Storms and Dating: Can the Two Mix?

[Dan Nichols]

What did (or would) you do on a first date, or even second date if an unexpected storm hit? Ignore the date and possibly lose a future girlfriend -- maybe it wasn't meant to be? Ignore the storm? Get her to watch it with you? Also: do you check with the forecasts before deciding on which evening to go out?

I might cite one incident of actually being ON a date, heading over to see "Paper Moon" (1973) with Ryan, and Tatum O'Neal, but when a teriffic storm was about to break out, we headed over to my apartment which was fairly close to the theater. The storm became one of the top 10 of a lifetime, and nothing was lost except the power, and she at least watched much of it with me. We then simply went to the later showing, once the storm ended.

 

[Adam Lucio]

I would take the storm...always! Of course I would like her to share it with me but I understand if shed rather watch MTV.

If a girl cant accept my lifes passion and how last minute it is sometimes, then she doesnt deserve to be with me. Especially around here in Chicago, our big storms are few and far between and there is no way I will let her try and tell me "there will always be other storms." True their will be, but who knows how long Id have to wait....dinners and movies and cuddle time can happen anyday at anytime at our own will.

Case closed! The storm comes first...

[and I wonder why Im single!]

 

[mike scantlin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3C4N6p78io

B. A. S.



But seriously, i doubt i would have a date...

on a chase day that is. hahah.

 

[Terry Tyler]

lol, im gonna tell you right now...chasing and girls dont mix...

i took bobbie out on that chase yesterday, because shes got her own car...and ive told her all about the storms and whatnot...and i was like, this is it do you want to go out and see em!

and she was all exited and whatnot...until we got into that tornado warning area...she seemed to be cool, but she started freaking out when all the power and all that was out...she started shaking and swearing at me, driving around in circles in the mac donalds parkinglot...she didnt know what to do...and was starting to make some pretty poor driving decisions, and wouldent follow my instructions...she was like TAKE ME HOME! and if she ended up driving south towards 'home' she would likely be heading right into the tornado...i was like, let me drive...

well, we get back on the highway heading into the area, and the cops were out and when that radio was telling us we were right where the tornado was and it was raining and all that...she started screaming! i swear to god!!

she was like..."LET ME OUT OF THIS **IN CAR RIGHT NOW!!!" punching me in my arm, and opening the door on the highway at 70MPH and whatnot...i mean, she was just hysterical and crying and the funniest thing...she was serious praying like tears running down her face and all that...she said "just drop me off! you can take my car!"

so, i dropped her off at hancock fabrics and kept on chasing, haha!

needless to say it didnt work out to well, but actually in the long run...when we got home it did!!

nothing like a near death experience to bring two people together...she was calling all her freinds saying "MAN!!! we got into some CRAZY weather!!!" and i could see she was very exited...but i asked her if she would go again, and she was like...NOOOOOO, thats your thing terry, you go for it...

as far as like, when im flirtin with girls or whatever, i try to leave the weather out of it...and keep it like, you know somethin i do on the side, so i seem like into all kinds of diff things...when i was younger, and would talk to a girl and be like..."WHOA!!! man! we got some serious low-level shear kickin in here, and LOOK at those instability profiles!" she would be like...this guy is a total nerd, im not gonna mess with this dude...

but if you play it off all cool, kind of like i do...i find that it actually helps me out, haha! a young bad-boy who also chases storms and all that...ive had a couple ask me questions, and seemed fairly interested in it...

 

[David Drummond]

Most serious storm chasers won't have an "unexpected storm hit". They will mostly likely be anticipating something a few days in advance.

 

[K Johnson]

Most serious storm chasers won't have an "unexpected storm hit". They will mostly likely be anticipating something a few days in advance.

I hope you're not including newbie chasers like me in that! I would totally expect the unexpected as I still don't have a clue how to forecast properly. Of course, Britain doesn't get proper storms anyway, but thats by the by. And yes, the storm wins. When I talk about storms people get interested, so I would absolutely chase, and I would absolutely expect the guy I was with to join me. And love it.

 

[Jason Foster]

The only problem

The only real problem I've had is that when I say I'm chasing for 3 or 4 weeks and the girlfriend/boyfriend can't go because of work or other reason, they get really mad.

Oh, and if your chasing without them, you'd better call them at the end of each chase to tell them all about it (made that mistake before).

And lastly, if your gonna marry someone, don't plan a wedding for April, May, or June. If you chase hurricanes, don't make it from June through November either.

Guess I'll be getting married in December or January when the time comes.

 

[Susan Strom]

Chasing and girls? Chasing and men...they don't seem to mix either. I always tell a guy about what I do, making no false pretenses, I’m honest and up front about it, the 3am nights, the deserts, the Mogollon Rim, everything. At first they accept it (the idea of it, anyway). After all, I’d never ask a guy to change something he loves, like sports, music, whatever it is about himself (I’m not one of those clingy types). One would think that would be fair, right? Well, what they say doesn’t turn out to be what they really mean. When chase time does come and they see me gearing up and it becomes reality, men (in my experience) will either do one of two things…try to change me/keep me from chasing, or get way too involved, trying to control or overstep reasonable personal boundaries, or do some version of both. They’re just not okay with independent types of women who run around the desert at 3am with a camera. That’s okay, it is not really a complaint, just more of a fact. I’m very happy single, and not really looking, and have a fulfilling, busy life.

Serious stormchasing and relationships… I think it is the fisherman’s/fisherwoman’s plight. We’re not the first to have experienced it. I do think the best chance at success though is honesty, particularly about the extent of chasing in someone’s life, and if chasing has taken a serious foothold for many years as is the case with my own life then being upfront is even more important.

 

[Adam Ball]

Fortunatly for me, going chasing is a date. I met my wife through chasing, and she loves it just as much as I do. She'd probably get mad at me if I went out chasing without her.

 

[Scott Weberpal]

Most serious storm chasers won't have an "unexpected storm hit". They will mostly likely be anticipating something a few days in advance.

With a few exceptions. 4-20-04 I missed a big (unexpected) day in IL. Even when tornado reports began coming into LOT, the office was still skeptical there were any tornadoes at all because it was so unexpected. Anyway, missed that day because I was out on a date. Vertical shear profile was phenomenal for tornadoes, but it was cloudy and grungy all day and zero destabilization took place until very late in the afternoon, and by that time I blew the day off and went out with my girlfriend. (I don't think SPC even had a slight risk in IL that day). Regardless, once I heard about the tornado outbreak which was occuring an hour from home, it was too late to head out anyway. I still kick myself for that day as I would have at least wandered south a little earlier in the day just to get in some warmer weather had I not had the date (I think it was around 40 F where I was and near 65 F only 40 minute or so south...nice WF gradient).

As far as long chase trips, the girl I'm dating now doesn't mind. She's a med student and is going to India for a few weeks and the end of the semester for some medical stuff, so I at least hope she's understanding of me being gone a week or two for chasing. She even said she'd go with on a one or two day trip sometime...we'll see how that goes. .......I convinced her to go to the Denver convention with me, but knowing her, she'll probably need to study...or at least that'll be her way of telling me she's bored with the storm chasing talks

 

[Scott Weberpal]

Here's an interesting question dealing with the subject. Has anyones wife/significant other ever objected to chasing because of finances/cost involved? I hope that's never an issue down the road for me, but just wondering if anyones significant other has brought in the "it costs too much" angle?

 

[Laura Hedien]

My hubby doesn't object to cost. I work like a dog so spending the $ isn't a problem.

Chasing wouldn't be a good date for my Tom and I. He thinks we all have a screw lose and doesn't really enjoy it. I still love him though and can ocassionally get him to drive for me when I go out.
From the public, it seems as if we either either get a "You guys are nuts!" or "That is way cool. I'd love to go!"
Laura

 

[Eric Treece]

LOL Susan......this forum's FULL of men!! How can you say that doesn't mix? Anyway, I am almost a year into a full year with my current girlfriend and so far so good. I got off my ship on May 1 and made it home by may 2. I told her a week in advance the first weekend I was home was going to be a big weekend and that odds were I was going chasing and would love for her to come........nothing like jumping into the fire the first weekend from a month at sea. So I get home and as far as what happened, we all know the outcome from that weekend. I had to wait for her to get home from work on the 4th so I missed out on the Greensburg event, but with the luck I had with past girlfriends and chasing and since she was so willing to go, I thought it was worth it to wait. So we headed out around 6pm and chased some TOR warned stuff here in eastern CO. That night we stayed in Goodland and headed toward Lake Wilson, KS the next morning. She was cool with hanging out and doing nothing........meanwhile I was getting frustrated that we were sitting on a High Risk day and nothing was really happening at the time. After the stuff popped down near Great Bend we headed down toward Chase, KS and were within a mile of the drill bit tornado there. She had her butt propped up on the ledge of my truck taking pictures just as calm as can be, while I was yelling at her to get in because it was literally coming right at us..........totally kept her cool the entire time. She since has made the statement numerous times that she wish I had chased my target on May 4 as that probably would have landed me in the Greensburg area, but in the end and after all the crap I have taken about chasing from other women I had attempted to have somekind of relationship with, I was more than happy to miss out on that night. We had a great time doing it and she totally gets why I am bouncing off the walls right now waiting for May to roll around. All I can say is let it be known from the start just how important chasing is to you and that you would love for her to share the passion with you.........at the very least try to understand what it is you love about chasing. Sooner or later you will find someone that either loves it or will understand what it is about you and give you that respect for what you love in your life. I don't see her going on every chase with me, but she is really supportive of it and is planning on going again with me this season. The other thing to remember is that if you do find someone that can roll with your chase habits, make the effort to be a part of something that SHE loves........don't wait for her to come to you and say "Hey........will you go {insert whatever activity she loves here}".......it will totally take ALOT of heat off of you should you have a really great chase day pop up and you really ponder the idea of changing plans to chase.

 

[David Wolfson]

The problem comes when it does cost too much, given all the community expenses....

 

[Eric Treece]

It never costs TOO much if you give her............ DIAMONDS...........