Weather Girl

It started out, I think, as a byproduct of having curly hair- my obsession with the weather. Humidity signifies ringlets. Drier air means mere wavy tresses, far more manageable.

As early on as I had connected that lower humidity is equal to easier hair days (a/k/a "Ahhhh"), I have been weather attentive. But over time I also learned that lower humidity means general comfort and a greater chance I am going to enjoy being outside, and as GT pointed out, my commute to work would be pleasant, and thus my day, overall, would be pleasant. Fresh, dry, clean, happy. Ahhhh.

I discovered The Weather Channel in recent years- and their local updates "on the 8's." I get dew point tempeatures for my area every 8 minutes! I had been frustrated with major morning news programs, which seemed to not take weather seriously enough (about every 26 minutes, in fact). Twenty-four hours of weather only fed (feeds) my addiction. I don't even mind the terrible, instrumental,soft jazz that accompanies the outdated-looking radar maps on the shoddy green screens behind the D-list anchors (that everyone knows). I don't mind it, the forecast determines the mood of my day. This is important.

When I interviewed for the job I currently have, which happens to be a weather-related television show, I laughed when my current boss asked if I'd enjoy working on such a project. "Are you kidding?? I am obsessed with weather. You don't understand-- I watch weather porn every day," I explained. She laughed. And hired me.

People shake their heads when I try to explain what appears to be a funny quirk of mine. But over the years I've learned something much greater than what started out as pure vanity-- the weather really is a huge deal. Mainstream media tends to ignore it, save for its half-time shoutouts, unless something huge happens, like tornados wiping out entire towns, levees breaking.. At which point it's painfully clear to see how weather affects politics, government and policy; how it illuminates socio-economic conditions. For many parts of this country (ie, in tornado alley or on the gulf) weather is the most important topic of discussion, because weather has and will drastically change their lives- not if, but when.

I feel like I'm getting super boring now. There are fewer mundane topics than the weather, I realize. But I will end on this: weather keeps things interesting. It does everything from angering taxpayers, to claiming lives. It is one of the few things we have absolutely no control over. Weather cannot be tamed nor contaned nor redirected. It is the non-human human drama that propels us into both ordinary stories of mere discomfort, and extraordinary stories of bravery and survival. And sometimes it makes a happy story even happier, when there's sun and a cool breeze on a clear day.