Passing of Legend John Coleman & January Thaw Into February Freeze. Not really "NEWS" It Happens Every Year. TWC Rant

Nothing much going on today.

Changes down the road.

Sunny and Cool in my world today.

So what to talk about?

Things that annoy me.

TWC is advertising the return of Winter.

"February Freeze"

Yah....happens in February.

 I'm under the weather today and trying to find something to watch. The Weather Channel is not doing it for me today. Why you ask? Because they show a possible "wintry pattern" and ask very dramatically "how long will this last?" and I'm thinking "until Spring probably." Let's see maybe until we are done with February? It's obviously everyone has gotten spoiled by the last few warm winters and everyone seems shocked we may get another "shot of cold air" again. It's January 25th today and we are just a month into winter so I think we may have more shots of wintry weather in the near future. You can circle March 20th as the Spring Equinox and that is almost two months away so I suggest everyone not used to putting on the heat in the South or possibly getting snow in the NE just deal with it. Won't continue forever, soon we will move into Spring and then the Hurricane Season.

I also seriously dislike those DERMA PERMA whatever they are commercials that look as if there is an infomercial on and you worry you may be sitting on the remote control only to realize it's just a stupid advertisement. It may or may not work I don't care as I am not buying skin cream from TWC commercials. Speaking of those annoying commercials I hate that "My Pillow" commercial and usually change channels as it goes on and on forever. The problem is that commercial is now on CNN, FOX and every other channel that obviously caters to Baby Boomers as no one else is watching cable TV anymore. Okay possibly Gen X kids still watch it (that generation ends around 1981) but even many of them have moved over to alternative solutions to watch entertainment and receive their news.

Someone who I generally like on The Weather Channel just explained by way of a graph that in the NE February actually gets very snowy. Mike, from www.spaghettimodels.com, has complained frequently that the show is getting too boring and they sound more like a Science for Kids show than a real WEATHER show and I'm going to agree. The level of dumbing down the weather is off the charts lately or more so they seem to believe that people who watch their channel vs the other 358 other channels cable provides know nothing about weather. Think about that. I'm pretty sure the people actually watching TWC and their explanations on "why snow falls" know why snow falls they want to know if it is going to fall. They don't need to compete with "Bill Nye the Science Guy" they just need to do what they did that got there here. They always have this need to fix something that isn't broken and then they have to fix it again.

I've watched TWC since the beginning as most old timers know. So mentioning it here that one of the most original weather people around passed away this past week. I remember when John Coleman announced on his morning show he did the weather for that he would be leaving as they were starting a new channel that would show weather 24/7. Those were the days before reality weather shows and they began to branch out into gardening and showing how a volcano erupts. You see anyone under the age of say 50 knows that to know that all you got to do is go to Youtube.

And it's also worth noting I am now getting old school style TWC on my Facebook Feed as Accuweather now goes Facebook Live with breaking weather the way TWC used to do. Old timers who we miss such as Dave Schwartz took a page from John and knew how to be themselves and when they could make the forecast fun. Let's be honest sometimes the weather is boring. But people like John Coleman never let us be bored. I can fall asleep when TWC does a long explanation of something so simple that if I am watching TWC I obviously KNOW why snow forms. Rather than their veiled commercials for travel destinations they do chit chat where usually some woman with a Masters Degree at least in Weather stands in a semi sexy dress nodding her head up and down while some guy in long sleeves and a tie shows her how the front may move in later this week. No words.

Remember when Weather People actually did the weather? What I love about John Coleman is he was always taking risks and staying fresh. Some people retire and fade away; not him he stayed busy almost until the end. I'm going to try and read the book that tells the story. Jim Williams from www.hurricanecity.com suggested I read it and will try. I've looked through it but now seems as good as any to start a real book vs an article online! Thanks Jim!

St. Paul Winter Carnival is being advertised on TWC. May I remind you they get money for that it as basically a commercial; let's call them advertising partners. Other than the word "WINTER" nothing newsy is going on unless something happens there this particular year. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about it in the 1920s. Spoiler Alert his Southern Belle heroine wasn't real excited aboiut getting lost in an icy maze and went back down South real fast. It's been around a long time, not really news but obviously TWC doing an advertising segment as not much is happening today.

https://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/icepalace.pdf

Sadly she didn't know how to dress...

...for the Ice Palace.

No App.

No TWC

No Google?

Clueless boyfriend?

I'm okay. I think. I've been worse. Just tired and a bit annoyed that while hiding from the constant agenda driven news on CNN and FOX I tried to just leave TWC but that's not gonna do it for me today. I guess I'll be a Millenial (love them) and watch Netflix or just turn off the cable and leave on the collage of every changing pretty pictures and listen to some music. 

It's beyond blue and beautiful outside. Maybe I'll put on a few layers of clothes and take a walk or go out and pick up everything on the balcony that fell down when Raleigh had wind gusts in the high 30s on Tuesday before the "dry cold front" blew through.  Maybe I'll work on my journal offline (the real one) or read a short story by Scott or play on Ancestry. Not dying my hair or doing my nails today. Just resting.

I like fun and crazy and happy and though I am oddly wearing the same shade of green that the girl on TWC is wearing today I'm not interested in being shocked that there are Ice Jams in Winter... oh my!

Hope your day is awesome. I don't really care about his political agenda or anyone's today but if not for John Coleman there wouldn't be a Weather Channel or the other imitation Weather Channel and Accuweather probably would never think to do a Facebook Live when there is breaking weather. Or they just copied Mike from www.spaghettimodels.com either way when weather is really breaking those of us in the Gen X to the Baby Boomer Generation are incredibly happy to have them covering the story.

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

Ps The 80s were wonderful. Perhaps TWC should try doing musical segments to show the weather vs advertising Summer? And, Yes I know they have added women Mets who have Doctorate degrees but they still dress them like Gidget.

Back when they were a media phenomenon people wrote songs about them...

Polar Vortex Returns? It's Called WINTER! A Blast of Winter. Preview For 2016 - 2017 Winter!

That's how the sky looked this morning in Raleigh.

Beautiful in a cold, quiet way.

The satellite imagery shows this blanket of clouds well.

Across most of the United States Winter is making an early appearance. Some might say winter is right on time as winter often plays peek a boo well before the Winter Solstice. The last few years winter laid low and people in Chicago actually complained there was no snow. No one will say that this year! Chicago has had snow, NYC has had snow and New England is well New England. Only the South is dreaming of snow. And, I'm pretty sure someone will soon see snow in the South. It's only a matter of time. However, the media is all over this recent appearance of winter with coming attractions of the Return of the Polar Vortex!! Apparently you don't even have to go on Netflix it will find you soon enough....

So today's post is about the much rumored "BLAST" of ARCTIC AIR coming down by way of the POLAR VORTEX!!  I saw this online today. Seriously? Let's all get a grip here........

It's called WINTER. Winter is back in town, deal with it and stop the hysterics. I know TWC has storm names. Decima ??? Okay, TWC is officially tracking their latest winter storm....

Ps I did not put Hartford, CT in my search so... 

... moving on. It's consistently creepy.

I didn't put Boston in either... 

But I digress. It's cold in Raleigh.

If you wish to follow DECIMA...

https://weather.com/storms/winter/video/winter-storm-decima-to-take-a-familiar-path

Go for it.

We will be having a BLAST of Cold Air this week.

Let's look at that word carefully.

A blast denotes it being FAST as in it rhymes with blast.

A fast, blast of cold air.

A passing, fast, blast of cold air.

Let's look at Raleigh, NC.

So it could be 18 degrees on Friday morning.

Then on Sunday it will be near 70 degrees.

Totally makes sense.

This is that in between time of year.

I finally understand Carolina.

People can taste winter.

Pretend they have a winter.

Then a few days later it's not that bad again.

People say Raleigh weather is Bi-Polar.

And that's because the Polar Vortex only flirts with us.

Floridians love to move here and "enjoy" the "seasons"

Of course they could be hiding from Alligators..

I so get hiding from Gators personally!!

Yeah, explains the people moving up to Raleigh from Florida.

And they get to taste a little bit of winter :)

The reality is it's a COLD FRONT.

A fast moving cold front.

A blast from the Arctic.

Frozen kisses moving South.

Then retreating again until next time...

Winter in the Great Lakes is well.. WINTER.

Winter doesn't take a holiday.

For the rest of us . . . winter comes and winter goes.

You buy in and are happy when you get lucky with 69 degrees.

Snow in the North.

Storms in the South.

Looks normal to me.

Take a look at this screen shot from Spaghetti Models.

Notice the water temperature sites on the far left?

The warm red and orange colors are gone.

Winter weather moves down near the Mason Dixie Line.

There's FOG across parts of the SE

The Mason Dixie Line is a Meteorological reference.

The war between the North and South is over.

But it remains the boundary of Northern Winter..

..and the Southern Winter.

Up North people pray it stops snowing.

Down South kids pray for it to snow just a little even.

Great Divide in mind sets.

I was at the gym this morning. I did a hard routine that had moments of ballet movements mixed with yoga and stretch. Usually I come out of there so warm that I don't want to wear a sweater let alone a jacket. This morning I walked out into the gray, cold, damp air that felt way colder than it really was in fact. If you asked me I'd have thought it was close to freezing and yet it was 48 degrees. I mean damp, cold, bitter to the bone. I wished I had gloves!! I never want to have gloves . . . 

A song from one of my favorite Willie CDs.

Jimmy Buffett is all about summer.

Willie Nelson knows winter.

I call this picture Winter Dreams.

I took it today by the golf course.

If ya want to know what the Winter Dreams reference is...

...here's a free rendition of the short story by F Scott Fitzgerald.

Many say it was a prelude to the Great Gatsby.

Perhaps it should be named "Dreams on Being Gatsby"

If you are looking for a Jimmy Buffett song.

He wrote this one... reference to a short story by Scott.

Hope whatever you dream of you find soon.

Besos BobbiStorm

@bobbistorm on Twitter

I'm pretty sure you might find snow if you live up north ;)

If you don't want to see snow... 

Fly South to Florida!!!

No earthquakes in Florida :)

2 in NC this week. 

Well up in the mountains.

Near Asheville, NC

I know weather people love geology...

That's where Scott put Zelda away once upon a time....

... almost like under lock and key.

But that's another story.

A good muse is hard to find.