Beware: talk about language learning, college, and writing is expected, but anything goes. |
THE AJM SAGA According to Dictionary.com a saga can be defined as the following: a medieval Icelandic or Norse prose narrative of achievements and events in the history of a personage, family, etc. Essentially, I think that definition sums up one thing I want to do with this blog: talk about myself. But, also, I kind of like the vibe it gives because I love Scandinavian things (especially concerning Norway and Iceland). The thing is? I have done blogs in the past about writing. While I intend to continue blogging about my writing process, I also want to branch out and talk about other things. However, this is my first time blogging in this format. In essence, this blog is also an experiment of sorts. |
Every Spring and early Summer, it's normal to hear the tornado siren at least once. But you go in the storm shelter, wait it out, and it's all over in a matter of time. But this time, something was different. There was an alert on Wednesday night about a dangerous storm that would hit, and then on Thursday, April 25th 2024, the air throughout the city felt off. And although the damage wouldn't occur until the next day, it was easy to tell that something was off. Midwesterners are a strange breed when it comes to tornadoes. Oftentimes, a very typical way of dealing with them is to get your lawn chair and a beer and watch from the porch. And in a way, tornadoes fascinating and impressive. On Thursday night, I was talking to some other writers in a virtual write-in about what was going on, and I had a paper I was working to finish before the big day, because I knew I would be busy with it. One of the other writers at the event suggested checking some stormchasers out on Youtube. After that write in, I went home (was working in an office on campus at that time) and I began to watch a stormchaser online. They were a few hours away, and that's when reality began to hit. But at the same time, I did not know what was in store for the next day. At around 1:30 pm central the next day, a tornado watch was issued for Omaha. I had been watching the weather beforehand, and I had seen at least a few tornadoes touch down on the radar. At this point, I just had a Dr. Pepper placed in the freezer, and I was snacking on some Oreos. In that sense, I guess the midwestern stereotypes really did hit me. But when I saw that a tornado had hit Lincoln, I knew we were in for it in Omaha, and moments later, the siren went off. I grabbed my Dr. Pepper, a hoodie, and went off to the storm shelter. I found a corner, and I hunkered down with my phone to watch the radar as the day unfolded. But it was only a matter of time before I saw the track of a new tornado unfold. Seeing that line of damage left me in horror. That specific tornado touched down at 3:30 PM central time, and throughout the duration of the tornado, it had a windspeed of 170 mph recorded. The tornado was over a mile wide, and it traveled for 31.2 miles, finally relenting at 4:29 pm. Although it initially received an F3 ranking, recently it was updated to an F4 ranking by the NWS. For a brief background, tornadoes are rated after they occur by assessing the intensity of damage that is caused, and F4 tornadoes are relatively rare and only make up 2% of the tornadoes that occur. And there I was in that corner of the unfinished basement, watching the tornado as it barely missed friends, family members, and places that held value in my personal life. The vulnerability, the pit in the stomach, and the stress from the event is not something I will be able to forget. That was not the last tornado to occur that day. A tornado much closer to where I lived touched down. This particular tornado was seven miles from where I am, and since that day, I have seen the end of it's path. But there were so many tornadoes reported that day, with some having a violent intensity which hadn't been seen in Nebraska in nearly 10 years. Between Nebraska and Iowa, the National Weather Service notes that there were around 24 tornado tracks recorded that day. I think there's still some element of human curiosity. But the damage and vulnerability of that day also lingers with the event. It's one thing to see a tornado track on a map of a town you don't know. It's another thing entirely to see a tornado track on a trail that has a sense of familiarity. The uncertainty and vulnerability lingers. After the events, there are so many what ifs that will never be answered. In the beginning of April, Omaha was able to see 86% totality of the solar eclipse. Later on during May, there was at least once instance where the Northern Lights came down this far. In many senses, I almost wonder if some force in the greater universe was trying to apologize for the event. As a biology major who is interested in environmental science, I had studied weather before. But since then, I have regularly followed storm chasers online, tracking them and paying attention to where new tornadoes have occurred. So far, 2024 has been an extremely active year for tornadoes, with only 2011 being able to rival it. It might sound corny, but one take away I garnered from that day was to be grateful for what I have. Life, friends and family, and other possessions that I hold dear. Sometimes the weather can be quite unpredictable in a long term sense. In that manner of speaking, there are so many uncertainties. At this point, I am just glad that Omaha, for the most part, is okay in terms of life. But even still, hearing about a friend of a friend, or a family member of a friend losing their house is haunting. |
~I try to capture every minute~ ABBA I must have blinked. It's been another year on Writing.com, and today marks my ninth anniversary on here. Earlier, I had a time slip. Because it almost seems impossible to say that it has been that long. You could have convinced me that it was my 8th anniversary, and other than the arbitrary numbers, I would have believed you. At this point, it feels like I've grown up with writing.com, and over the past nine years, so much about me has changed. Such is life, I guess. I joined the website when I was seventeen, a home-schooled Christian teenager who didn't read above 13+. And while there's nothing wrong with that, life took me down a different path. At twenty-six, I am facing my final year of university, am on track to receive two bachelor's degrees, I am a pagan, and I have since accepted my identity as a member of the lgbtq+ community. The thing is? While things do pop up within the community, the community of writing.com is by and large one of the most accepting places. I discovered my aroaceness in the June of 2019, and for some time, I was kind of nervous about coming out. After all, that was the first of many steps to discovering who I am today. It was the first of many steps, and at points, it was terrifying. After all, I wasn't sure how well some of my things would be received. The thing is? Even though people of all viewpoints come onto the website, everyone here finds a way to get along regardless of that for the most part. And as someone who has been in multiple online spaces, this is very unique to writing.com and I wouldn't change it for anything. There are so many things I could recount about writing.com over the past 9 years, but in order to condense it, let's just stick to 9 different things, groups, and in some cases people on the website which have made my time here special. As a note, these things do not have a particular order, as I would be here for hours trying to make decisions in that case. 1. October Prep. "October Novel Prep Challenge" This event introduced me to writing.com. It also helped to introduce me to NaNoWriMo back in the day. For quite a few years now, I have been a writing coach here, and I appreciate the opportunity to do so every time. 2. The WdC Masquerade. "Wdc 22nd Birthday Masquerade Party" I will be the first person to admit that I haven't always been around for every event. But the fact still remains that I appreciate this event quite a lot because it also introduced me to writing.com. I've had the privilege of being a guest for a few years, and then one year I became a suspect. The event made me laugh several times, and it kept it being fun. 3. The Superpower Reviewers. "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" I first joined the group in November 0f 2015, and then in October of 2016, I became a leader in the group. And must have I blinked because I have been a leader of the group ever since when you could convince me that I just became a leader last year. It has nearly been eight years since I became a captain, and at this point I hope to have many more years with the group. 4. My Friends. There are so many people here I've met, but a few people deserve a special shout out. First off, Whata SpoonStealer as my partner in crime. There were points in my life where people around me didn't listen to me. But Adrie did. Oh, and then there's my long-time friend Osirantinous . Os was my review coach back in the day, and she taught me a lot about the review process and helped to shape who I am as a reviewer today. 5. WYRM. "WYRM" A lot of the people I met in WYRM are folks whom I still consider friends. Satuawany , Tobber and so forth. Even though I am not currently in the group, I did enjoy it when I was a part of it. And when life slows down again and I am out of university, I definitely plan on trying the group again. But yeah. This group helped shape a few of my experiences online. 6. Give it 100. This was an event back in the day that no longer exists, but it also shaped a lot of my early experiences. Achieving my goals and staying steady was one of the core aspects, and it always brought a special pep in my step when it happened. 7. NaNoWriMo. Although my priorities with NaNo have shifted, writing.com has seen some of my most successful NaNo attempts in both 2015 and 2017. And in those years, writing.com was my main community for such events. 8. Rising Stars. Way back in 2016, I was chosen to be a Rising Star, with Turtle ~ KanyáthƐko:wa:h as my sponsor. Throughout the event, I completed multiple challenges and eventually graduated. And it was an honor to take part of it. 9. Being promoted to a preferred author. In comparison to everything else, this is a small thing, but it still left a mark on my time on the website. There were so many other things that have shaped my time on this website. But if you or your events were pinged here, please know that I appreciate you. After all, it was the people and the overall energy on the website that makes writing.com, well, writing.com. As of right now, let's hope there will be many more years on this website. And to the The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress , thank you for everything you have done on this website. Much love to everyone, ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |