Ahhhhh, Spring!

According to the weather guys, we're in for some bad weather here in southcentral Kansas over the next few days.  For once, they have it right.  Thunder is booming, lightning is flashing (the cable & tv went off), and raindrops are sliding swiftly down the window by my desk.  I checked the radar when it first started, maybe an hour ago, and the storm isn't small.  We're about halfway through it, but most of the worst is past.  Just a spring thunderstorm.

We're hoping those weather guys don't have everything right, because they're talking the likelihood of tornadoes tomorrow afternoon and evening and also on Saturday.  It's to start in the western part of the state and move eastward.  And if we're going to have this weather, so might the states to our east.  Look out Missouri and Illinois!

While Kansas has always been known for its tornadoes, thanks to The Wizard of Oz, it isn't the only state or even the region that deals with them.  The times--along with weather patterns--are changing.

A report finds that the traditional boundaries of Tornado Alley - which has centered on the Plains states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota- should be expanded to include much of the Midwest and Deep South, because the frequency and severity of tornadoes in those areas is much more widespread than commonly believed.  (from an article from USA Today about Tornado Alley, shared on WZZM in Michigan)

Tornadoes have always been a part of my life.  I've learned to respect them.  If the siren blows or a warming is issued via TV or radio, I know what to do, and I do it.  And the two reasons below are why.

When I was not quite four years old, the deadliest of the tornadoes in Kansas struck Udall, a small town in the southeast part of the state.  I heard that tornado as my mom and I were driving home to the city from the graduation of a cousin in another small town.  It's one of those things---along with bits of memories of the graduation ceremony---that I'll always remember.  The tornado went through Blackwell, Oklahoma, first, on its way into Kansas, killing 20 people there.  In Udall, a town of just over 600 people, 76 died (20 were children) and more than 200 were injured.

On April 26, 1991, another tornado ripped through my area of state.  My oldest daughter was with her fifth grade class as the annual Renaissance Fair, held at one of the local colleges. She remembers her teacher mentioning that the air felt strange that day.  By 5:15 pm, the school trip was over and students were home again.  That was when storm chasers spotted the storm with tornado near Argonia, KS that eventually cut a southwest to northeast path that deposited rain and hail at the farm where we lived, then moved on and dropped again just east of the town of Clearwater, then built as it went through Haysville, into south Wichita and McConnell AFB.  At 6:35 pm, the F5 tornado hit Andover, KS, northeast of Wichita, wiping out homes and lives in the Golden Spur Mobile Home park.  Videos (most are on YouTube) taken of the storm are mind-boggling.

Just one simple caveat.  If you've seen the movie Twister, there's a lot of made-up junk in it.  Strapping yourself to a metal pipe will more than likely find you with a pipe wrapped around your neck...if you manage to somehow survive.  Not to mention that tornadoes do not sound like a camel moan played backwards, as they used in the movie.

So I'll go dig out my weather radio, watch the radar via computer, and keep an eye on the sky, ready to go to my daughter's house, three blocks away, where there's a basement, if needed.  Or I'll simply bend over and kiss my a$$ goodbye.  Here's hoping all of you stay safe from Mother Nature's Spring Wrath. :)

Laurence: That one we encountered back there was a strong F2, possibly an F3. 

Beltzer: Maybe we'll see some 4's. 

Haynes: That would be sweet! 

Bill: 4 is good. 4 will relocate your house very efficently. 

Melissa: Is there an F5? 

[Everyone goes dead silent] 

Melissa: What would that be like? 

Jason 'Preacher' Rowe: The Finger of God.

~~ Twister (the movie) 1996

I'm Hooked -- GoT Got Me

While channel surfing late one night last summer, I came upon a title I'd seen mentioned both in books and in television.  George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones.  I'll admit that I'm not one who watches or even reads a lot of fantasy.  Not that I don't like it, but both my reading and TV viewing is somewhat limited.  There just aren't enough hours in the day to do even half of what I want.  I'm also not into shows with a lot of medieval battles, either, so GoT wasn't really something I was itching to try.

So back to the channel surfing and my intro into a truly unusual and fascinating (to me) series. I was lured in when I caught a glimpse of platinum-haired Daenerys "Dany" Targaryen walking into the blaze of the huge funeral pyre for Khal Drogo, her deceased warlord husband, and disappeared.  Cut to the next morning, after the fire had died out:  Dany (or Khaleesi, as she'd come to be called by the Dothraki) is still alive, sitting near the remains of what had been her husband, her clothing burned, her face smudged with ashes and soot.  A small crowd of the faithful are watching what was obviously a miracle that she'd survived.  But that wasn't all.  Just over her right shoulder, we see something slowly moving.  The small, parrot-sized dragon that appeared was what put the finishing touch on a mesmerizing scene...and the end of the first season.

The end?!!  No, it couldn't be!  But it was.  That was Friday night.  On Saturday, I did a quick look to see if I could catch more of it on HBO OnDemand.  Lo and behold, I could!  I had enough time to watch two episodes, and as I checked how many were left, I learned that Sunday--the next day--was the last day the series would be run.  Huh?  Oh, good grief.  But my daughter was gone, I had until midnight on Sunday, and the TV was all mine, so I watched the other eight episodes, one after the other, to the end.  I was hooked.  Totally.  And then I learned that the second season wouldn't begin again until April.

April?!!  Aaaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhh

So here we are at April, and I wish I'd taken the time to watch season one again, just as a reminder of who was who and what was what, because after all this time, I've forgotten far too much.  There's a lot to learn about the fictional universe of Westeros and the people and beings who inhabit it.  That alone might very well might require reading the Song of Fire and Ice series of novels.

Because Game of Thrones is an HBO series, there's a lot of graphic scenes and images, sometimes a bit more graphic than my comfort zone usually allows.  Those haven't stopped me.  I've learned to blink when a head is lobbed off with a sword. (Ned, I do miss your sanity. sniff)  I've learned to watch scenes in the brothel without giving it much thought.  And I've learned to know which characters to love, hate, and who not trust.

The story is totally engaging, complete with gore and sex.  The characters are fully written, with human qualities of good and bad in all of them.  The location shots are mind-blowing, thanks to the 7 Kingdoms of Westeros, each different, ranging from forests to deserts to ice-covered lands.  Those alone are enough to take a viewers breath away.

If I've tickled your curiosity, or if you've always wondered what all this Game of Thrones talk is about, here's your chance to get hooked like me.  Game of Thrones Season Finale - Last Scene (Because of the graphic nature of this scene, I'm posting only the link, instead of the clip.)

All this watching is going to be tricky, because Mallory and I have become huge fans of GCB (I adore Annie Potts!), which is on at the same time as GoT on Sunday night.  Thankfully, HBO has multi-viewings of their best shows, and ABC shows can be seen online and, thanks to our cable provider, On Demand.

Yes, life is good!

Game of Thrones
The only hour each week in which we really truly feel alive has arrived! Tonight's episode of Game of Thrones, entitled "The Night Lands," involves Theon's return home to deal with his father; Tyrion's ruffling of feathers around the royal court; Arya's discovery by Gendry; and Davos' plea for naval assistance from a notorious pirate! (Sigh.) Love this show so much.  - Price Peterson, TV.com, on Episode 2, Season 2.

Celebrations

April 3 has always been a day of many milestones.  I was married on this date and it's also the birthday of my former sister-in-law.  So it shouldn't have come as a surprise when, twelve years ago today, my agent called to tell me that Silhouette Romance was interested in acquiring what became my very first published book.  After all, my good buddy Kathie DeNosky sold her first book on my birthday the year before. :)  There's more about my first sale and how it all came about over at Diary of a Mad Romance Writer.

I'm also quietly celebrating the 2nd anniversary of the day I stopped smoking.  Yes, I've been smoke-free for two years!  This is the second time I quit, but this time it's definitely going to last.

Both of my parents smoked, and although they both quit long before their lifetime ended, I grew up with it, as many in my generation did.  In the 1940s, doctors suggested that women take up cigarette smoking for weight loss.  My addiction didn't begin until some time after the Surgeon General warnings started showing up on cigarette packages.

It was easy to start, but neither time I quit was it anything close to easy.  The first time was aided by group hypnosis and lasted a year and a half.  There's a long and involved story about that, which includes carpal tunnel syndrome and pregnancy, but doesn't have much to do with now.  This time I was helped along by a popular stop-smoking aid for a few weeks.  And to be honest, it isn't too often now that I'm bothered by cravings.

My ex-husband was a smoker, so it wasn't a surprise that all four of our daughters eventually took up the habit, too.  As I type this, two of them have quit for more than 6 months each and a third is nearing the end of her first week. We only have to find a way to convince the youngest that it's time to give it up.

This time when I made the decision to break my addiction--because that's what it is--I was more than ready.  And that's the key to stopping the smoking habit.  You have to WANT to quit.  Without that intense need to break free, it's too easy to fall back into old patterns.

Anybody can quit.  Or in some circles the word "stop" is encouraged, since "quit" carries negative connotations for many people. Whatever word is used, it can be done.  It might not work the first time, or the third time or the eighth time, but each time builds a little more determination.  Eventually, the quitter will succeed.  And, oh, what a lovely feeling that is!

If you're one of the thousands who have given some thought to leaving your smoking behind, check with your doctor and work out the best plan for you.  Just remember the key is had badly you want to do this.  Hey, if I can do it, anybody can. :)  So what are you waiting for?

Bad habits are easier to abandon today than tomorrow. ~ Yiddish Proverb