Excuse Me, Is This How I Should Panic

Okay, we're underway now. The Helpful Weather People are in full stride.

In case you've been locked in a cave for the last few days, and if you were I envy you, there is some rain headed our way. Luckily for us we have the most up to date, weather-teched, all encompassing, massively over-hyped, extraordinarily elusive, make-sure-you-know-what-happened post storm weather teams around. (Owe, I think I hurt my hyphen finger on that one).

At one point in history we had the "Weather Rock". I'm sure you all know about it. If it's dry it's not raining, if it's wet it is raining, if it's missing no one liked your forecast. Then we moved into the early media era (Metomagnumcaster). Remember? The TV weather report lasted all of two minutes and they used cardboard clouds with frown faces if it was going to be, well, cloudy etc...That is what we now refer to as the good ole' days. Which brings us into the modern era of today's ultra radar, green-screen-enhanced......WAIT, sorry, I promise no more hyphens. You get where I'm going.

I must make a confession here; I am a weather geek. I know it's hard to tell by looking at me, well that's if you could actuall see me, but I do have an interest in Meteorology. That being said, I can hardly stand what most of the media does with this subject.

What in all essence should be a focused, educated, scientifically, and unemotional presentation of the facts. Has now turned into a hype machine of distorted theories that does nothing for accurate forcasting representations as much as it does for ratings increases.

I'm a mostly level headed person, wiht the occasisonal fits of furry while watching School Board meetings or being forced to listen to more than 10 seconds of Justin Bieber music. But after listening to almost any of the local weather mets on TV I'm ready to duck and cover at the first rain drop.

Remember "Snowmageden"? "Snowacane? My brother tells me that in Cincinnati their mets refer to any assemblance of snow as "White Death". Is this what we really need from our forecasters? I think not. I'm so weary of trying to buy a loaf of bread two days before a cloud comes because the media has whipped up a grand hysteria. But it's not all the media's fault.

How much can you eat? Really, that's the question. Who are these people who only have enough food in their pantries for the next 8 hours? Who are these people that before every snow have to run to Home Depot and purchase another shovel and 17 bags of salt. Honestly, there must be a huge pile of snow shovels, lightly used, on Ebay.

Anyway, what I'm rambling on about. Don't give into the fury of the machine. Look out your window and decide for yourself if the weather is bad enough to wear a raincoat. I mean come on, why do we need a weathercaster to tell us how to dress every stinkin' day. They obviously haven't seen my wardrobe or they would simply say "uh you, just do the best you can".

So, hopefully we will all survive the coming rain. Watch the leaves, buy donuts and Yuengling, I mean if you're going to be stuck inside why skimp.