Oct 01 2009
Head in the clouds
Pre-Ramble: We interrupt this blog entry to bring you a breaking weather alert … (just when you thought that nothing new could possibly happen in that random wacky world of meteorology… ) …
Hailed as the first newly reported cloud formation in more than 50 years, the ominous-looking undulatus asperatus (Latin for turbulent undulation and not it at right) has been sighted in the Scottish Highlands. Characterized by a droopy “rolling wavy effect,” the “atmospheric anomaly” is being considered for induction into the International Cloud Atlas.
I know!! Gavin Pretor-Pinney, president of the UK-based Cloud Appreciation Society couldn’t be more pleased:
The formation has probably been around for a long time, but it’s only now getting attention … before the Internet and digicams, people might have mentioned it to a few friends and that would be it… Once the news got out, I was inundated with emails [and photos].”
Powerful, universal and unpredictable, the weather is probably the most frequently used conversation starter on the planet … “How ’bout that weather?? … Hot enough for ‘ya??” … It’s no wonder then, why the Weather Channel, founded 30 years ago by Frank Batten Sr., who passed away earlier this month at the age of 82, continues to be such a hit. Rob Long describes its appeal in the Wall Street Journal (9/18/09):
Despite a widely held belief in the television industry that a channel devoted entirely to the weather would not and could not work, [Batten Sr.] started one. He called it, with refreshing and diabolical directness, the Weather Channel. … It was a pretty instant sensation. People, it turns out, absolutely love the weather. … The Weather Channel delivers its information in the most tedious way possible — through static grids and blurry maps — but, for some reason, we keep watching. Its dryness is a big part of its appeal … just cold fronts and high-pressure areas … just the constant regular clockwork of a planet, raining and snowing and shining with indifference on us all … “
Weather is all around us — temperature, humidity, rainfall, prevailing wind, dew point, snow storms, and hail the size of name your round object here. Weather is constant, and constantly changing. It literally provides a backdrop for our days and adventures, and for our lives. Memorable moments are imprinted with the ”atmosphere” of the weather conditions at the time.
More than just a show – weather is a constant presence, a universally held experience, and a rich text for observation and metaphor. Ralph Waldo was certainly on to something … the power to be mined in the quiet pondering of one’s environment — billowy wisps that drift above our heads on lazy afternoons or the sparkling sunlight on a small pond. Equally, if not more valuable for us in this hectic new millennium, is the awareness of the weather’s mighty presence on busy days.
The Take-Away: Putting your head in the clouds can be a powerful strategy for living. Checking in with the mood, movement and context of weather systems can lift you out of your daily issues, help you get your bearings, put things in perspective, and inspire you to look at things in new ways. It is on this plane, this free, open and random space, that new, creative ideas and solutions can roll in.
Post Note: Based on a whimsical children’s book by Judi and Ron Barrett, recently released animated movie, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” proves that the weather can inspire some pretty silly scenarios as well.
The general premise is that food falls benignly from the sky to feed the local townspeople (talk about the “five second rule”! … ). Then the weather takes a turn for the worse — a sudden storm of giant pancakes (and downpour of maple syrup) that forces school closings, a salt and pepper wind (think of the sneezing), a tomato tornado (“seeds and pulp everywhere“), and of course, the headliner shower of meatballs — causing a whole bunch of problems. … Cute, … fun, … can’t wait to see the movie. Excuse me while I head out to Perkins for a quick short stack.
