So, if you don't already know this about me, one of my many passions is the TV show Friday Night Lights. I have been watching the show since its first season, and follow it religiously to this day. It is currently in the process of filming it's 5th season! Sadly, it'll probably be its last, but hey, critics weren't giving it a chance after the first season. Better to end on a high note than get cancelled. :) Not only do I watch, but am also a background extra. :) It's been a great experience taking part in a show from that aspect.
Anyway, for my blog tonight, I'm going to post up a couple of videos for those who would like to have a small preview about it. The first video is one that I made and compiled yesterday.
The second video was made by a good friend of mine, and fellow blogger, http://mmcdonald64.blogspot.com/. It shows the beginnings of a problem with Coach Taylor and how it escalates into a fight with his wife, later to be resolved like they always do.
The acting is dynamic and the storylines aren't just about football. They are about life, love, and everything in between. Even non-football fans would appreciate it! :)
I was reading a magazine today with a top 20 list of things people might not know about the featured actor/actress. It gave me an idea to post a few things that are random or unknown about me.....
1. I started writing stories around age 8. It was Fanfiction for the TV show, Homicide: Life On The Street. I haven't stopped since.
2. I almost constantly have music going, except when I'm sleeping.
3. I have to have it completely quiet to sleep.
4. I have to have it completely dark to sleep.
5. I have been on the set of two TV shows, Third Watch in New York and Friday Night Lights in Austin.
6. I have met a handful of actors, including an actor I have followed and admired since the early 1990's.... That one of course being Kyle Chandler. The others are Ethan Hawke, Josh Stewart, Bobby Cannavale, Skipp Sudduth, and Coby Bell. The last four were on the show Third Watch, not to mention most of the actors on FNL as well. I also know the Executive Producer of Third Watch. He is currently the producer of Criminal Minds. His name is Edward Allen Bernero.
7. I am an amateur storm chaser and want to keep it a hobby, rather than a job.
8. I have been to New York 4 times, Los Angeles once, and Chicago once. New York wins, hands down, but Chicago is a close second.
9. I will never live anywhere other than Texas.
10. I am a die hard Texas Rangers fan.
11. Baseball is the only pro sport I enjoy.
12. My favorite baseball player is Josh Hamilton.
13. My favorite collegiate team is the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
14. I have changed my major three times.
15. I have 7 piercings in my ears.
16. My first funeral was at the age of 23.
17. I am an adrenaline junkie. I will ride pretty much any roller coaster out there.
18. I feel guilty if I take too much leisurely time for myself.
19. My family comes first before ANYTHING...and I mean anything. I don't even take phone calls when I'm around my family.
This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions. As I have blogged many times before, it was finals week. That was tough in itself, but it is now over and I'm done with South Plains College.
In the midst of the fun and happiness, there was also some sadness too. A cousin of mine passed away on Wednesday. He had been in the hospital for a little over the month with pneumonia. When he was younger he was a miracle baby. He was born with heart problems and overcame that. He was 32 with a three year old son. The funeral was Friday, the day of graduation so as I said, lots of roller coaster emotions going on that day.
Friday evening we had a graduation party with my parents, my sister and her boyfriend's family. It was very nice and I am blessed to have such great people in my life. :) Barbecue and cake -- you know I'm gonna love that! :)
When I got home I passed out and slept extremely late. I could have slept longer but I forced myself to get up. This weekend is just going to be a time to relax and catch up on rest. Still, for some reason, two days off just doesn't seem like enough time to recover from 5 days of chaos!
Today is the 40 year anniversary of the F5 tornado that hit downtown Lubbock, TX. May 11, 1970. My mom was just nine years old. Her neighborhood was flattened by the massive cyclone that ripped through the heart of the city. Lubbock also has the tallest sky scraper to survive an F5 tornado. Sadly, it was a night storm and there are no known photographs of the monster that barreled through the Hub City. In honor of the anniversary, I decided to blog about storms and weather today. Most of the pictures I'm including are ones that I have taken personally of storm chases I have been on. Some are by friends. The picture to the left is a perfect diagram of the layout of a tornadic supercell. Note in the front the rain wall, followed by the white of the hail shaft. Ever hear that quote, "calm before the storm?" See the gap after the hail shaft? That's when everything gets quiet and still, right before the tornado hits. In this particular picture, the tornado isn't fully developed, and is just a funnel. Still not to be taken lightly.
The picture above is called a "scud cloud." This is also tornadic. It's the storm's attempt to suck in all moisture as it begins it's rotation, right before a funnel is formed.
This is a more pronounced scud cloud with a rain band in front of it.
This picture shows the rotation as the wall cloud is trying to brew up a funnel. If you look closely you can see dirt being sucked up from the field. This is the wall cloud's attempt to suck in as much moisture from the east and dry air from the west to gain strength. Or as Dusty in Twister calls it.... "The suck zone." There was a time during this particular storm where it literally felt like the camera was going to be ripped from my hands. That was a sign to move on up the road out of the path.
This is a tornado that hit Tulia, TX on April 21, 2007. Tulia is about an hour north of Lubbock.
Storm season is probably my favorite time of the year. Right now, in 2010, we haven't had an official severe outbreak here in Texas. We've had several lines of storms with the potential. With El Nino still in place, the only thing we're going to get is rain. Supposedly it is burning off though, and we're slated to have a late storm season at the end of May and beginning of June. We might not have much of one this season. Oklahoma and Kansas had a high risk day yesterday. The last storm report I checked, there were 25 confirmed tornadoes across Central Oklahoma and Southern Kansas. One tornado hit North Oklahoma City during rush hour.
The farthest chase I've been on was up into Kansas. We went as far north as I-70 and it was well worth the sleep deprivation we endured. It was a moderate risk day which isn't a guarantee we'd see something, but the chances were greater than not. It is a fun adrenaline rush and a great experience, but I would never chase if I didn't know what I was doing. I'm also not a fan of night chases. I've studied extensively and I chase with a friend who knows more about the weather than I do. He's a Geo-sciences major and soon to be meteorologist.
Respect the wind -- It can be cruel!
This is a good video full of nice storm footage. Not done by me.
First off, big shout out to all the beautiful Mama's out there! I hope you all had a great day!
It's been a busy couple of days on the home front, big shocker there right? This time, it's filled with stuff I've actually wanted to do. (Mostly) Thankfully, I got two finals knocked out of the way on Thursday. That leaves four more to go. (wipes brow) Two of them won't be so bad. I've got one at 8AM on Tuesday. It's my basketball/volleyball class and will literally only take me around 10 minutes to do. After that, I'm done for the day and am free to do what I want. On Thursday I have one at 9AM that should take me only slightly longer to complete. It's my track class. It is a bit more challenging... the teacher asks very specific questions, but shouldn't be too bad. The other two are online and have to be completed by Wednesday. I'm not too worried about them either.
In the voice of Kyle Chandler aka Coach Taylor....
"Right here, right now, God has placed you to do what you do best. Go all the way."
It's my last finals week at South Plains College...FOREVER!!! No more 30 minute drives to Levelland. Graduation is on Friday.
Mother's day was a big success as well. We had family come over to my Mema's house. As always, there was a wide variety of food. Pork, beef roast, and fried chicken. Let's just say I'm feeling like a tick that's about ready to pop. It was really nice for all of us to get together again and hang out. I'm truly blessed to have such a wonderful family. They always come first! :)
Tomorrow it's back down to business. One more week of school and it's time for a much needed break and back to working full time. I need those full paychecks again!
Never a dull moment. NEVER! I just want one week where something doesn't happen. NOTHING. I just want to go to work and come home and have some IDLE afternoons. Is that too much to ask for? I guess in reality, if that happened, I would be extremely bored and be complaining about that. Just like a human, we're never satisfied.
Until yesterday, I was without internet since Friday. You have no idea how much your life changes when your modem dies on you. Especially when the internet people give you the runaround and talk down to you like you're some moron who doesn't know anything. "It's an area wide crash." Sure it is, when my aunt across the street is sending me facebook updates at that very second on my phone. SURE!!!
I got it fixed yesterday. It was my modem. Thankfully the service guy was very friendly and prompt, which was very good. Minutes before he arrived I got a call from my dad saying my mom was in the hospital. I was in a rush to get to Brownfield to see her and honestly, didn’t want to wait around. The bad part of it all was, I had been waiting since Friday to get a guy out here and this would probably be my last chance for another week. Not good for a college kid who has some internet classes. So like I said, good thing he was prompt.
I went to Brownfield yesterday evening and stayed with my mom in the hospital. Her blood pressure was out of control, as well as her heart rate so the doctor wanted to admit her and run tests. She got discharged this morning, thank the LORD! They put her on a new medication to help. Thanks to everyone who sent out prayers, it’s greatly appreciated.
I was supposed to have a final today at 11:00. I studied all night while in the hospital. Got the info down pat. Showed up for the test and the instructor DIDN’T! It got canceled ‘til next Tuesday during the original finals date. I was LIVID! So livid that I skipped the other class, (who has the same professor). I figured they wouldn’t show for that one either, and didn’t wanna wait 2 hours just to sign in on the roll sheet and go home. I had a mom at home who could’ve used my help moreso, so I trekked back to her house.
I cleaned the house for her and let her sleep. She’s feeling better and is able to go back to work tomorrow. I’m thankful everything turned out okay. God is great.
….I think He gives me a busy life because that’s the type of person I am. I can’t just sit around – I go crazy. As I said, never a dull moment!
I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead of you!
Josh Hamilton is my athletic inspiration. He has overcome so many obstacles to become the best man and athlete he can be. He is currently the center fielder for the Texas Rangers. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."~James 4:7
I recently graduated from South Plains College in May of 2010. I am hoping to continue my education at Texas Tech University. I also work at a preschool. I am going to school to become a drug counselor. In my spare time I am working on two novels, one that is almost complete and one in the early stages. I also find time to chase storms during storm season.
