Monday, June 09, 2008

A happy anniversary
Wednesday marks exactly one year since my first day at WBTW. It's been a busy year, both here at the station and for me.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Airline Woes
First of all, I have never been one to enjoy flying. But I know it's necessary if you want to travel and don't have the time to drive. My dad always makes the joke that calling it a "terminal" isn't very reassuring either. But I am getting better. I am not nearly as nervous as I used to be getting on a plane. Now I worry less about the plane crashing and more about it being on time.

Friday, March 07, 2008

Read Across America
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to read to classes at Thornwell School for the Arts in Hartsville, SC as part of Read Across America in honor of Dr. Suess' Birthday.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Severe Weather Awareness Week
No matter how many times you have gone over severe weather safety, it's always a good idea for a refresher before severe weather season begins again in the spring. This week is Severe Weather Awareness Week in both North and South Carolina.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

The Coriolis Effect, revisited
In an attempt to keep from losing information that I don't use everyday, I recently took a look back at the coriolis force. If you're interested, take a look!

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

And now a February tornado outbreak…
Almost exactly a month ago, I wrote a blog about the tornado outbreak that occurred on January 7 in the Midwest, primarily in Missouri. Today, I have been looking at pictures of damage from an outbreak affecting Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. I know that many people are thinking that this must be due to global warming, or that something crazy must be going on with the weather. However, February outbreaks are not that unusual. What makes this unusual is the number of people that were killed yesterday.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Six more weeks of winter?
I know I just posted a blog about missing the snow a couple days ago, and maybe the groundhog was listening! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning at sunrise in Pennsylvania, indicating that 6 more weeks of winter are expected before spring begins.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

I think I am beginning to miss the snow!
I never thought I would say this, but I am actually missing the snow this winter. Tomorrow is the first day of February and I have only scraped my car window once. The reason I think of this today is because of the snow that is currently falling in Southwest Missouri, where I grew up. Not to mention that they even got about an inch of snow in Lubbock, TX- a place that I have called home for the past two winters. And Lake Effect snow was always a big story in Northwest Indiana, where Valpo didn't cancel class but once that I can remember. And that was only because the power was off in the classroom buildings due to ice.

Monday, January 14, 2008

A pretty good soaking by Thursday, but wintry?  Doubt it…
This being my first winter in South Carolina, it's a little strange for it to be the middle of January and not even have seen a snow flurry. Even in Texas, we had several events each winter that allowed for live shots out in the freezing rain, snow, and sleet. And trapsing to class in feet of snow was common in Northwest Indiana, where lake effect snow occurred each winter. It seems that many people are getting anxious for a taste of winter around here too, as I have had several emails from viewers asking if there is the possiblity that we could see something other than rain with the storm system that is approaching by Thursday. Right now, I seriously doubt it. Here are a couple responses I have sent to News 13 Viewers so far explaining my reasoning.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Tornadoes in January?
On Monday afternoon, my phone started ringing as I was cooking dinner. I guess it's kind of like a doctor who is constantly getting medical questions, or a lawyer whose friends solicit legal advice- but when the weather turns bad, my phone starts ringing. See, the tornado sirens had started going off in Springfield, Missouri where I am from. And it's about the time that everyone is heading home from work and needs an update before they head out the door.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Haul out the holly
When packing up my things in Texas before moving to South Carolina, I couldn't believe how many things I had accumulated. I wondered why I needed boxes of Christmas decorations. Was it really necessary to move snowman plates to the beach? But this weekend when I pulled all of these seasonal items out of storage and brought them back into my cabinets and living room, I was so glad that I didn't put any of them in the goodwill pile. There is something about having these familiar things that makes it feel more like home and makes it feel more like Christmas.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

RottenNeighbor.com
I read an article recently about RottenNeighbor.com. You go to the website and can post problems that you have with your neighbors. While it's kind of entertaining to look at where you live and what people around you have posted, what kind of outcome do people who post on this site expect? Mabye it's enough just to vent, but I don't see how any change will come from a site such as this. And will people really make a final decision on a house they are interested in buying based on information from this site?

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Far from a computer nerd
I have never been much of a computer junkie. I have no clue how this box on my desk works. Quite frankly, I am surprised it does. I stayed far away from the computer programming classes offered in college for a reason. However, I was forced to take computer keyboarding in high school- which I was convinced was the biggest waste of my time ever. But now I use a computer every day and couldn't imagine it any other way.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Reflecting on Ocean Isle
I was never a student at South Carolina or Clemson. I am not a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. I have never met any of the students that lost their lives in Ocean Isle Beach Sunday morning. But I know that I am not alone in sharing grief and sorrow over such a tragic fire. Seeing the video of what is left of a beach house that formerly held happy memories makes me emotional. Four days later and I like everyone else am still wondering why this happened. The results from the investigation seem rather irrelevant. It doesn't matter what started the fire. It never should have happened.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

A Sweltering Chicago Marathon
Over the past several years I have had many friends who have trained for, participated in, and finished the Chicago Marathon. While it's not something I have ever considered doing, it's pretty amazing to me that anyone can run over 26 miles. It's a huge challenge and an even bigger accomplishment. This past weekend's race is making bigger headlines than usual. This time it's because of the weather.