the week

2009-06-30 10:58:27.000 – Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist

A most pleasant surprise!

After a bit of a late night filled with music education, I stumbled groggily into the weather room at a timely 5:35 AM EST. Instead of the expected gray light of incessant fog, my pupils quickly contracted in the brightness of full sun being reflected off a spectacular undercast! After a few days of persistent rain and fog, not even the strongest coffee will awake the senses like the sun (though a cup of coffee I did have).

While I studiously took pictures and avoided any real work for the first hour of my shift, I was able to reflect on the week and spend a little bit of time with Mike. It really is a novelty to share part of the morning with the night observer. Beginning with the weather, we’ve definitely had a healthy variety. Seemingly endless fog and drizzle, undercasts, fog, convection, sweet cumulonimbus clouds, fog, more drizzle, buckets of rain and surprising sunsets. Summer weather is here! The ridiculous fog and rain yesterday had most of us showing signs of cabin fever: inability to concentrate, irritability, and overall agitation. So, as the clock struck five fifteen, I decided to head out, regardless of the rain and fog. I didn’t have big plans. I merely wanted to get some exercise, so I headed down the Crawford path to the Gulfside Trail junction, and went down Gulfside. Already completely soaked (but only on the outside, due to my L.L. Bean Ascent gear) I decided to really go for it, and splashed in the puddles and streams like a little kid and watched the water tumble into the Great Gulf.

On my way back up, at the Trinity Heights Connector, I ran into Amy and Scott, who were of similar mind. The end result: a general feeling of content, invigoration, and hunger! We had breakfast for dinner, and lived up to our reputation as the ‘food shift’. Scott had four muffins, I had at least six pieces of bacon, even Amy and Deb had seconds! Thanks Tim Sr. and Tim Jr. for making such a delicious dinner!

On a similar note, there has been a bit of a competition for left-overs. In fact, I caught one stealthy intern in the act of eating the last piece of cake in the beginning of the week. Can you guess who? We observers weren’t sure whether to be upset or relieved. You see, if that piece of cake had remained, one of us would have had to eat it!

Stacey Kawecki,  Observer and Meteorologist