Sunday, February 27, 2005
Good news! I made it home! I think the computer issues Frontier was having made a lot of people miss the flight, cause all 9 stand-bys were able to get on with no problem! So yes, I made it home today on the early flight. Now.. I'm gonna go take a nap!
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After getting up at 4:00am CST (3:00am Denver time), I find myself awaiting at the airport. The flight was completely booked, so I'm hoping that the early flight chases at least one of the bookies off. Otherwise, I'm figuring on staying in Dallas. I have bookmarked the Clarion Hotel just in case as they have a few goodies to keep me busy (indoor pool, high speed net, etc). I'll stay here at DFW to see if the mid-morning flight has any luck, but I imagine if the 645a flight is booked, that'll be the case for the rest of the day. I think I was the first stand-by to check in, so hopefully that'll improve my odds. We'll see how things transpire! Boarding starts here in a few minutes, so I'll know in about 45 minutes whether my luck will hold. Preboarding has just begun... *crosses fingers*
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Saturday, February 26, 2005
I'm Super! Thanks for asking!
Obviously the training has ended. I am now in the elite group of Super Spotters, the first of our kind in the country. Can you hear my excitement! *LOL* Actually, the new title kind of seems to be the butt of jokes as Roger Edwards plainly displayed in his talk as he introduced us to several of the "rejected stickers". It was actually kind of funny!
The talk was great! Many cool things to hear about. Definately a talk more geared to storm spotters and "media chasers". It was cool! The spotter training itself was more detailed than any of my previous chasing seminars, however, most of what they talked about was stuff I've learned in Meso and Synoptic.
After the conference, we went to dinner where I enjoyed my first Texas steak in well over a year! And it was well worth the wait!
 
See More Pictures From TESSA 2005
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Friday, February 25, 2005
I made it safely into Dallas without incident. We grabbed some Wendy's before checking in. The original room ($66/night) had two beds but fire code prevented getting the roll-away. We ended up upgrading to the "Queen Suite" with 2 beds and a pull-ou sofa for another $30/night, which makes our stay $35/night per person. Not bad, all-in-all! We're happy. Jerry was having an issue with his internet connection, but I was able to hook up without any problem. I can get low signal on the wireless, but with the hardline connection, it won't be a big deal.
The conference is tomorrow and we're not going to jump through hoops to get there too early. We're looking forward to it. How can we not be excited? Afterall, tomorrow we'll be Super Spotters! Blake wants a t-shirt! So I'm gonna look! I guess for the chuckles, I'll slap a Super Spotter sticker on the car. I need some decals for the lappy anyway!
Well, off to do something else. Wanted to check in from Dallas! All's well thus far. Still unsure about getting out of here, but I'll worry about that later.
 
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SPC has a big "SEE TEXT" right over Central Texas for Sunday. Although this hardly looks like anything I'd make the trip from Denver to chase... but wait, I've already made the trip... and I may be stuck in Texas an extra day... hmm.. what is a chaser to do? Orbitz says I can rent a car with complete coverege for less than $50 for the day... ... ... I think I may be out of my mind... :o)
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I leave this evening for Dallas to attend the 2005 TESSA meeting. Gene Rhoden has posted a memo on Stormtrack which details how the Nation's First Super Storm Spotters will be initiated tomorrow. How 'bout that! I'm actually a first for something in the chasing world! I'm super, thanks for asking!
In other news, yesterday I got my AE-1 back from The Camera Trader; all cleaned up and refoamed for 2005. They also took the liberty to clean my 100/300mm lens and give me a filter for it. The 35mm camera is all set. All my major equipment is ready; just awaiting on the crap-load of accessories I purchased via eBay in the last couple weeks. I imagine coming home to quite a few of those when I return from Dallas.
As for Dallas, still unsure of the return flight. Its basically gonna be a wait and see on that, I'm afraid.. I have day plan ideas just in case, but I'd rather not have to go that route if I can avoid it! Unless of course chasable weather occurs.. then its a rental car and shabang!
And as for car, after picking up my AE-1, I ran to the DMV to check on the replacement of my 'WX NERD' plates.. I reordered these on NOVEMBER 19, 2004... and yes, it's 4 months and 6 days later... and they're telling me it'll be another month at least... there ya go, our taxes hard at work! They damn well better have it done before my first big chase!
See ya all in Dallas!
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Wednesday, February 23, 2005
I just talked to Carol about my flight issues. What I'm going to do is get to the DFW airport at 5:00am on Sunday and hope that the very early flight has open seats so I can get home Sunday. This should be to my advantage as its such an early flight. If that fails cause of being overbooked, I'll probably set my plans in motion to stay Sunday night in Dallas and come home Monday. I'll take the gamble and see!
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Getting out to TESSA isn't a problem; getting back is! Carol is telling me that all the Sunday return flights are booked and I may possibly get stuck even on Monday?!?! I'm planning as if I'll be staying in Dallas the extra night on Sunday, but having to manage all day Monday could be a hassel. The scenario I'm hoping for behind me getting out Sunday would be the following...
Stay overnight in a hotel with shuttle service to DFW. If I have to shell out a few extra bucks for the hotel for the extra night, so be it! If I can get out Monday, I can catch a shuttle to DFW and get home to Denver. Pending what flight I can catch, I'll take the RTD bus to campus and go to classes. If I catch the early flight, I'll land in Denver before 8p and can be on campus long enough to take an hour nap before my 10am class. IF I get back later, obviously I'll miss classes. My second best alternative is to bunk with someone; this saves me hotel money, BUT lands me in the position where I need to find a way to the airport. Obviously I'd rather not inconvienence anyone if I can avoid it, so that'll play out as time moves on.
That's the scoop right now. I've looked into renting a car and driving down and back; also looked at a one-way car rental form Dallas to Denver. Both seem a bit more expensive and would come out to be more than I would spend on staying 2 extra nights in a hotel (including gas). Guess I'll see how everything pans out in the next couple days!
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Finishing up the formatting of the blog and getting it ready for frequent use as the season gets moving. Wanted to play with the blog layout, eliminate the need to title the entries, and swap over the posted by stuff to the top of the entry.
As for chasing itself, holding out for an early start. Storms fired in Texas and Oklahoma yesterday evening, and although none produced any tornadoes, they definately tease a few of us into hoping that this season may see another March chase. I'm going to continue to wait on the purchase of the Jotto Desk til after TESSA just to make sure they're not having a booth. If no go there, I'll order immediately after the meeting and have it installed the weekend after it arrives. From there, I'll make sure that the major issues are close to completion, just in case a weekend chase happens in mid-March. I think last night sent many chasers into a quicker mode of getting ready.
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Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Preparation for the 2005 season continues with the newest addition to my photo arsenol! Arriving in the mail yesterday afternoon was my 4.0 megapixel Canon Powershot A85 Point-and-Shoot camera. This will allow me to quickly fire images to my website from a chase as opposed to going through the time consuming process of film developing. I ran the camera through a series of tests (taking tons of useless pictures) to make sure it was in good working order and am pleased with what I've seen so far. I've also picked up several 256meg CF cards on eBay, paying close to $70 for 3 of them through various sources. The smaller cards will prevent huge loss in case one of the cards dies. They are also cheaper than 1gig cards and store about as many pictures as I'll likely need in a chase trip or two.
I also ran my 35mm SLR (my Canon AE-1) to The Camera Trader to have it cleaned and refoamed. After bouncing around the idea of picking up a digital SLR, I figured it wouldn't be worth the money to but one since I normally only use the AE-1 to shoot lightning. The $200 Canon gives me the flexibility to shoot for my webpage AND take prints of up to 8x10. The 35mm SLR will be used primarily for lightning shots and perhaps the occasional super-photo!
All my equipment is in stow. I'm awaiting the passing of the TESSA meeting this weekend before purchasing the Jotto Desk for the car. Occasionally, Jotto pops in on these conferences and gives good deals for attendees. I'm hoping to see that this weekend. If not, I'll order online and have it installed prior to my Spring Break (late March).
The accessories are still coming in as well. I'm awaiting the last extended Sony battery for my Digital-8 camcorder to arrive, thus giving me 6 hour batteries for both camcorders. I'm also awaiting a few smaller items, including smaller cases for my CF cards that will fit in the aluminum case I got. This case is being called upon to store both my D8 camcorders, my Canon AE-1 and its 300mm lens, the Powershot Digi-cam, my extra lenses for the D8s, the CF cards, and the filters for all the cameras. All-in-all, eBay has seen me spend nearly $300 in goodies, including $150 for an external Sony DVD burner.
The car has also been repaired. Due to the theft of my vehicle last month, I was able to collect an insurance check which covered the replacement of both of my front shocks. I also had the vehicle realigned, the battery replaced, and the fuel system cleaned. As the season approaches, I'll get the general maintanence completed, including changing of most of the fluids, a brake job, and hopefully new tires.
Other things upcoming include the purchase and installation of the Jotto Desk; reinstalling the radio equipment in my car; getting a hands-free cell phone kit; purchasing a blue-tooth mouse (trackball) for use in the car with my laptop.
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Monday, February 21, 2005
The "training camp" part of storm chasing officially kicked off this past weekend with the 2005 Storm Chaser's Convention here in Denver, Colorado. I missed out on the first day (Friday) of the conference which was basically the ice-breaker night due to work. Blake Naftel flew out and brought a friend, Chris, which I put up for the weekend.
Saturday marked the first offical day of the 2-day conference. It was an action-packed day for video and stories! Tim Samaras once again blew us all away with more video from his probes! He set up a probe with 360 degrees of cameras (including a 7th camera pointing straight up) which caught a totally unreal view of a tornado from nearly ground zero! Absolutely incredible!
I spent a lot of conference time chatting with chaser pals, meeting many fellow chasers (most from Stormtrack), and networking with local opportunties. It was nice to be in the mix for a change, as I finally had a season worth talking about!
I skipped out on the video shows at the end of Saturday as illness was plaguing me a bit. We returned early Sunday morning for the last half-day of the conference; the overflow day. I didn't win any of the big door prizes, but did walk away with a couple shirts and one of Tim Vasquez's books. We all sat through about noon before I said my goodbyes and ran Chris and Blake to the airport where I returned home to recooporate and ready myself for the TESSA conference the following weekend.
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