Chattanooga near Hamilton Place Mall. This tornado destroyed several homes in the area and caused some injuries. I still look at that area and I can tell what happened there almost 15 years ago!!!

What will our area look like in 15 years? The EF4 tornado took out so many trees.. beautiful Georgia Pines... I'm thinking about organizing some tree planting parties in the fall, thanks to the suggestion of a friend.

Also, Josh Turner is performing at a benefit concert here in town at my good friend Sue Gass' ranch, The Davis Cattle Co on July 14th! I do not like country music, but I will be there! :)

We're getting better every day, but yet the scars remain!!! Healing is a slow process... Time to be patient!

I hate math and more......

2011-06-23T06:31:00.000-04:00

I have felt a bit down the last few days. Why?

Well, #1.... Math.... I've struggled with math for as long as I can remember. The ONE math class I have in my graduate school program, and I just feel like I'm going to fail it. Sigh.... I remember I almost gave up on chemistry because of the heavy math leaning, but I got through. This is one class, and I don't know why I can't just DO IT.

Anyway.. I'm a depressing person to be around right now. It's gotta get better, right?

Awesome CHASE! :D

2011-06-16T06:13:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday was a day I didn't expect a whole lot out of. Not much shear, and I thought by the time there were storms it would all be linear poo.

We got a decent storm during the work day. It produced a pretty awesome shelf cloud, but as always, I was working and my camera was in the car.

Before I headed out, I noticed 2 sets of storms. Some heading right for home, and some to the north near Sequatchie County. I picked the storms to the north, because they looked healthier and I didn't want to have to drive back through storms to get home.

I got near Soddy Daisy, TN and received the SVR warning for Catoosa county. Ugh.. I was upset. I could have stayed home! I looked at the radar data for my storm, and it still looked healthy, but I couldn't see much of anything. I pulled off of the road I was on and took a couple of photos of dark skies coming over the mountain and the wind started picking up. I decided to head back. Not to mention there was a 2 inch hail marker on the storm.

As I headed back, feeling a little defeated, I saw in my rear view mirror an amazing shelf cloud! I immediately pulled off and took a few shots, before the wind nailed me again! :) The shelf cloud followed me all the way home! It was beautiful!

That night I was treated to an epic lightning storm and pea sized hail not once but THREE times!!! :)

It was a good day. :)

Not Moving the Blog and Other Junk

2011-06-14T06:01:00.000-04:00

Okay.. I've decided I don't care for Tumblr. No real reason other than I just like this better. I am apparently resistant to change!

First of all, I am not a complainer. I hate to hear a whiner, but.. I'm going to whine. Right now, I can't put my finger on it, but I am a little depressed.. burned out.. maybe in a bit of a rut. I'm not sure. All I know is I do not feel myself at all right now.

So.... I'm back on a diet trying to dump 15 lbs (that's my first goal) in the next couple of months. There is no maybe on this diet... It has to happen!

Anyway, severe weather is back in the picture tomorrow. I'm hoping it holds off until after work. A chase would do me some good! :)

To move or not to move!!!!

2011-06-13T05:51:00.000-04:00

I am torn on whether or not to move the blog.

On the one hand, I think Tumblr would make it easy for people to search and find my blog, but, on the other hand, I hate to throw all my progress away. :(

This blog has been my evolution into chasing, so, sentimental me is having difficulty moving away from here.

Here is my new address at Tumblr: http://gaweathergirl.tumblr.com/

Let's give it a little try.

I think I'll be back here.

A Change

2011-06-12T10:45:00.000-04:00

Sigh....

I really almost hate to do this, but I'm moving over to Tumblr for my blog posting.

I like the layout and easy of use.

I'm going to give it a try for awhile, and I might come back if I don't like it.

Peace out.. :)

Looking on the Bright Side

2011-06-03T06:29:00.000-04:00

I have so many friends going through tough times right now. I am generally a positive person, and I try to be positive in my advice.

What is funny is that when it comes to my own life, I tend to get bogged down in the negative stuff. My goal from this point forward is to take my own advice.

You must turn something bad into good. Accept challenges and learn from your mistakes! Do not look back!

And to my friends going through rough times? Hang in there.. And I'm here when you need me! :)

Never MIND!

2011-05-22T09:03:00.000-04:00

I take it all back!!!

I'm heading west this afternoon to chase the storms forming along the outflow boundary today!

I'm going to church.. lunch with Katie, and then BOOM!

They should be within an easily reachable distance by then! :D If not, then meh... I'll just come home and watch the radar!

Calling it a Season!

2011-05-21T08:47:00.000-04:00

So, yes... I give in. I'm calling it a season.

This year I have traveled more miles than I ever expected I would doing this.

On my own, I racked up over 150 miles... :) I know to many chasers that sounds weak, but as someone who can only go on weekends or right after work. That's pretty good. Not to mention, there weren't many chasing opportunities that didn't happen during my work day. In fact, TWICE I didn't have to leave my job, because on 2/28/11 we were nailed by a squall line that produced a tornado in Red Bank, TN and on that dreaded April 27th we were hit by a small EF1 that became a wide EF2 after it crossed the mountain.

Then on April 26th.. I have no idea how many miles we traveled. Probably just over 800 miles to Haynes, AR. Probably much more than that really... but that was the day that made me smile so much. Seeing a supercell on the wide open like that was like nothing I've ever experienced. I didn't even need a tornado. :)

This year more than ever... I realized my dream of being a storm chaser is coming true. I can forecast. I can read radar. I can read the skies. It's going to happen... Next year, I'll be on the Plains for a week (at least..hopefully a little more). :)

The future is bright!

Is My Chase Season Over???

2011-05-15T10:50:00.000-04:00

Right now, the answer to that question seems to be yes.

I'm hoping for a miracle in the next few weeks for a chase on a Friday in OK or TX so that I can return home on Saturday without worrying about trying to make it back for work.

I'm not ready to write my season end blog just yet, but this year has been incredible although my chasing much more limited than what I had hoped it to be.

I'm not giving up hope for one more long distance chase!

More Sappiness!

2011-05-05T06:34:00.000-04:00

I just can't sit down here with my coffee lately without getting all sappy and emotional.

Today's shout out goes to...... R. Stacey, aka Hubby or Hubster.

What can I say here? Well.... I have been losing my mind this semester. FDA Submissions is hands down the most difficult class I have ever taken. The last few weeks have been nightmares, because I've been having an internal war with my weather nerdiness and my real life responsibilities.

Well, Stacey had done EVERYTHING for me, and you know.. This isn't new. I don't even know why I even make like it is! He is so supportive of me. I don't even have to ask him to do dishes, and he offers to cook for me, while I'm slowly losing my mind trying to nail down the final points of my clinical protocol submission or going through the alphabet soup that is regulatory affairs, NDA, 510(k), APHIS, PMA.. AHHHH

Anyway, I love him so much. He puts up with so much from me! I get grumpy, sad... frustrated... on and on, but yet he's still just Stacey. Smiling, making me laugh, and always willing to give me a giant hug when I need it!

I cannot wait to be on vacation and get some "just us" time together!!!

Let's Get It DONE

2011-05-04T18:00:00.002-04:00

Two exams tonight and I am FINISHED!

And then... do you know what happens????

SAN FRANCISCO VACAY! Me and my hubby and California! I can't ask for more!

Stay tuned for details! :)

Friends I Couldn't Do Without

2011-05-04T06:48:00.002-04:00

I can't say enough about the friends I have made this year, even before the tragic events that occurred one week ago.
I'm going to list them here....

Jo.... What can I say? She's gone from friend to good friend to great to one of the best in a rapid pace! In the last week, I don't know what I would have done without her. She has been an amazing support to me, and just overall, she is an amazing person. She is very kind...... She was the first person after my family I talked to when I found out Ringgold was destroyed, and I didn't say much, but she sat there with me. Then the next few days... She was always there... always checking on me, and knowing from her experiences, I knew that she knew how I felt. Even before this happened, she has been my personal cheerleader for achieving my dream of chasing. I was in constant contact with her throughout my entire chase last week! :) I hope that I can be as good of a friend to her as she has been to me.

Spiker (although I found out his real name.. I will not post it here :) ).... Again... All the goofing around and fun times we've had, and turns out I have a really awesome friend in him as well. For those who do not know, Spiker and Jo basically held my hand (virtually of course) throughout all of last week, especially last Wednesday. A super fun and all around awesome guy... I'm always glad to see him in chat! We're music buddies, Seinfeld quoters, and overall hi-jinks creators together! Anyway... thanks so much for everything!

Dough... :) Another person who I've grown to care about so much! Thank you for checking in on me, and also being an overall awesome person!

Jenn from Cullman, AL.... ANOTHER TVN'er... Is this coincidence? I think NOT! Again, someone I met who I now have regular conversations with and who can talk almost as much as me! We'll get our chase together, lady! Now after going out with someone with experience, it was better we didn't go to Birmingham that day, but we'll get ours together! Her town was also destroyed by the storm. I saw that crazy tornado, and panicked immediately. Luckily, she was not in Cullman at the time. Being the amazing person she is, she immediately went down to help and put her nursing skills to work. Weather Jenns rule! :)

Jesse and Jennifer Hines...... AWESOME people... I am so lucky to have "met" them and it won't be long until I meet them in real life! Our chase-a-tunity together awaits us!!! I was so excited for Jesse and Jenn to get their first chase on Wednesday, but then I got so distracted! I'm so happy that they enjoyed themselves out there, and we'll get out there together someday soon! Yet another, weather Jenn!

John.... Amazing friend! He's also been through the same thing that happened here in Ringgold. He's been so very supportive through all of this. We've shared stories about our situations, and he's just an all around good friend.

Sean..... :) My photography buddy!!! SO smart! You are going to go far! I know it! We are also "weather bad luck" buddies, but for both of us after this year, I think we should just forget we ever said that!

James... Keeps me laughing, and also super smart! I really needed to laugh at random stuff the last few days and you've helped!

I feel like I'm leaving people out, but I want you to know.. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE! Every last one of them are from TVN! Now, do you know why I love this site? We are such a tight knit group. :)

If there was a way to repay them all, I would! :) I just love you guys!!! You have been amazing in the past week, and even beyond that! Thank you thank you thank you!

God Bless Ringgold

2011-04-30T16:47:00.000-04:00

My hometown....

Where you grow up...

Where you go to school.... hang out... play softball, swim on the swim team. A rival's stadium... My niece's senior night and her graduation on the football field.

I have been devastated. Words don't even express the way I have felt over the last few days. My brother's home was damaged by the storm, but thank GOD that it wasn't as bad as I imagined. They were very lucky. I hate to say things like "God was with them" because that is to say God wasn't with the other people who weren't as lucky, and we know.. that just isn't true.

What I am doing tomorrow is going to church and counting EVERY single one of my blessings, because there are so many!

I have AMAZING friends and family.... Everyone has been hugely supportive. I can't begin to explain to you all the help that I have recieved.

A friend from TVN has put me in touch with some other storm chasers who are coming down to help with the relief effort. I can't wait to get my hands dirty and help out!!!

As we speak, I'm trying to get everything finished so that I may help even as soon as tomorrow!!!!

And all I can say is.. God Bless Ringgold! We are a great community and WE WILL BE BACK!!!

One of the Best Days of My Life and One of the WORST Days of My Life

2011-04-29T06:38:00.000-04:00

This isn't going to be an easy post for me, but I need to write it. I think it will help me heal a bit.

I'm first going to start with my Chase Log for April 26, 2011.

Wes C. and I met up at 7am CDT and headed towards our initial target of Corinth, MS. We examined the models, and saw we should move just a bit further west for our best potential before dark. We got to Holly Springs, MS, and saw some creepy abandoned buildings and took a few photos, because honestly.. we were beginning to think we were going to blue sky bust. The cap was strong above us. We headed a bit further west to Tunica, and an outlook upgrade was issued. We were in a HIGH risk! But after reading the text of the outlook, again... everything was supposed to start happening overnight.

We sat at a gas station in Tunica, trying to decide our strategy. The atmosphere was pretty volatile.. It just needed one little thing to make everything go boom.

Then suddenly we saw a few discrete supercells pop up. The decision was made to cross the Mississippi and head over into Arkansas for our intercept. Just south of Haynes, AR, we approached a beautiful supercell. Classic with a beavertail... and we were rewarded with a wall cloud. :) We took some photos, and we were starting to think it was going to produce, so we repositioned and paralleled the storm on an East/West road for awhile... The the storm went HP and we lost sight of the wall cloud because every thing got all wrapped up in rain. That's when things got a bit hairy. The road kept winding in and out taking is close to the rotation. We were getting cored, thanks to a slow truck in front of us, but honestly, we both said later, if it hadn't been for that truck, things could have gotten ugly. Not long after that we found damage outside of West Memphis, AR. From that point, the entire way home, we kept struggling to stay out of the rotation. But finally, at 2:30 am... I made it back home to Ringgold.

I woke up at 6am for work, and saw the High Risk for our area. On my way in to work, I saw the tornado warnings in Alabama were already heading that way, so I hurried to beat the weather to work. Approximately 8:30, Chattanooga was placed under a tornado warning. I pulled up the radar on my phone and we were sitting RIGHT in the hook. I'm certain Chattem took a direct hit from a tornado. We lost power and the HUGE beautiful tree went down in front of our entrance.

Then, to put it bluntly, all hell broke loose. From 2pm-10pm, one supercell right after another made a bee line for our area. We basically spent it in the basement. These supercells were like mini low pressure systems. You could FEEL the drop in pressure as they approached. I can't describe it. I thought I was imagining it at first... but then I realized that's exactly what was happening. You could feel the pressure bearing down on you. The last one.... Stacey and I both felt. An area of STRONG rotation went very near our home and produced an EF4 (preliminary) tornado about 3 miles away. I didn't know what happened, until my phone started blowing up after it was over. My sister and niece kept asking if we were okay. They mentioned my ROAD on the news. Thank GOD that we were spared. I can't tell you how much I have THANKED him for that. My brother, Chuck... his house sustained damage. They are living in it with a generator that someone gave them as we speak.

But Ringgold.......... Ringgold is my hometown. I've lived here since I was 5 years old. And even though I attended Lakeview-Ft Oglethorpe high school....... I still have many memories of football games. How many times have I eaten at that Pizza Hut??? I can hardly speak of it. I look at the footage and feel like memories were just swept away. Many homes are obliterated. So many lost lives, including 5 alone from the Cherokee Valley Road community. There you can see homes completely swept off their foundation.

Tornado video from Ringgold

Aerial footage of MY city.... WE WILL REBUILD! God bless Ringgold!

http://www.wrcbtv.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=5797415&at1=News+-+Breaking+News&h1=RAW%3A+Aerials+from+Ringgold%2C+GA&flvUri&partnerclipid&rnd=65227794

Chase Potential For This Week

2011-04-25T06:34:00.000-04:00

This week looks just incredibly dangerous for the south.

As of right now, there are THREE straight days with MDT risks issued by SPC. Today and tomorrow for Arkansas and West TN, and Wednesday, the risk moves east with a MDT bullseye right over the homestead!

Tomorrow, I'm chasing with a fellow deep south chaser, Wes Carter, as long as I can swing the day off tomorrow. I think I will be able to do it. Right now, it looks like there is nothing on the calendar. So.. please please please don't let the FDA come in today or anything like that!

Wednesday is going to be a home grown after work chase alone to see what I can see around here.

But for everyone in the south, PLEASE go buy a weather radio! Please! The disasters that have happened the last few weeks should be warning that this year's season means business. Take it seriously, folks. Long track strong tornadoes are possible all week long!

Weather Guilt and Good News

2011-04-19T06:16:00.000-04:00

Weather guilt...... This is what I call when I get excited over severe weather then end up heartbroken over the significance of an event. I call it my weather guilt. It happens a lot more often these days. I question myself and wonder how I can possibly get so excited over severe weather potential!

The truth is.... NO ONE wants anyone to get hurt, lose their life, or lose property, but it is okay to be amazed and in awe of the power of mother nature. I think it's just best to use common sense and discretion. Take a minute to think about that Facebook post that says "OMG SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK!!! I AM SO EXCITED!" What about those who are afraid or who's lives have been previously affected by severe weather?

Now then..... for some good news!

Yesterday, I was given my new duties as a Site and Chat Moderator for TVN (tornadovideos.net). It's something I'm so happy to do, because TVN really means so much to me! Everyone involved with TVN has really made it a great place, conducive for learning. I've made REAL LIVE friends there, and I am honored to have this new responsibility!!! Thanks to everyone who made this happen!

Record Breaking Severe Weather Outbreak

2011-04-18T06:20:00.001-04:00

I tried to write about this yesterday, and, honestly, I just couldn't. It has been an exhausting last couple of days, and my exhaustion means nothing compared to what people in Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, and North Carolina are feeling after this weekend.

Let's talk about the epic weather outbreak. Thursday, the epic system started off in the Southern Plains. 23 tornado reports occurred that day, including an EF3 tornado which destroyed much of Tushka, OK.

Then on Friday the 15th, the system moved to the deep south. On Thursday, it looked like an epic chase-a-tunity, but the warm front took its sweet time moving north of us. In the morning, I was upset about that, but by about 10 am I was thanking the heavens we were spared from the wrath of this crazy system. Reed Timmer and Chris Chittick took footage of a tornado in Clinton MS just before it went to cause damage in Jackson, MS. This is up there with one of the most amazing tornado videos I have ever seen. I have to include it here! Great work TVN on this video!

Here is a list of the reports for Friday. 113 tornado reports. The above tornado shown in the video was rated EF3, however storm assessments are still continuing!

And finally, Saturday.... The system crossed over to the east coast, and a HIGH risk was issued for much of North Carolina. Some of the radar imagery from both Friday AND Saturday was just... wow...

A HUGE tornado headed right for and struck downtown Raleigh. In fact, at one point the tornado was THREE MILES WIDE!!!!

Radar Imagery from the storm that hit downtown Raleigh. Note the debris ball in the BR window.

And now the tornado reports for Saturday... 112 reports which makes for a total of 248 tornado reports in THREE DAYS! All from the same system! Incredible!!!!

It was quite the severe weather weekend, and now another potentially epic event looms on the horizon. SDS cured, but at what price? That is for a future blog post.

Supercelluar!

2011-04-14T06:21:00.000-04:00

It's so funny..... I remember in January anxiously waiting for the cold weather to leave and for severe weather to arrive. Well, it is HERE and it is an INSANE season!
Today looks to be crazy in Oklahoma and Kansas, and then tomorrow the action moves east. Unfortunately, it looks like nothing will be within chaseable range until dark, but we're still a day away.

It looks to be a dangerous next couple of days!!! Stay alert people!

Thursday and FRIDAY

2011-04-13T06:15:00.000-04:00

Well, Thursday it looks like Oklahoma is going to be chock full of chasers and severe weather! Holy crap! Negatively tilted trough.... crazy shear.... instability... EVERYTHING is there! I will pick a pretend target tomorrow to give myself a little more time to check out the models.

Also, Friday afternoon is looking like another significant weather event for the South. My biggest concern right now is going to be North MS and North AL. So, depending on the timing, I'm going to chase this thing.

I hope I can get my good middle TN friends, Jennifer and Jesse Hines to come out with me, but if not, I'll head towards Huntsville alone and maybe pick up my other Jenn on the way! Again... timing means a lot. I don't see it getting to Chattanooga until about midnight. And I really don't feel comfortable chasing after dark (or being chased for that matter), so I'll probably head west after work as far as I can get as long as initiation looks possible within a reasonable time. Ideally, I'll be back home in plenty of time to set up the tripod and try again for that elusive lightning shot! :)

Wisdom Teeth, Lightning Photos, and SEVERE WEATHER!!!

2011-04-08T07:10:00.000-04:00

Well, this post is going to be chock full of goodness!!!

#1: April 4th was an insane weather day! I didn't personally experience any truly severe weather at my house, but many of my friends to the northwest (Nashville/Murfreesboro) got hit hard! April 4th had the most severe weather reports in 10 years!!! It was a crazy day!!

#2: Wisdom Teeth Surgery..... Ugh..... I really underestimated this surgery. I was certain I'd be up and at 'em by now. My face was HUGE at one point. I'm now down to looking like a Cabbage Patch Kid, but wow.. the pain and swelling. I really thought this would be a lot easier than it was! I certainly thought I would be back to work by now! My mouth is so tiny so it was a much more complicated surgery than they anticipated. I've been in a great deal of pain, but I'm getting better. I think I'm going to actually try to work today!

#3: More Severe Weather!!! Every single day from today until Monday there is a chance for severe weather!!!! I'm so excited! Sunday looks to be a scary day for folks in Iowa, and Iowa is getting it's revenge on storm chasers by showing the world it demands respect!

The thing on Sunday is the system is lacking directional shear, so it once again looks to be another epic wind damage event! Good luck to those chasing this fast moving nasty system!

OH! And I did FINALLY get my first lightning shot!!!! Not the best ever, but we're working on it!

WOW!!!

2011-04-02T09:31:00.000-04:00

We're on the eve of the first MAJOR severe weather outbreak of the season!

Tomorrow looks like an epic day for Kansas. However, there is a pretty strong cap in place. The models show the cap breaking late afternoon, and if that happens it is going to be explosive! If I were chasing tomorrow, I'd plop myself in Wichita and wait for that cap to break!

Monday is when severe weather rolls through here. However, the models are showing a lovely LPP (linear pile of poo) rolling through in the evening on Monday. I might go and see if I can capture a good shelf cloud or something.

My chasing ability depends on how much work I have to finish before I'm out Tuesday for wisdom teeth surgery!

Music Nostalgia

2011-03-29T06:24:00.000-04:00

Because of the e6 reunion show this week, I've been feeling rather nostalgic. So, my thoughts turn to the first time Stacey and I ever went to Athens together... The Athens PopFest in July of 1998!

We saw so many bands!!! It really is one of the memories I have that I really hold dear. We went record shopping, I bought a cute dress, and I did cartwheels on the UGA campus! :)

It was a beautiful thing!

It was the first time I ever saw the Olivia Tremor Control live.... It was truly one of the most amazing live performances I have ever seen in my life!

For your listening pleasure, the Olivia Tremor Control!

This WEEK!

2011-03-28T06:30:00.000-04:00

No... My excitement this time is not about severe weather potential. My excitement is regarding the show I'll be seeing Saturday in Athens, GA!!!!

The E6 Reunion Show! :D

If you don't know who the elephant 6 collective is, well, I don't blame you. If you are an indie pop/rock fan and don't know, well.. then SHAME ON YOU! :)

Basically, my college years and a few years after college were spent listening to albums from the bands who were a part of this collective.

Neutral Milk Hotel is probably the most famous of the group. They are not scheduled to perform, but most of the former members of the group will be there and performing songs! And Elf Power.. :) One of my other favorite bands!!!

So excited!!

Here's a snippet of NMH!

What I Know Now

2011-03-27T10:57:00.000-04:00

What I know right now is that nothing is going to stop me from chasing storms.

Yesterday....... I don't want to discuss in great detail the reason I didn't chase, but it is well known that I will not miss tornado days from this point forward.

The point is... There are reasons you have hopes and dreams. Sometimes life happens and it gets in the way and sometimes things get in the way that shouldn't.

I know it all sounds cryptic, but the problems the happened yesterday have been corrected! So now.... Let's have a tornado day again real soon! :D

Chase Off

2011-03-26T07:53:00.002-04:00

Chase off for right now.

I think the main action is going to be further than I want to drive.

It's been an active morning here though! Fingers crossed for something local!

IT IS REAL!

2011-03-25T22:20:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the eve of my FIRST real live tornado chase...

I have been wishing, hoping, and preparing for this moment for a long long time! Now, it is HERE!!!

All day long, I've been planning and trying to pick a target zone. I'm leaning very close to the Birmingham area!!!!!! But I may run a little further west.

We'll just have to see how far the WIND takes me! :D

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Getting Philosophical

2011-03-24T17:50:00.000-04:00

Well, Saturday is a big chance for me! Giant problem.... No chase partner.

I knew this day would come. A really nice opportunity, but no partner to chase with. I have to be honest here... I'm scared crapless to go that far out on my own. So... What do I do?

Stacey... he doesn't want to go. I understand it. Who knows what might happen out there? We only have just a small sliver of the weekend, and I can understand not wanted to chase after a cloud or two.

So.... How do you do it? Do you just go regardless of fear? Jump in head first?? Do I wait until I feel comfortable?? When will that be?

This is when I get discouraged. This is when I get down on myself. If I stay home Saturday, I will hate myself for it.

Chase Log-March 23, 2011

2011-03-24T06:19:00.000-04:00

Right before work was over, I pulled up the radar and saw two options. Drive NE towards Knoxville and possible miss all action or head to the wimpy action to my west and hope it explodes. So as soon as I could I left work yesterday and drove west. In my head, I thought it would be smarter to head towards Knoxville, and it really would have been much better if I had!

I stopped in a parking lot to touch base with my nowcaster, Jo Nelson, TVN member and awesome friend. I went to hook the Blackberry to my PC and then, boom..... I realized I left my cord at home!!!!! :( So no radar other than my stupid Weatherbug App on the Blackberry.

So I lost a bit of confidence, but still drove to South Pittsburg and slightly overshot the storms by going between them in a gap. I dropped a little south and managed to hang out just under a little cell as it passed by. It was..... rainy! Hahahah!

But after it passed, the sun poked back through and I got treated to a beautiful rainbow as I headed back towards home. These storms were crawling so I actually passed through them again, and managed to make it back home before they made it to Ringgold.

Again, I was treated to a rainbow! :)

Distance: 40 miles
What did I see? RAINBOW.... Heavy rain and gusty winds

SPC says WHAT?

2011-03-23T06:20:00.000-04:00

SPC took away my slight risk this morning! I really don't understand why!

When I look at the models, there is still decent instability, shear, moisture availability.... I'm confused! So chase is still on.

Chase ON!

2011-03-22T21:31:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I will be chasing unless something wacky happens!

Stay tuned for pictures, videos, and stories!

I'm so excited! I really just want to see some storm structure! Right now, my target is Manchester, TN around 5pm. Honestly, I'm a little nervous of being on the other side of Monteagle, especially if the storm motion is fast. If the storm motion is faster than I like, I'll keep it to this side of the mountain!

Stay tuned for details! I'll be checking the models in the morning to see the timing of this thing!!!! :D

Remain Calm......

2011-03-22T06:04:00.000-04:00

Okay... Not one but TWO distinct chase-a-tunities are in my near future. Wednesday looks kinda weak right now, but there is a chance of some large hail and a SLIGHT possibility of tornadoes. Very slight...

Regardless... I am chasing, especially since the storm motion doesn't seem to be out of control for a change. At this point, I'd chase a rain shower if it happened after work! Right now, my target is somewhere between here and Knoxville, so I'll be driving NE on I-75 as soon as I get off work! If I bust, I've decided to reward myself with a treat just for trying on such a "meh" setup.

Saturday... More stormage! I will definitely be out and about on Saturday. Thursday/Friday all school work must be complete!!!

:)

Wacky Weekend

2011-03-14T06:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm off to Athens today for our yearly GMP conference! The commissioner of the FDA, Dr. Margaret Hamburg is supposed to be there. That's huge! I hope I can get my picture made with her!

Anyway, I finally got my Nikon D3100 camera!!!!! I'm so in love with it, and I'm still learning! I want to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour with it every day so that I will learn quickly!

And unfortunately, that is all I have time to say today! I'm running behind for work this morning!! Gotta run!

No Chasing in the Near Future

2011-03-07T06:27:00.000-05:00

For the next couple of weeks, I'm out of commission on chasing. :( I have so much going on. I have two big projects due for school and then I'll be in Atlanta one day this week, Athens next week, and another trip to Atlanta the week after that!

But I think I already blogged about how busy I'm going to be.. :) I just have to hope I don't miss some huge opportunity. And really, if it is something close to home, I'll find a way!

Wednesday MIGHT be a severe weather day for us in Chattanooga, but I'm thinking the more severe weather will be to our south. Tuesday in the Plains will be interesting and I'll be armchair chasing and watching the live streams while trying to focus on my projects!

For now, no chasing for me. Hopefully, we can get some BETTER MORE CHASEABLE severe weather events AFTER everything settles down a bit. :)

Busy Days Ahead

2011-03-05T07:47:00.000-05:00

March is typically a pretty busy month for me. Not only is it MY birthday, but it is also my brother and my dad's birthday!!!

The week of my birthday will once again be spent in Athens, Ga at the University of Georgia's International GMP Conference! I will spend my birthday with the FDA! It's not all work though, because we tend to make a good time out of it after the conference is over.

Also, this month begins my preparation for taking the RAC exam, which is equivalent to the bar exam for people in my field. I have three sessions in Atlanta beginning next Thursday where they prepare me for the exam. So all that and school work makes March a very stressful month for me!

We finally booked our vacation to San Francisco!!!! We finally scored a lower airfare than what had previously been available and a flight that IS NOT A RED EYE! hahaha! That's part of the problem flying from here to the west coast! A lot of the flights back east are red eyes! I do not want to fly all night! We did that going to London and it is miserable!

Weather wise, this weekend is going to be super rainy. In fact they are predicting we will get 2-3 inches of rain. The chart below is 24 HOUR accumulated precipitation!!! I think we'll be hanging out around the house this weekend!!

2/28/11-Chase, Then Be Chased

2011-03-01T06:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my longest chase to date. I drove NW 20 miles from downtown Chattanooga to where the squall line was hanging out. It is really insane, when I think about it. I was about 5 miles from that squall line.. no warnings at that time. I literally only saw one lightning bolt and got close enough to be sprinkled on.

Little did I know as I turned around and headed back to work, the line began to strengthen. I quit paying attention, because I was pretty busy at work when I got back from lunch. Luckily, one of my weather BFF's sent me a FB message. A tornado emergency had been issued for right outside of Chattanooga!!

...A TORNADO EMERGENCY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1230 PM CST FOR
NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN AND MOORE COUNTIES...

AT 1220 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS
LOCATED JUST EAST OF LYNCHBURG...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO OAK
GROVE...ESTILL SPRINGS AND WOODS RESERVOIR.

Franklin County is where Monteagle mountain is and is literally a couple of miles from where I was only an hour before! Of course, I went to the window. The tornado warning was issued for Chattanooga, and then I pretty much planted myself in front of the window. Very very dark skies were seen to my northwest. Finally, I went back to look at my radar, and saw the storm was approaching. I never saw rotation on the radar, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there. I didn't have my GRL3.

I went back to the window and then a crowd had gathered. I saw plenty of scud bombs. No rotation on anything I saw, but then the squall line hit. The wind was nuts and the rain..... It got so bad you couldn't see. I heard two really loud sounds. One was of our main doors blowing open, which now when I think about it, is INSANE because they are locked unless you have an access card. Then the crash came. I don't know how the window blew out, but it did! THEN they sent us to the tornado shelter.. hahaha.

I'm going to need to learn that I shouldn't chase storms. The storms chase me!!! I'm better off saving my gas money and waiting for them to come to me!

HIGH RISK OF DISTRACTION

2011-02-27T08:48:00.000-05:00

It is here.. Spring severe weather season!!!

First, tomorrow will be a chase day providing the following things:

I can get a couple of ours off of work in the afternoon
The storms roll through late afternoon
Did I mention work needs to be super slow so I can take a couple of hours?

I am perpetually envious of those who can chase whenever they want to!!! I wish I could pack up my car and head west today and follow the storms back home!

I digress...

Based on my limited knowledge, there doesn't seem to be much directional shear for tomorrow. So I think the primary threat is straight line winds, especially based upon the speed this system will be rolling through! A tornado or two can't be ruled out. I'm still playing in the weather, though! :D

I want to also thank all of my wonderful TVN buddies, because really I couldn't have learned all this junk without you. I'm starting to see more and more every time I look at the models. :)

First REAL Chase-a-Tunity of 2011

2011-02-21T06:46:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe.... We'll see.

Right now, the models are showing it to be a early to mid morning event for us here in the Chattanooga area. I'm going to be patient and watch the timing of this thing. Early to mid morning is still chaseable in my opinion, but there is a much higher likelihood that it will be a pile of linear garbage moving through here.

Regardless, there should be a significant severe weather outbreak on Thursday. This is a little scary, because it looks like most of the action is going to be in the overnight hours which is so so dangerous.

Although I enjoy my storms, I am really still relatively scared of overnight systems. I don't like not being able to see what is heading my way. Sure there is radar, and you better believe, if these storms roll through in the overnight hours, I'll be up all night with my radar and cell phone handy.

Chase-a-tunity?? It remains to be seen!!!

What does SDS do to you?

2011-02-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

I just had a funny conversation with someone on Facebook. The friend had posted a line from SPC about the possibility of severe weather in her area on Day 4 or 5.

This got me thinking...

What does SDS do to you??

For me? I am entering into my second chase season. I always have had some form of SDS, but this year has been horrible!!!!

I have watched more tornado/storm videos than EVER before. I look at and BELIEVE the GFS beyond hour 180. In fact, I believe hour 384!!! I have singlehandedly overloaded the bandwidth of TwisterData! Not really, but I feel like it is constantly open in my browser.

Let's just say I have it really bad this year....

Now then.... I do see a possible chase-a-tunity towards the end of next week. Please please please don't let it be on February 25th, because that's when Stacey's band is playing! I want to be able to do everything!!! haha

School has gotten better. I'm doing well, finally, and back in my groove. NO procrastination is allowed during chase season.

And hopefully in a few days I'll be posting more details about this possible chase-a-tunity! SDS!!!!! It must end soon!

I'm Having a Moment

2011-02-06T14:20:00.001-05:00

Please please please someone tell me that graduate school is worth it.

I am giving up every free moment of my time to work work work work. I'm not sure I'm cut out for all this. I think I just want to be normal again!! Bahahaha

Meh....

2011-01-31T06:19:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm not too confident we'll have anything more than rain tomorrow. Regardless, this system would not be at all chaseable, as it's going to come through as a giant linear pile of poo.

Oh well... What can you do? I just need to be patient, because real live Spring is just around the corner!

However, my friends to the north are gonna get SLAMMED by this system with snow and ice! I don't believe I've ever heard of a PDS Winter Storm Watch, but one was issued yesterday for Oklahoma! In Northern Indiana, it won't be unheard of for people to receive 30 inches of SNOW! I have also heard from a friend in the South Bend area that 2 feet of snow is already on the ground there!

This is going to be an epic event, even if I don't get my severe weather!

First Chase-atunity of 2011????

2011-01-29T07:38:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well.. In my massive amounts of procrastination and whining, I did what any good weather nerd should after going outside and feeling nearly 60 degree temperatures at the end of January. I looked at the models to see when the massive cold front was coming through! :)

Massive may be a strong word, but look toward the week ahead it might be the first true opportunity for severe weather this week. From looking at the GFS, it seems a cold front will move through, bringing snow to our friends to the north and action of another kind to our area. As of right now, it appears that Wednesday evening will be the most interesting day in our area. I just hope these storms roll through after work!!

Last night, I thought the chance of severe would be further to the south, but after looking this morning... WE HAVE A CHANCE! And a chance is better than nothing!! :D

Preparing for the Season Ahead

2011-01-25T22:23:00.000-05:00

Still experiencing winter doldrums around here, but hey.... It won't be long now! My second season of chasing will be beginning soon! Full of new adventures, busts, and hopefully, that elusive first TORNADO! :)

I'm in my 4th semester of grad school, and this one is starting out ROUGH. FDA Submissions.... Hardest class thus far. Constant assignments, very very difficult.. loads of writing. See? I can't even finish a complete sentence!

Anyway... I've been doing a lot of reflecting and thinking about last year's chase-a-tunities. This year, I'll be much better. My GPS should arrive tomorrow! I need to practice tethering the Blackberry to my computer for internet access.

It won't be long now, everyone! Just on the other side of February lies Spring... The BEST season of the year!

2011-The Year of the Tornado

2011-01-03T04:51:00.000-05:00

Is it presumptuous to say this will be the year I see my first tornado?? Maybe a little, but we all have goals, right?

I have neglected my blog lately, and neglected many other things for many months. School is part of it, but there have been some other distractions... I'm going to do better at remaining focused on my goals this year.

The end prize... Finishing my master's degree and seeing my first tornado! Last year, I made a list of goals.. things to accomplish, and this year is no different. I did EXTREMELY well last year! Let me share my list with you:

1: Chase more! I will have at least one fairly long distance chase this year. I will chase every single possible opportunity and I WILL NOT miss storms due to school procrastination!

2: FINISH my Master's this year. I'm beginning "official" thesis work this summer, but unofficially start this semester. This means I will be even more stressed, but I'm ready to get finished.

3: Get my camera and learn to use it. (unfinished business from last year!)

4: Fix things... I can't really go into details, but in my head, there are somethings that need fixing. No funny comments from the peanut gallery!

5: Get our house ready to sell and move to my older farmy type home in the country that I have always wanted.

My list is fairly short this year... Honestly, school will be taking up so much of my time, I'll be lucky that I get ANYTHING done!

Happy New Year everyone!

So........

2010-10-17T09:40:00.000-04:00

My poor blog. All alone and neglected. Okay, blog. It has been awhile, so maybe we should sit down together and catch up.

Basically, I wake up really early, go to work for awhile, come home, relax for about 30 minutes, check my work email, start working on school stuff, and then go to bed. This semester has been exceptionally challenging, and I feel like my last few semesters are going to be like this. It sounds kind of like I'm sad about it, but honestly, I am loving all this.

I never thought I would be the person who was so caught up in her job that she couldn't go an entire day without thinking about it in one way or another. I have completely become that person, but that's a sign that I am truly interested in what I am doing. I couldn't be happier to figure out I have made the right decision.

Unfortunately, my dream of a "chase-cation" this summer is probably squashed. I absolutely have to take TWO classes this summer if I want to finish by next spring. Sigh.......... Maybe I'll get out there someday.

Happy 5th Birthday, Rerun!!

2010-09-24T08:02:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been so long, but it has been extremely busy!!

Anyway, today is Rerun's 5th birthday! It's hard to believe that it has been 5 years since that hot day in November when we got him! We drove up to this really creepy place on Sand Mountain with this scary guy. Stacey and I both were convinced we were going to be murdered. I was afraid we would come upon a huge puppy farm, but when we got inside this scary guy's house (not the smartest move, we know!) we found out he really just loved his pugs!!!! Out came the mother, the father, and about 5 little pug puppies!! The first dog ran right up to me and I picked him up, and he smothered me in little puppy kisses. And there you have it! That was Rerun. There was no way I was putting him down once I picked him up.

:)

Just Relax

2010-08-14T07:22:00.000-04:00

So... last night, we got a surprise storm!! I went to go and grab my camera and video camera, and then I just decided to go outside and enjoy the storm.

I can't explain how nice it was just to stand outside and feel the wind and the rain like I used to. I have become so focused on documenting every storm that I encounter that I forgot that feeling. This is what I love about the weather! The way the wind and air feels just before a storm hits. The clouds rolling in.... It's so easy to forget to notice the beauty around you sometimes.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happiness!!!

2010-08-13T05:45:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we received a miracle!!! My father went back for the results of his biopsy and NO CANCER!!! I was in a terrible mood all day! I just knew it was going to be bad news, but all is well with my dad!

As far as the terrible blood work goes, the doctor could not explain it. He is going to do a full body scan just to be on the safe side, but, thanks be to God, my dad is going to be fine!!!

Now... I'm waiting for a stormy weekend! :D

STORMS! :D

2010-08-09T06:01:00.000-04:00

So... I had two amazing storms last Thursday and Friday! The storm on Thursday brought gusty winds, heavy rain, and just an overall good time! Friday's storms were a bit different!!

As I left work on Friday, I had no camera, video or otherwise. The wind was picking up and the lightning was insane. I was upset about not having my camera. There was some amazingly fun scud and oh.. the lightning! I might have actually been able to capture this lightning since it was so frequent!

The wind and rain finally caught up to me, and I could not see a thing!!! I had to turn around in the battlefield, because of some street flooding. I'm glad I saw that truck turn around, because I probably would have ran right into it, since the heavy rain was completely blinding me!

I arrived home to find the power was out! The house had already started getting sticky and humid!!! Luckily, it was only out about an hour.

Thursday's storms I managed to document in 3 parts!

See www.youtube.com/jcpalmer1976 for the videos!

Have a good Monday!

Stuff Going On Right Now...

2010-08-04T06:09:00.000-04:00

Well, this summer has taken a turn for the worse. We found out a couple of weeks ago there was a good chance my dad's thyroid cancer had come back. Then, last week, it was confirmed that dad had a tumor on the right lymph node in his neck. Now, Thursday, dad goes in for the official biopsy to see for certain. Sigh... I really hate cancer.

Other than that.. I really have had an amazing summer. So many good things have happened. :) I'm trying to focus on the positive now, because that's the only way I personally can cope.

I can't say enough about what amazing friends and family I have. They are always there for me when I need them, and I'm always reminded that they are much better friends to me than I am to them. That is going to change.

Hope everyone has had a great summer!!

Neglected!

2010-07-20T06:07:00.000-04:00

Wow! I have completely neglected my little blog lately! What's worse is that school starts in about a month, and I'll be back to being so busy I can't see straight.

One of the things I've been thinking hard about lately is the possibility of chasecation next spring. I will probably only have a very small window of opportunity for chasing, but, if I can afford it, I'm going to do it. The only way for me to see a tornado is to head to the plains. So, I've done a lot of math lately trying to figure out if I can swing it. The hubby is not particularly thrilled with the idea of chasecation, so I'm actively looking for people to either go with me for a bit of the trip or the whole trip. I would like to find people who have MORE chasing experience to go with me for a chase or two while we are out there.

But.. first things first.. I have to budget for this. So, I've cut myself off on unnecessary purchases and I'm saving my pennies. I will be in the Plains for a week next spring!! Wait and see! :)

The 4th of July! A Celebration of Life

2010-07-04T11:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was an amazing day. 2009 was a pretty terrible year for my family. In May of 2009, my sister was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer (that's really bad), and the prognosis was grim. There were lots of scary times. By the time my sister finished chemo and radiation, she was very weak and sick. She was hospitalized soon after due to an allergic reaction from the chemo. Then, not long after, she made the difficult decision to have her colon and most of her large intestine removed to prevent the cancer from coming back. That surgery was long and difficult and the recovery was hard. But she made it through! And she's doing great now!

Not long after my sister's recovery, my uncle (my mom's brother) was hospitalized with complications from pneumonia. He also contracted MRSA from the hospital. That combined with Rheumatoid Arthritis and many many heart problems caused his health to spiral downward rapidly. There was one very late night that I sat at the hospital with my mom, when we were certain that my uncle was not going to make it through the night. My aunt said "Just wait! Next year at our 4th of July party, we'll be laughing and celebrating the fact that both (my uncle) and (my sister) survived 2009!"

Well, guess what?? Yesterday, we had our annual lake party in Spring City, TN! And guess what else??? We celebrated our two survivors!!! It was a very happy and emotional day for us all!

And I am so thankful everyday that my sister AND my uncle are still here with me! That is what I'm thinking about this July 4th!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Favorite Band Almost EVER!!

2010-06-27T11:33:00.000-04:00

So last night, we made the trek down to Atlanta to see one of my favorite bands, The New Pornographers. Let me just say that was one of the most amazing live shows I have ever been to!!! And I've been to a LOT! They played a great variety of songs from all of their albums. The end of the set was The Bleeding Heart Show, which gave me chill bumps and nearly moved me to tears.

I don't think there is anything better than amazing music. :)

Ugh...

2010-06-24T05:58:00.000-04:00

I have my moments. I have really good weeks sometimes for so long that I forget what it is like to have a bad week, and then sometimes I just have a few bad days that compound upon each other.

For whatever reason, sleep has not been easy for me. I have been SO tired, but I will fall asleep for about 30 minutes or an hour, wake up, and then not be able to return to sleep for a few more hours if at all!!

The last time felt this way is when I was stressed and worried about my sister, so I know stress is the underlying cause.

Anyway... I hope it gets better soon. Lack of sleep becomes depression for me. I'm hoping that I can catch up a bit this weekend.

I'm crazy..

2010-06-21T05:49:00.000-04:00

I know it sounds crazy, but my heart still races when I start thinking about that storm on Saturday! I wish I hadn't gotten scared, but you know.... it happens! Lightning everywhere, a tree snapping.. I'm not going to be too hard on myself. Plus, the rain blowing in the doorway was crazy!

One of my favorite days ever.... :)

WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-19T14:50:00.000-04:00

Amazing day, everyone!!! I can't explain enough how awesome the storm was that just blew through here! I was at the grocery store and I had an email that said an MD was issued for our area. As soon as the groceries were put away, then I heard thunder and saw it was growing very dark to the NW of me.

Again.. another shelf cloud that didn't translate into pictures. The rain started pouring down and I headed to a butter place to video the storm. The lightning was insane! So instead of standing outside, I stood in the doorway! Anyway.. No reason to keep talking.. here's the video!

Disclaimer: I'm REALLY excited! And I do get scared at one point, because I heard a tree snap!

Interruption!!

2010-06-16T05:50:00.000-04:00

I'm going to interrupt my travel stories with news of the THIRD chase that occurred yesterday afternoon!!! It was an epic technology fail for me though! When the severe storms crossed over into Catoosa county, it was REALLY windy. In Walker County, golf ball sized hail had been reported! I was ecstatic! The wind was crazy, and I was filming. Small limbs flew around, and then I looked at my camera and I forgot to hit record. :(

So then I came back inside and loaded up GRL3. I noticed a slight kidney bean shape to the storm just to the north around Ooltewah, TN and suddenly a TVS appeared for just a minute! I checked out and there was some very weak rotation! I couldn't find my flip flops, so that cost me a little time. I hopped in the car with my cameras and hit the road. I drove as quick as I could toward where the little amount of rotation was occurring, not really anticipating seeing anything too much but it was still fun!!

I realized about half way to my storm that I had very little gas, and by that point the storm had weakened a bit and would have been much more difficult to reach. So once again I retain my title as Jenny the Rain Shower Chaser.

Oh well.. it was all in good fun! I'm hoping to see a few more of those kinds of storms today. It is the only positive thing about summer in the South!!

Day 4--Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor

2010-06-13T10:16:00.000-04:00

I'd like to apologize, because blogging has become increasingly difficult for me. I am loving my job, but it is getting harder and harder for me to come home and sit in front of a computer screen!!!

Anyway... Day 4, we got up early and made our way to Victoria Station to catch the bus to Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath. Riding the tube.... That is an experience. We rode the Metro in Washington DC and Marta in Atlanta. The Metro could be stressful, but the Tube was very stressful during rush hour! Lot's of running and trying to get out of everyone's way! Poor Stacey. He was feeling so terrible at this point.

We made it to the bus station and waited patiently for our tour bus to arrive. Our first stop was Windsor Castle, the weekend home for the Queen. We kept missing the Queen. When we were at Buckingham Palace, she was at Windsor. When we were at Windsor, she was somewhere else preparing for the Derby that was going to be held that weekend. Windsor Castle was gorgeous. Too bad, you can't take any pictures inside these places. I was much more impressed with it than I was with Buckingham. Henry the VIII built the castle and he was also buried there. I got chill bumps as I stood beside his grave, where he was buried with Jane Seymour who was his favorite wife since she provided his only male child. Here's a picture of Windsor Castle:

Changing of the guard at Windsor Castle:

The little town of Windsor was really neat, too. So quaint. One thing we learned from this trip is that getting OUT of London is a must!!! We would have taken more trips outside the city if we would have realized this!!

We were now on the road to Bath. I am a Literature nerd. I've read the Canterbury Tales, as well as TONS of historical fiction. I know all about Bath! It used to be a summer place for the gentry and it is also home to the Roman baths, discovered by the Romans over a thousand (!!!!!) years ago! So many of these places are so hard to explain... You just have to SEE it! Bath was filled with street performers of all kinds. I absolutely loved this place. It's one of those places that I could see myself living. I felt a very strong connection to this city. After our tour of the Roman baths and walking around the city, we sat down and enjoyed the comedy of a street performer who was also a magician! He was so funny! :)

The Abbey in Bath:

Stonehenge.... Our tour guide got it all wrong on this one. He said, basically it was just a pile of rocks so we wouldn't be staying for more than 30 minutes. When we got to Stonehenge, I was completely moved. It is something to see, really. I wouldn't trade our experience there for the entire world!!! It was much more than a pile of rocks to me and Stacey. Stacey had done an extensive research project on Stonehenge, so he was able to give me a lot of insight. We took tons of pictures. These are my favorites:

London Day 3.. The Sickness Intensifies!

2010-06-11T05:11:00.000-04:00

Poor Stacey... We both weren't feeling great by the end of Day 2, but I got a good night sleep and felt much better on Day 3. When Stacey got up... it was really bad. He had a full on sinus infection complete with tons of coughing. By the time we made it to Edinburgh, he couldn't walk to far without stopping and coughing.

So this day was an easy day. Not to mention, it was raining very hard, and we were dumb enough to forget our umbrellas! We took it easy for awhile, found a Starbuck's and ate a cheap gross sandwich. Then, we hopped on the tube and headed toward Trafalgar Square to take some photos to see how long Stacey could handle it. We knew that the next day was Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor Castle, so I wanted Stacey to feel good for that.

Interesting nerdy note, the UK has a LOT different drugs approved for OTC use. There were NO nighttime cough and cold formulas! Very odd. The rules are different everywhere. I don't know if you had to get a prescription for them or ask specially for them, but anyway.. enough of my boring rambling! haha

We hung out in Trafalgar Square for quite a bit and took pics. Then we headed into the museum in the square, where they had TONS of Rembrandt stuff! I LOVED IT!!!

After the museum, we just kind of wandered around and headed up to Piccadilly Circus. We had a good laugh, because of the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. Seriously? In London? We were surprised that there wasn't that much different between Gatlinburg and London! HA!

Day 2-London Marathon Tour

2010-06-08T06:21:00.000-04:00

Well, our time in London was limited. Since we had other places we wanted to visit, we technically only had three days in London. We made the decision to do a full day tour of London, and, if there were any sights we wanted to go back to, we would make notes and head back to them on one of our free days.

We boarded the bus at Victoria Station at 8am and didn't get back until 5pm. We saw EVERYTHING! Stacey and I dubbed it the marathon tour. It was really intense! We began our day at the Tower of London!!!! So exciting! I'm a lover of historical novels, and I have read so many books the ended or began in the Tower! I love stories about Henry the VIII.

We had our own tour lead by a Beefeater (or Yeoman Warder). Tower of London was a powerful place. There is something about being somewhere that you have spent a good part of your life reading about!

After the Tower of London, we took a tour of the Thames on a boat. I had read the best views of Big Ben and Parliament are from the river. That was so true!!!

We then headed over to Buckingham Palace and to Covent Garden to eat lunch! We had lunch in an Italian cafe and discovered it was rude to ask for your check. We had no idea, but they were really put off with the fact that we were in a hurry. Someone needs to write a book of rules for traveling to foreign countries! This was the second time we had to do this, and after the second time we realized this was a huge faux pas! Americans eat too fast, I suppose!

We hopped back on the bus, and headed over to Saint Paul's Cathedral! Many people are buried here! Honestly, I was planning on journaling the entire trip, and I didn't! NOW I WISH I HAD! It's so easy to do, but you forget stuff so fast! Especially when you are ADD like me!

So my recommendation for anyone out there is to JOURNAL every detail if you want to remember everything about your trip!!!

We were exhausted by the time the bus dropped us off at the London Eye. Stacey's illness was beginning to really ramp up, and the line for the Eye was really long. We decided to skip it. We wandered around the area for a bit before hopping the Tube back home.

More to come... ;)

London Vacation-May 29-June 5 2010

2010-06-06T13:51:00.000-04:00

Well, it's good to be back in the good ole USA!!! I loved every minute of our UK vacation, minus the STUPID plane trips and going through customs! Ugh.. Flying... Didn't it used to be glamorous or fun? Now, it is horribly uncomfortable, rude, noisy... shall I go on?

Regardless of our traveling chaos, we had an absolute blast! :D I can't say enough about London. I can't put it into words! If you love history, architecture, art, please go. It is incredibly worth it! Even if we are horribly jet lagged and broke!

I am going to break up my blog posts into days. I hope I don't bore everyone to tears with my stories, but it's the only way to do it justice!

Let's start with May 29-30 2010, since that was pretty much just one day.

We left Chattanooga for Atlanta around noon on the shuttle bus. Note to self: Next time pay the extra money for a flight out of Chattanooga. More on that to come later.

We arrived at the Atlanta airport, and I noticed there were some storms around. I hate flying.. You have to understand. I have done a great deal of flying in my life and every time I think I am not scared or used to it, well... I'm wrong! You guys KNOW I love storms, but not when I'm in the air. So we headed to the bar. I had a few beers and felt better until we got the tab! $6 for a beer!!!! Are you kidding me?? Oh and we also saw Justin Bieber in airport security. If you don't know who he is, then really... it doesn't matter, but we saw him anway! Anyway, we boarded the plane, and Stacey took some fun shots of the clouds, including this little fun anvil!!

So, many hours of flying and crying babies later, we arrive in Heathrow. Of course, something dumb has to happen to Stacey and I on every vacation. Those two dumb things were our airport transfer not arriving and Stacey being deathly ill for most of the trip. We caught a cab to our hotel, and took a quick nap. We then headed out to explore our neighborhood, Maida Vale. Our hotel was in a residential area located just outside of central London. It took us about 10 minutes to reach downtown by the tube. A couple of blocks down from our hotel was Abbey Road Studios and Abbey Road. I am a HUGE Beatles fan!!! On our way to Abbey Road, we encountered the first of MANY churches that would just blow me away!

Gorgeous churches EVERYWHERE!!!! Anyway, we were off to Abbey Road. When we got there, we got a good laugh watching people trying to get "the picture" without getting killed!! That provided TONS of entertainment! Here is the REAL LIVE Abbey Road!!

More to follow tomorrow! :D

WEEEEEEE!!!!

2010-05-29T09:20:00.001-04:00

WEEEEEEEE!!!!

That is all! :)

And Happy Anniversary, Stacey! :D

I Don't Know How To Title This

2010-05-23T08:15:00.000-04:00

Haha.. This post is about a little bit of everything, weather, life, other junk! :) So coming up with a wacky title was a bit difficult this morning.

First of all, I didn't have too much time to pay attention to the weather yesterday, but KUDOS to all the chasers who got such amazing video and pictures from SD yesterday! Wow! Some extremely beautiful pictures!

Second of all, I feel like my postings are going to become few and far between until I get used to the new job. Although I'm not on my feet all day like I was in the lab, I am still exhausted when I get home. Lot's of reading, thinking.... But I absolutely love it! I thought I needed a change of pace from the lab world, but this first week has proven that it was a NECESSARY change of pace! I really have enjoyed this week!

Thirdly, tonight, I say goodbye to my all time favorite TV show, LOST. I have driven coworkers and other friends crazy. I actually only caught up on this show last summer, but, in the short amount of time it took me to breeze through 5 seasons, I fell in love. This show has depth and makes you think. It's one of the rare shows that came to TV, forces you to use your brain, and actually survived the chopping block!!! If you have never watched the show before, I understand it seems ridiculous. Trust me, I was a skeptic. I was watching it to see what the "big deal" was since I had a few friends who were NUTS about the show. So tonight... All will be quiet in the Palmer house except the TV! And tomorrow I will wear black to mourn LOST.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHT84Dn2gFg

Looking back...

2010-05-18T05:54:00.001-04:00

I'm so ready for vacation now. I feel like I haven't had a whole lot of time to think about it, except for random reports of a pesky volcano that may or may not disrupt our travel plans!

This year has been amazing. I decided to go back and look at the list I made before the new year started and see how I've been doing..

#1: Vacation in the UK-IT'S HAPPENING!!!!!

#2: Spotter Training class!-I finally did it. It might seem strange, but I don't like doing things alone. I went all alone, and enjoyed hanging out with the weather nerds and watching a really old man fall asleep complete with snoring about 2 minutes into the meeting.

#3: Participate in a few local chases to get a little experience close to home-Done.... Nothing that exciting has happened. Two "chases" under my belt now. I wish I lived in a better area to see, but you have to deal with the hand you are given.

#4: As always, lose a few pounds!!-At one point, I was down 15 lbs. Now it's more like 12 lbs, but I will take it. I must make it to the gym!!

#5: Learn, learn, learn! Learning is one of my favorite things! I'm going to learn all I can next year!-This is an ongoing process. I will always be learning. There is always something new to learn about!

#6: Get a digital SLR camera and take some photography classes before the UK trip!-Well, this didn't happen. DSLR's are pricey, and I decided that I am going to ask for one for Christmas!

#7: Focus on the positives this year!-Sometimes this is difficult for me. People who really know me think I'm a fairly positive person. The reason I included this is because 2009 was such a difficult year for our family. All the insignificant things you worry about on a day to day basis mean nothing when you are worried about losing your loved ones! Thank GOD that my sister is healed and healthy! That's the best present anyone has ever given me!

So far... A good year! Let's keep up the trend! :)

Determination!

2010-05-17T05:56:00.001-04:00

Saturday I was determined to "chase" something. What that turned out to be was heavy rain showers! The morning started off with a nice little cell to the south and west of me. The cell had a 0.5" hail marker on it, and I figured I could intercept it if I drove about 5 miles to the south. I made it down to a school and pulled into the parking lot to wait. This storm was moving 8kts. Waiting for it was like waiting for paint to dry, but, when it finally arrived, I was welcomed by serious heavy rain and no hail or thunder. I went to at least try to film how hard it was raining, and I realized I forgot the batteries in my video camera. I waited about 5 minutes and headed back home, knowing more storms would be firing later on.

I had a choice.. Storms were firing to the north and to the south. I went after the storms with the largest hail, since these were primarily heavy rain and hail producers. So, south we went. That was wrong... Even though the storms we went after had 0.5" hail markers and higher, storms to the north of us ended up producing golf ball sized hail. I don't necessarily want hail dents in my car, but I really love hail. Plus, hail dents give your car character, right? I have only seen golf ball sized hail 1 time, and that was when I was about 8 years old. I've seen much smaller hailstones, but only a few times. So, we made it to Dalton, realized there really wasn't too much else to see, and stopped to eat Mexican food before heading home. I did see some minor street flooding in Dalton. These storms were training, and flash flood warnings were issued for many counties in our area.

We made it home, and I decided to turn off the radar and my weather watching. I heard some thunder and then the beautiful "ping ping" sound I had been waiting for all day! I should've saved my gas money!! Pea sized hail was falling! Here's my video... I'm so excited, but even more exciting to me is hearing the excitement in Stacey's voice! Muahaha!!! He was a trooper! He drove me through the heavy blinding rain to see hail that didn't exist! Thank you, Stacey! :)

What a Whirlwind!!

2010-05-16T15:35:00.000-04:00

Get it??? A whirlwind? Wow.....

Anyway, Friday was one of the best days of my entire life! My last day in the lab.... It was both happy and sad! My three favorite things in the entire world: Weather, LOST, and my ICP. Two of those things were highlighted during my "Last Day in the Lab" party! I received a trophy saying "Most Valuable Chemist" with an ICP torch mounted onto a trophy base! I was so happy! :)

That wasn't all. Around 2pm, my friend and coworker, Lindsey handed me a plane ticket for Oceanic Airlines Flight 815.Those who don't watch LOST will have no idea what any of this means. I walked into the "Hatch" (also known as the cafeteria) to a LOST congratulations/goodbye party! Although, it's not really goodbye.. I'll just be working in another building! This is what I kept telling myself the 9.4 million times I cried on Friday!

Awesome lunch at the Chattanoogan with my bestest friends and coworkers!!

My cake from the LOST party:

Complete with Dharma cola!!

It was an amazing last day in the lab. Now, I have to prepare for my new job that starts in the morning! I'm really excited about it! :)

Did I go chasing yesterday? The answer is a resounding YES! And I'll save that blog post for tomorrow! :)

TOMORROW!

2010-05-14T17:32:00.002-04:00

I will post more in the morning, but look at tomorrow!

No Sleep and Lab Memories

2010-05-13T03:14:00.001-04:00

I have so much on my mind right now! I start my new job on Monday, and, in just over two weeks, my hubby and I will be heading out to the UK for a week! I'm a mix of excited and nervous right now, and it has my insomnia going into overdrive!

As I work my last two days in the lab, I have to look back at all the awesome memories I have had. It's hard to explain what it is like working in a laboratory full of chemists. In every chemistry lab I have worked in, it's always the same. Too many people shoved into a small place. This is both good and bad. The bad is obvious. You can't get away from each other, so when you are having one of those days, it makes things difficult.

The good... There is so much good. Some of my very best friends I have met in the lab. Amy, Julie, Amber, Lindsey, Adam, Josh, Anne... You know who you are! I have danced, laughed, and cried with these people! Although I don't work with some of you anymore, I would have never met you if we hadn't been chemistry nerds together. I have danced more in the lab than I ever have anywhere else! We are never short of good times!

Lab work gives you the ability to be social while you work. While I'm working, I have the ability to talk (my favorite pastime) all day long if I want to. Not to mention, I have learned.. learned.. LEARNED so much in my stint in the lab! The last ELEVEN YEARS of my life I have spent in a lab coat!

Friday will be a tough day for me. The future is bright, but a door in my life will be closed. I will turn in my lab coat and my ICP, HPLC'S, and GC's. I will take with me my pipet bulb (hee hee) and all the memories of all the friends I have made and all the good times I have had.

Jeez... I teared up just writing that!

Wacky Week Indeed

2010-05-12T06:05:00.001-04:00

May 10, 2010 will go down in history as another one of those events that I can't believe unfolded right before my eyes! Yes, I was armchair chasing the night away!!! (one day... the Plains! I can't take this anymore!) The radar images I saw were absolutely amazing, so I'm going to share my favorites. I wish that I had moved the warning box and turned off Spotter Network before capturing these photos, but I was so enthralled in what was unfolding that I couldn't think about things like that!

First.... The Wakita, OK storm! What a gorgeous hook on this bad boy! Also, notice the line of chasers on that road down there! Haha! Lot's of chasers on this storm!

Next, came from the TDWR radar at the OKC airport, as the tornado roared through Moore and Norman, OK. I knew this was bad, and I followed along with the news and TWC. Rush hour through a highly populated area... I knew this wouldn't be good. But this radar image is amazing!

The next radar image is a cell producing TWO tornadoes... Crazy!! One in the main hook part, and another to the north where that other tiny little hook is!

Anyway.. It was a crazy day. I wanted to spend my week reminiscing about laboratory memories, since this is my last week as a lab rat, but weather has been taking all my attention!! Not to mention, chemistry is rebelling against me and my career change!! But that is for another post! Have a good day everyone!

Edit: I would like to add that both of my targets would have put me in good position! Enid, OK was perfect, but I could've easily shot north from Wichita Falls, TX and intercepted those cells! Hooray for forecasting! I'm getting better!

HIGH Risk in the Plains

2010-05-10T06:17:00.000-04:00

Okay... My official target for today is Enid OK. I gave up on Wichita Falls... So, anyway.. enough of my fake chasing scenario!

High risk was issued for today in OK/KS. The wording is pretty intense coming from the SPC. Long-tracked strong tornadoes! I'll have to be living vicariously through all my chaser friends on the live streams today! And everyone on earth is chasing the plains today! The computer was reformatted yesterday, so I hope it's ready for the onslaught!

Stay safe out there, chaser friends! These storms are going to be moving fast!