“Today is hot and humid with a high of 94…”
I have always been fascinated by and terrified of the weather. Have you stared and watch the clouds move across the sky? Have you felt the warm air building as a storm comes? Have you experienced the cooling effect of rain? “How are there not more people fascinated by this?” I sometimes think. I would add that the movie “Twister” really spooked me, and one day as a child it baffled me why my dad stopped at a gas station when the radio report was talking about a tornado warning.
“BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg has issued a…”
As a kid, my dream job was to be a meteorologist. I remember taking a trip to my local news station (WFMY NEWS 2). It was nice to spin a basketball on my finger with the sports director and see the newsroom but nothing beat the feeling I had going up to the green screen and getting to be a weatherman, pointing to cities and weather icons. As I went through the years, my math and science skills did not rise to the par of a budding meteorologist but give me some numbers and a general idea, I will let the people know what they need to know.
In college, I made that somewhat of a big deal. On those big, class-affinity Facebook pages where people were looking for their student ID cards or finding roommates, I posted occasionally about the weather. It ranged from something simple as “rain is coming” to something as complex as an incoming snowstorm.
I’d figured that majority of college students don’t check the weather until they walk out the door. Even then, the weather can change instantly. So here I come, your friendly, neighborhood, non-AMS certified meteorologist. The weather may be my niche but the idea of “letting people know information” isn’t a coincidence. It’s a family thing. I come from a line of communicators. Great grandparents on my mom’s side were ministers and started a church in Roxboro. My dad played football in high school and college and his work in the foodservice industry involved making sure people knew what goes where and what may happen. My mom taught preschool for a bit. I come from a large family of 10.
Communication is key.
So it makes sense that I did the morning announcements, called sporting games in high school, and that my intended major was communications. Even though, I switched majors and got involved in other things I never left that urge of wanting to let people know the information they need to make sure they can make the best decision they can.
This brings us to this moment in time. I don’t know what this space will become or what I will communicate. I don’t know whether it’ll be serious or light-hearted. I have no idea if it may impact our community in a significant way. But at least, we have something to aim for. I don’t know what I’d write about; social issues, my faith, sports, things I am seeing from my lens, and social view-point, the weather. Who knows but this is exciting because it’s an opportunity to build this as we travel. In the meantime, I do hope for:
- My writing to improve.
- To honor my family tradition of being communicators
- For you to check the weather every now and again.
See you soon,
Your friendly, neighborhood, non-AMS certified meteorologist,
Kenneth or Kenny
