Tag: fisherman

Ask Me Anything–A Few Weather Questions

How has weather casting changed since you came to WTNH?

I’m currently answering all your questions. Read more about it here.

Jim writes,”How has weather casting changed since you came to WTNH?”

Immensely! Computers are the difference in two ways.

First, faster computers and better data networks have enabled better computer modeling. The forecasts I make now are light years ahead of what I did when I got here.

We have an eight day forecast and even though I admit eight days might be pushing it, back in the beginning there was no way to even attempt it!

Second, better computer graphics. We can show you things visually to help make our point. These computer systems are renderless, meaning as soon as we have data we can display it on-air. Sometimes the data changes while we’re on-air, so what I saw when I ran through my sequence is now different.

Next.

David asks, “Do you keep in touch with Bob Tirado?”

No. I have no clue where he is or what he’s doing.

Keith is wondering, “Why News 8 didn’t have a little fishing report in the weather forecast. There are lots of fisherman not just boaters and it would be helpful. Do you think you would be able to relate a fishing report in with your weather?”

Keith this is a shortcoming of broadcasting. It’s tough for us to spend time on things that are unimportant to the vast majority of viewers. Only a tiny sliver of our viewers would care. The rest would be running to the exits.

This is a place where the Internet with its limitless capacity might serve us well. I’ll think about it seriously.

From Bud, who has a webtv email address! “Geoff – I’ve always been under the impression that wind doesn’t affect the reading on a thermometer. On tonights forecast you said that the wind coming on shore from the south will make the temp there about 5 degrees cooler.”

Bud, first congrats on hanging in there with webtv. I seriously hadn’t thought of that service in years.

You are correct. The wind doesn’t affect the reading. It’s where the wind takes the air–over the cool water of Long Island Sound.

During the winter the water is warmer than the land and the opposite takes place.

A Couple Of Guys Go To Broadway

Helaine and Stef left Saturday morning. The ‘Stalker Tour’ is on the move with Rick Springfield concerts in Boston and Laconia, NH. They’ve taken “Clicky,” my Canon Digital Rebel camera, with them.

That left Saturday as a pretty hollow day for me. Luckily, I knew someone else who was being ‘abandoned.’ Matt Scott’s wife and daughter were leaving town for Mississippi.

He and I decided to head to New York City and see a show.

If you carry a fishing pole, people just assume you’re a fisherman. If you go to a Broadway show… a Broadway musical… a Sondhein musical… they assume you’re gay! I know this because virtually everyone who heard we were going either commented or asked.

All I could think of was the time I went to the theater and stood in line behind a guy wearing a t-shirt which said, “I can’t even think straight!”

Just as there are black Republicans, there are straight guys who enjoy the theater.

Since Matt was dropping his wife and daughter at LaGuardia Airport, I took the train to the city. I would walk crosstown and we’d meet outside the theater.

Taking the train from New Haven is very easy. Unfortunately, it’s also quite a long trip. Union Station to Grand Central Terminal is around 1:45&#185. I brought the NY Times, a photo magazine and my $30 camcorder.

I didn’t have “Clicky,” but I did want to try and make a short video essay. It was supposed to be about the day in general. Unfortunately, I didn’t budget properly and my video ran out as I approached the theater!

My New York City travelogue video is at the bottom of this entry. It was entirely shot on the $30 camcorder and edited using Windows Movie Maker (included on every Windows XP or Vista computer). The music is “Look Busy” by Kevin MacLeod.

Yesterday’s show was Steven Sondheim’s Company. This is a revival of the 1970 musical about Bobby (Ra&#250l Esperza), a bachelor, the three single women in his life and his five married couple friends.

What made this musical more interesting was how it was cast. There was no orchestra pit because the actors were also playing instruments on-stage!

This must have been a casting nightmare. Finding good actors is one thing. Finding good musicians is another. But finding people who can sing, dance and act (often simultaneously) really limits your choices. I, for instance, would be 0 for 3!

With all this going, the cast was dynamite. I especially enjoyed Ra&#250l Esperza, (Bobby) who reminds me of Bradley Whitford (Studio 60, West Wing) and Angel Desai (Marta).

The show is funny, but often poignant and sad, as it traces Bobby’s life from his 35th to 36 th birthday. Being a grown-up bachelor has its good and bad points. Being single doesn’t remove you from emotional tumult.

I’d recommend going to see it, but as I type this, they are nearly an hour into Company’s last Broadway performance. Luckily, yesterday’s matin

Fishing Season Arrives In Connecticut

Fishing season began early this morning. No one called. I slept in.

I am not a fisherman, but somehow the whole thing intrigued me as a photo-op. This afternoon, long after Helaine said all the fishermen would be gone, I drove to the Mill River, just a few minutes from here.

Spring has come slowly to Connecticut. The trees are still bare. Until yesterday, nippy would have been the proper characterization for our climate. Luckily, fishing season arrived with our first real warm spring day!

I parked my car alongside some stores on Whitney Avenue and walked toward the river. A few days ago the river was well out of its banks. Even today under the strong April sun the river’s edge was muddy and my sneakers oozed in a little with each step.

The river was crawling with fishermen and they seemed to be catching a good amount of fish!

Fishing is much more communal than I would have thought. There were groups of two, three or more anglers, hanging together along the bank. If there were lone fishermen, I didn’t spot them.

I am very lucky to live in an area that nature has blessed with beauty. The river itself is majestic. The close proximity to Sleeping Giant just adds to the scene.

I quickly snapped around 30 photos. My wife and daughter will tell you, that’s about as close to zero as I get! For most of them I used my 70-300mm zoom lens. I was pretty far away.

There’s only one that struck me as a keeper. It’s the one at the bottom – two boys in hip waders and one caught fish. To them, this was the perfect day.