There are a lot of intense things that we encounter in our lives that we grow insensitive to. Violence might be an example, though we mostly see only the fictional variety. Incredible feats of engineering don't surprise us the way they once did either.
But there's one thing that never stops leaving me awestruck: Thunderstorms.
As far back as I can remember (which, for the record, is shortly after birth) thunderstorms have scared me or fascinated me or a little of both. And despite having experienced hundreds of them, they never stop surprising me.
I can remember some pretty intense storms growing up while we were camping in the pop-up camper, my mom freaking out at the potential for us being blown away. Little did we know at the time that there was actually a tornado near by. But just seeing the strength of a downpour, or watching the storm roll over the hills of an Eastern Ohio state park.
I can't even tell you how many times I'd watch a storm roll in from a dorm window the summer I stayed on campus. Having purchased a radio scanner, that was the year I started listening to the amateur radio idiots chase around storms, giving a street by street account of what conditions were happening where.
As a grown up in my house, I've stood on that front step and watched enormous clouds roll in time after time. Remember that video I shot awhile back of the clouds rolling through? I wish I could find that video file. :)
The tornado sirens ran here for about ten to fifteen minutes tonight. Prior to that, I got to see the awesomeness approach. I was sitting in the hot tub, and the half-moon kept peaking through broken clouds directly overhead. There was a lower level of crowds just flying buy, while the higher level moved a little slower. Looking to the west, I could see quite the light show many miles away.
Provided they don't cause damage, I love thunderstorms.
Isn't an outdoor hot tub probably *not* the best place to be during a tornado? Just a thought.
No sirens here in Medina, but the big red weather.com blob hovered directly over my area for a bit. Constant on-again, off-again wind, rain, and lightning -- nothing too intense, yet the patterns were unusual. Ever since a few weeks ago when a friend of mine in Atlanta came really, really close to having his place destroyed in the tornado (lives in the same loft complex that was partially destroyed), I've been a bit freaked out over just how quickly they can come out of nowhere and cause massive damage.
But otherwise, yes, it was some needed excitement on an otherwise uneventful friday night!