The Modern Weatherman

    The position of weatherman (or woman, I suppose) dates about as far back as any ancient written records. The Babylonians, the Ancient Chinese, and perhaps most notably, Aristotle were all skilled in the art of predicting the weather. It was a "gift" some believed and was very highly regarded. Think about it, predicting the unknown in a time without computers, satellites, barometers and the like. Looking for patterns in the lunar phases and the movement of the winds to foresee what form upcoming weather would appear as. This advanced thinking helped many people of the past to do what was thought to be the impossible.

    Fast forwarding to today, the profession see's much less glamour. There is no need to gather around the television or radio to hear what the whether will be like tomorrow. All you need to do is remind Siri to tell you the forecast every morning and you're golden. Not only has the position of weatherman lost the sense of awe and amazement, but it has lost its practical purpose too! But whats even worse is that in recent years, the weathermen has build a steady reputation of being wrong! This once alluring and honorable occupation has become a small window in the broadcast were you have time to make a snack and go to the bathroom before the real news comes back on. However, when faced with all of this dissatisfaction and ridicule, the weathermen around the world didn't back down and give up. Did the Texan defenders of the Alamo just accept their imminent demise? No, they pulled together and fought fearlessly no matter the outcome. Now, it appears that the only clear difference between the modern weatherman and the Alamo, is that the weatherman are making an improbable come back.

    It seems that in the very recent past, not only are some forgetting that being a weatherman is nothing short of a joke, but their forecasts are actually turning out to be somewhat accurate! With the flood of snow storms these past few weeks, I have been well prepared due to my local weatherman and his predictions. Now, obviously you can give some credit to the new radar systems many stations have been switching to, but regardless, the weathermen are starting to prove those naysayers wrong, and fighting back when the odds are against you is an admirable move on their part.

   So lets recap: The weathermen were at one point glorified and the next they dissolved into a sham, but now are slowly are attempting to regain the trust of the people they betrayed time and time again. Many are accepting this cry of mercy, but not I. Personally, it will take a lot more than a few accurate predictions to persuade me because while they are showing promise, they crossed the line when screwing up on my birthday. Sure it was some 5 years ago, but I am still bitter. My birthday, April 7th (write that one down so you won't forget to send me a present this year), was the victim of the meteorologists incompetence, coupled with unusual circumstances.

    They called for a probability of rain in the AM and a low of 43 degrees (just ball parking it). This seemed like a typical forecast for early April, but yet again the weathermen underwhelmed. Now I don't remember the specifics of that day, but what I do remember that they were wrong, no rain. In stead I woke up to a cold day that included SNOW! I had a whole day planned out already as most teenagers do on one of the most important days of their adolescent lives. I wanted to play basketball across the street, go biking with my friends, so many different activities and expectations RUINED by the weatherman's horribly inaccurate claim of a slight "morning drizzle". I was crushed, the cold made my already sensitive ears unbearably frigid and destroyed any motivation to go outside. Now of course I was able to enjoy the bleak, grey weather with family and friends (indoors) to comfort me, but that day will always remain in the back of my mind. So go ahead and believe the new hype surrounding the weathermen if you wish, but personally, I am still a skeptic.