C'mon, somebody's gotta have an opinion on
my last blog? What should I do as the regular blog post? Here's the current tally:
A)
Untitled Restaurant-Related Project - 0 votes.
B)
First Responders - 0 votes.
C)
Phlog - 1 vote.
Karl already voted, and I counted it against my own rules. Though, it was a bit of a sarcastic reaction... so I still need some serious feedback.
Post a comment or
shoot me an email!
First of all, yes, the post time is correct. I am very obviously pulling a late night (started this post at 5:02am), so I figured I'd put my time to good use. And, no, Karl, it's not because I'm excited about what I'm posting about... it's because I just set up an awesome playlist and I want to listen to all of it...Great reason, huh?------[Now, if you'll join me in boarding my original train of thought...]------
I have the reputation of being the Fox Toledo storm chaser (Heather Miller's a close second). Now, in reality, when we get nasty storms, most (if not all) of our crews are sent out to chase 'em. I just tend to get a little into it.
I've been obsessed with weather for a long time. As a kid, my mom, brother and I would sit on the front porch to watch storms go by. Sure, I don't recommend it now, but it was a great experience for me.
As soon as I got my hands on a camera, I started recording those storms -- whether they were truly exciting or not. I took a lot of heat for it in elementary school and junior high, heck, even into high school (especially from my friend Megan and my entire science class from sophomore year). Not only was I the news geek, I was also the weather nerd. Go figure, right?
But hey, apparently it all paid off... I mean, now I get
paid to do what I used to get made fun of for. Works for me. Anyway, I'm usually keeping an eye out days in advance for those times that it's worth me packing up my stuff to head to the station (scheduled or not).
Though instead of just the usual station camera and accessories, I also bring my personal camera, tripod, police scanner, laptop and my entire "survival" kit from my personal car (some first-aid supplies, rain gear [for me and my camera], all of my FTN jackets, a lot of maps, bungee cords, tapes and pads of paper).
And to make it all complete, I usually throw on a WeatherBug hat Tamara Berg gave me (she's too cool to wear it, she claims) after she picked it up at a weather conference. You know, just for that final touch. After all, we do have the Stormtracker WeatherNet (which is part of WeatherBug)... gotta promote the tools.
So, in summary, I'm a dork. And I dork out a news Jeep whenever it gets stormy.
But as soon as I get out of the parking garage, the dork-ishness dies down just a bit in my mind (Karl and others would beg to differ). I guess it would be more accurate to say that the dorkiness is worth it...? I don't think I'm gonna win this one.
Regardless, being a trained National Weather Service spotter for years, it's my job to look for specific severe weather threats. It's not just for our viewers, but for
everyone in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. When I see something dangerous, I not only report it (usually live on the phone) on Fox Toledo, but I also pass it along to the NWS office (either in
Cleveland,
Detroit or
Northern Indiana depending on the county I'm in).
So as I look at the latest update from the
Storm Prediction Center that has our area in a "Slight-Risk" category, I'm just wishing I was off work Saturday. Chances are, not much'll happen... but if it does, I'll be wearing my suit and tie, already at work. No chance of going all-out and, worse yet, no WeatherBug hat.
But I think I'll get over it.
By the way,
Simon and Garfunkel's "Cloudy" just popped up on my playlist. Awesome timing.
Oh yeah, and scroll down on my blog to check out my only fully-documented storm chase. My friend Dan Adams (
Sentinel-Tribune Story |
Dan's Blog) and I worked on that chase and editing the YouTube clip. Had he not gone on a cross-country trip to produce his own documentary while trying to win an air guitar championship, we would have probably done several more this summer.
Alright, I'm off to bed... now that the sun's starting to come up. Sheesh.
Next week: "Excessive use of ellipses and parentheses: The Barrett Andrews Story"
I think my blogging hiatus is over. Though, I don't feel much like writing any more...
How's about a vlog? Those seem to be going well for some other folks.
So let's take a vote. Here are the two, er... three options I'm torn between (in no particular order) and, heck, maybe I'll end up doing all of 'em:
1)
Food on the Road: Wait, that sounds too literal and therfore kind of disgusting. I'll come up with a better name if it passes...
This would be basically me going to the small-town, hole-in-the-wall type restaurants around the outskirts of Northwest Ohio, places us news people stop when we've got the time and when we want something more than a freeze-dried burger and fries.
One place that specifically comes to mind is a pizza place in Cygnet, just off I-75 in Wood County. Kelly Miner and I stopped there one day working on a story in that rural area, then Michelle Zepeda and I dropped in the next day before we started storm chasing (though, we were originally in town to cover a factory farm debate).
That place has some of the best breadsticks... ever.
Another example: a place in Tontogany (it seems that most of the time when we actually have the time to stop, it's in Wood County) known for its ribs. Tiffany Tarpley and I hit it up one time, and it was pretty good.
Though, admittedly, I'm terrible with remembering names of these places.
With this one, I'd also be open to suggestions... and I'd basically talk to the owner, asking about the history, what they're known for and then, of course, I'd eat the food. And yes, I will pay for it! That's part of the point, since there are so many of these little businesses being driven out of business, it'd be fun to showcase the ones that are still makin' it and stir up a little interest... if anyone reads my blog.
Oh, and yes, I have been watching a lot of the Travel Channel lately....
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2)
First Responders: As a photog, a lot of people realize that I have an addition to breaking news. Don't get me wrong; I love soft stories... they're guaranteed to be rewarding. But being raised by a family of police officers, firefighters and paramedics -- there's a genetic attachment to flashing lights and sirens that needs no more explanation.
So my idea is to ride-along with a different department each week. Maybe just show one run, following one responder. Fire, police, EMS, troopers and even maybe the area's medevac helicopters. Full-time, volunteer, overnights, day shift, whatever I can do.
In theory, it'd kind of be similar to this... as in, closer than regular news video:
Fire Hunter's Ridge (the first story)
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3)
Backup plan: Phlog. Yeah, apparently that's the official name. Anyway, it would be a photo blog with just a different photo from my work week.
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Email me at
bandrews@foxtoledo.com and let me know which one has your vote. Except Karl.
