I remember a family trip to Kasota, MN (in southern MN) … Mom, Dad, sister, Grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I don’t remember exactly when this was, but it had to have been when I was in either 6th or 7th grade. We had a caravan headed down there. I don’t remember a lot about that trip other than the actual trip down there. I’m not sure where the weather started, but it was interesting for the majority of the trip. We stopped at a gas station or truck stop in Sauk Centre, and I remember pouring rain and lightning that seemed to almost hit us. It seemed like in every little town we went through, we heard the tornado sirens going off as we left town. We made another pit stop in Sleepy Eye, MN. I stayed in the car while everyone else went in. I heard them say on the radio that there was a tornado headed toward town. And sure enough, as we were leaving, we heard the sirens go off. It was like the storms were chasing us all the way there. We managed to stay ahead of the bad stuff, thankfully.

I think that was where my love of severe weather was born.

I went to college at the University of North Dakota (Go Sioux!!!) for meteorology. I was interested in the research side of things. I did work study (with my advisor). We were looking into the radar coverage in NW North Dakota, and how forecasting info might be affected if the Williston NWS office was closed. I looked at a lot of radar data.

Unfortunately, that was about as involved as I got while I was there. I did go to meetings of the student AMS (American Meteorological Society). Looking back now, I wish I had tried to get involved at RWIS (Regional Weather Information Center), which was right on campus. Maybe if I had, things would have turned out differently.

In the summer of ’97 (and again in ’98), I was an intern on a weather modification product in western ND. I really enjoyed that. We had our own radar on site, and we used it to guide airplanes around thunderstorms so they could seed it to either make it rain more or to lessen the size (and damage) of hail. I even got to go up in one of the planes once while they were on a mission. Some might think it’s crazy to fly a little 4-6 seater airplane around a thunderstorm, but I loved being in that plane. Yeah, we did get caught in a downdraft at one point and dropped like 500 ft in a matter of a few seconds … but I would have gone up again, if I could have.

I graduated with a BS in Meteorological Studies in ’98. I remember wanting to go to grad school at the University of Oklahoma. I honestly don’t remember what changed my mind.

I ended up getting a job with the company who ran that weather modification project. I worked there for 4½ years. But I was little more than a glorified office assistant. I was in charge of gathering the data from the various field projects, and putting reports together. But anyone could have done that. I did get to go to a project site in Oklahoma City for a week at one point. But, wouldn’t you know it (with my luck), there wasn’t a drop of rain the entire time I was there.

When I got laid off from that job at the end of 2003, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I looked into getting a weather related job, but with my lack of experience, I was all but screwed. I ended up getting a job as a web programmer in June 2004. And that other life was history.

I am still working as a web programmer. And don’t get me wrong … I love what I do (despite the tight deadlines as of late). But there is still a part of me that longs to be doing something related to the weather. When storms come around, I am taken back to that family trip to Kasota. Only this time, I want to be chasing the storms.

I found out early last week that Reed Timmer was going to be in Hillsboro to give a talk today. If you don’t know who Reed is, he’s a storm chaser. He’s on the show Storm Chasers on the Discovery Channel.

I almost didn’t go. I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go with me, and I didn’t want to go by myself. But I knew (with my history) that if I didn’t go, I would never forgive myself. So … I sucked it up and went … by myself. And I’m glad I did.

Reed & Joel (one of his partners) were supposed to be coming. It turned out that Joel didn’t end up coming. It would have been nice to meet Joel too, but oh well. When Reed got there, they drove (he wasn’t the one driving though) the Dominator into the gym where the event was being held. Very cool. I didn’t have to go out in the cold to check the thing out.

I walked around the Dominator a little and took some pictures of it. There were too many people around it to get as close of a look as I wanted. Then I jumped in line to get my pic taken with Reed. I didn’t have anything for him to autograph, but I’d rather than a picture than a scribbled name on a piece of paper. I hate how I look, but at least I have proof that I met him.

Here are some of the pics I snapped. I didn’t take a whole lot of pics. My camera really didn’t like the lighting in the gym. I did take a few videos of Reed’s presentation. I probably won’t put ‘em up anywhere though.

During his presentation, he showed video clips from some of his chases. Some footage I had seen on the show, and some was raw footage that wasn’t on the show. Watching those video clips renewed my desire for the weather … for severe storms. I am so tired of winter … of all of this damn snow. I long for a good lightning show … for some house rattling crashes of thunder … to watch the storm clouds roll in.

Reed said that he has a feeling that they’ll be doing a lot of chasing in the northern plains this year, based on the fact that it is a La Niña year. You have no idea what I would give to go chasing with him … whether in the Dominator or not. To just go chasing at all. Obviously, I can’t go chasing by myself. I’d end up in the ditch because I’d be watching the weather rather than the road. And I don’t know anyone who would want to go chasing with me … and be the one driving. If I happen to see the Dominator driving through town, I just might find myself following them. But not too close. I don’t think my little Honda would survive a tornado.

An unforeseen side effect of going to the talk is that it made me question where I am today. I went to school for 4 years … spent around $10,000 to get a degree in meteorology. And I’m working as a web programmer (and I’ve never had a single class in the field).

It really is crazy how where you are isn’t where you thought you’d be. But even though I’m not a meteorologist like I thought I would be, the desire is still there. I still get excited when I hear thunder, when I smell rain. I didn’t fail. I just found something else that fit me better for a career. I didn’t lose the desire that I had back in junior high. It’s still there … in my heart.

Today I found out that Reed Timmer & Joel Taylor from Storm Chaser are going to be in Hillsboro on Sunday.

‘Storm Chasers’ show stars to stop in Hillsboro

Reed Timmer and Joel Taylor from Discovery Channel’s show, “Storm Chasers” discuss their work Sunday at the Hillsboro Events Center.

The duo will bring “Dominator,” the Tornado Intercept Vehicle, with them.

The event is sponsored by the Hillsboro Students Against Drunk Driving Chapter.

Doors open at 1:30 p.m. with the presentation starting at 3 p.m. Tickets available at the door for $10.

Source: Inforum.com

I asked my sister if she wanted to go. I know she watches the show. She doesn’t wanna go … brat. I really wanna go. I don’t want to go by myself, but I don’t know of anyone who would want to go with me.

But do I really wanna pass up this opportunity? It’s not like I’m gonna see a tornado or anything … this is North Dakota and it is March and there is snow on the ground.

But they are gonna have the Dominator there. And I’m sure they will have stories to tell. I just don’t think I can pass this up.

But no … we have to get a foot or more of snow in the first storm of the season. What the hell? At least it was light and fluffy and easy to drive through. Especially since my car was surrounded by the crap by the time I left work. It sure was fun to brush all that snow off … standing in drifts damn near up to my knees. </sarcasm> But I made it home safe and sound. My car did good for its first outing in winter conditions (since I bought it).

It wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t another storm headed our way later this week … just in time for Thanksgiving. They’re saying that driving conditions are going to be pretty sketchy. Just great. I didn’t make it home for Christmas last year, and now I won’t make it home for Thanksgiving this year.

I was looking forward to turkey and ham (and leftovers). I was even gonna attempt to make my own stuffing this year. I’ve been wanting to the past couple years but just haven’t done it. Now it looks like I’m gonna be stuck here in Fargo.

I did buy a turkey tonite. I already had the ingredients for the stuffing and a pumpkin pie (and Cool Whip) in the freezer and spuds in the pantry/closet and apple cider in the fridge. I bought the ingredients for scalloped corn tonite and some lefse. I’ve got some summer sausage and cheese and crackers for munching too. At least I won’t go hungry … assuming I don’t kill the turkey.

I did mention to Robin that if she’s stuck in town too, maybe we could get together and have our own Thanksgiving. It would be nice to not be alone for the holiday. It all depends on the weather and travel conditions in the direction that she’s planning on heading.

I’m hoping that by Thanksgiving of next year, I’ll be having Thanksgiving in my own house. It just depends on how long it takes me to find a house in my budget. I plan to start looking in the spring.

“Why” you ask? Well …

click to enlarge

The Christmas 2009 winter storm will continue to impact the area through Saturday morning. For the remainder of Christmas Eve…there will be periods of light snow. Snow rates will increase from late tonight through early Saturday morning…and north winds will increase to 25 to 35 mph…causing considerable blowing and drifting snow with blizzard conditions. Widespread whiteouts can be expected across much of Eastern North Dakota into adjacent Minnesota counties. Travel Christmas Day will be extremely hazardous. The map represents additional snowfall accumulation expected from noontime Christmas Eve through midday Saturday. On Saturday…the snow will wind down slowly but winds will still be high and visibility poor. Sunday will be better with no snow in the forecast and winds diminishing. Please stay tuned for further updates.

As you can see, Mother Nature had other ideas. Well, her Christmas present is going back. LOL

We got about 6 inches of snow overnite here in Fargo. It didn’t snow all that much during the day, and it wasn’t all that windy. I did consider leaving work early to head to Mom & Dad’s before it started snowing again. I obviously decided against going. The road reports for my route home was “snow covered” then “continuous ice/compacted snow” then “scattered ice frost” and back to “continuous ice/compacted snow”. I decided to use my better judgement and stay in Fargo. If the roads are travelable on Sunday, I’ll head to Mom & Dad’s (unless they decide to come up to Fargo). And if the roads are still shitty, there’s always next weekend.

Robin ended up staying in Fargo too. If the roads in town are passable, maybe I’ll venture over to her place to hang out. Otherwise I don’t know what I’ll do. I plan on making some chili cheese dip tonite to munch on (I was going to make it and take it to Mom & Dad’s). I bought the ingredients yesterday to make lasagna. I might make that tonite so I can pop it in the oven tomorrow for dinner (with leftovers for supper). And I have beer in the fridge and vanilla vodka chilled out in the freezer.

It definitely sucks being stuck here in Fargo (alone) for Christmas. It’s the first time that I haven’t made it home for Christmas. But I’d rather be stuck here than in some ditch or worse. I guess the Christmas presents and baked goodies will just have to wait. I just wish Mom hadn’t said that she had some krumkaka for me (I love those). Maybe I can hitch a ride with Santa.

Click to enlarge

As long as this stuff doesn’t pile up (and it’s not supposed to), then fine. There had better not be any measurable snow until AFTER my birthday. Otherwise Mother Nature is in for some trouble.

What is the idea? Well, it’s a weather widget. Yes, there are lots of weather widgets already out there on the web, but there’s no rule anywhere saying I can’t add one more to the mix.

My previous stab at this idea was just for my own personal use on my own websites. It displayed the current conditions only for Fargo. This time I want to create something that others can download and add to their own websites. I also want it to allow for customization of the location of the conditions by the person who is viewing the website that the widget is on, and I want it to remember that customization.

I intend to use the NWS XML feeds for the data source. That’s what I was using for my first version of this widget. I trust the data from the NWS. I see them as an official source. I know that there are other sources out there that might have more data points, but I prefer the NWS, so that’s what I’m gonna use.

I’ve already created a brief outline of what I want to accomplish. I even started sketching out the database schema over the weekend. Now I just need to force myself to sit at the computer and work on it. I definitely could use the distraction while I’m waiting. Once I have things finished up, I’ll most likely add it to this site for download (with instructions of course). I don’t know if anyone else will want to use it, but it will be good for me to put this together. And it will be something nice to add to my portfolio.

But I’m not here to complain (this time anyways). I’m just enjoying this beautiful day. And it’s only gonna last for a day, unfortunately. The high temperature forecast for tomorrow is only 48°, and there’s a chance of snow tomorrow nite. Yes … I said snow. Mother Nature sure is a bitch this year. LOL

But before long (hopefully), the weather will be warm on a regular basis. Then I’m sure I’ll be bitching about it being too hot. But then again, I’m not happy unless I’m bitchin’. LOL

One thing that I have discovered this afternoon is that I need a bigger table on my balcony. I can’t use my mouse … just no room. And it is rather short. It’s perfect for when I’m outside reading … to put my phone and my drink on. But if I wanna bring my computer outside, it just doesn’t cut it. In fact, I ended up moving the laptop to my lap. I can see the screen a little better, but it’s still pretty glare-y. Oh well. It’s too beautiful a day to be sitting inside.

We’ve had some pretty strong storms roll through the area over the past couple of days. Yesterday morning a pretty good one rolled through. It stayed south of Fargo, but did head toward Wahpeton. Apparently it was enough of a storm to make the tree in the backyard of my Grandma’s old house fall on the house. The house is a split level … my Grandma and one uncle used to live upstairs while another uncle lived downstairs.

Thank goodness my Grandma and uncles no longer live there (they just moved out recently). But still … to see the tree on the house … it just makes me sad.

The pic was scanned (by my sister … thanks Lisa) from the Wahpeton, ND paper, the Daily News.

I did end up following that path. I went to the University of North Dakota to pursue a degree in Meteorology. I spent 4 years there and ended up with a B.S. in Meteorological Studies (That was 10 years ago this May. Wow does time fly). A couple summers before I graduated, I worked on a weather modification project in western North Dakota. I loved that. I was genuinely interested in the field. I find it amazing that you can reduce the size of hail or make it rain. After college, I got a job as a meteorologist at a company in the field of weather modification. They had projects all around the world, not just in the US. I was there for over 4 years.

That job is what started my migration away from the weather related career path. I was there for over 4 years, but basically was only an office assistant. I did get to go out in the field once (to Oklahoma). But there wasn’t any weather during the week that I was there. So my job mainly entailed gathering paperwork from the field projects, compiling reports, generating reports, logging data … that kind of stuff. Nothing dealing with the weather.

But that job did get me started on my current career path. While I was there, I took over maintenance and development on the company’s website. I did have a couple computer classes in college … 2 in C programming and 1 in computer concepts in meteorology. It was the computer concepts class that I got my first taste of web design/programming. We had to do all of our reports as a website. But other than that, I’ve had no formal education/training in web design/programming. Everything that I know is stuff that I’ve taught myself through trial and error. Good thing I’m a quick learner.

So working on that company’s website is what started pulling me into the world wide web (so to speak ). I delved deeper by developing websites for myself and for a local country band that I know. I ended up registering a domain name and having several subdomains.

That brings me back to today. I have been working as a web programmer for almost 4 years now (the end of June brings me to the 4 year mark). I’ve been with the same company (sort of) all that time. I say “sort of” because at the beginning of this year, that company ceased to exist, and the 2 of us left are now working for the client we had been working. So I’ve been working on the same websites all that time (Well, almost all that time. I started on small projects/updates for the first couple months.).

In these past 4 years, I’ve expanded on my php programming skills and learned mssql. I had only worked with MySQL before that time. And this week I started working on creating my first web service. We’re integrating our shopping cart with Google Checkout, and I get to do the development. I’m learning more and more with every new project we embark on. This web service development is allowing me to learn to work with DOM objects and create/parse XML. This is stuff that I can use on my own websites too. I just need to come up with some good ideas.

While I never imagined I’d be where I am today, I am happy. I really enjoy web development. And the more time I spend on it, the better I get at it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still am intrigued by the weather … especially severe storms. One of my dream vacations would be to go on a storm chasing tour. But as for a career … it just wasn’t meant to be.

Where will I be 10 years from now? Who knows. But I’m hoping it will be in a career that has something to do with web programming.