Turning on the Heat!!!

Well Memorial Day Weekend is the main weekend everyone opens up their pools and it couldn't have been a better weekend.  BOY, was it hot!!  We still have only reached 86 in Dayton today, but a few locations, Middletown, Richmond, and Greenville, have reached 90.... Great weather to sit beside the pool with a nice frozen drink, huh?! 

I had the day off yesterday to head to Cincinnati for a moped rally and had a blast.  Lots of good friends I haven't met up with in over a year and a lot of fun times riding on the moped and hanging out with the other riders.  My moped held up with the pack very nicely until we hit a huge hill with no head start.  The hill was about a mile long and started right after a right hand turn, so I couldn't get any momentum, and my bike was geared more for top speed rather than low end torque.  Still had a blast and the weather was perfect.

Tomorrow, Memorial Day, looks to be slightly cooler, high 82, with more clouds and the chance for scattered showers and storms through the day.  Tuesday looking more of the same with scattered showers and storms.  Wednesday a little break from the rain and a little warmer, before more rain by the evening into Thursday.  Friday looks great right now with clouds clearing out and highs in the mid 70's, but more rain later Saturday will bring a damp spell for next weekend, but as of now, temps will only be in the upper 70's.  Have a good one and stay cool!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Top Ten Songs

Well the other day I was listening to my music and decided to put together my top ten favorite songs of all time.  To be honest, one of my good friends did this as well and it prompted me.  We have always had an on-going verbal list, but we never really set them in print... well here are mine:

1.Staralfur-Sigur Ros
2.Black Balloon-Goo Goo Dolls
3.Us and Them-Pink Floyd
4.Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space-Spiritualized
5.Motorcycle Drive By-Third Eye Blind
6.Rise-Eddie Vedder
7.Warmer Climate-Snow Patrol
8.A Long December-Counting Crows
9.Fast Car-Tracy Chapman
10.Rock and Roll Evacuation-Electric Six

Each song has a lot of meaning and I at least one or two great stories behind it.  They are a pretty wide array of songs and genres.  I just thought I would share that.

If anyone has a pool they want to share, let me know!!  It has been pretty hot the last few days.  The good news is that rain will arrive later tomorrow and cool down the area, a little, but most importantly it will take some of the humidity out of the air for the start of the Memorial Day weekend.  It looks great for the three day weekend, dry and sunny for Saturday and Sunday, but more clouds will roll in later Monday and there is a chance for afternoon showers and storms. After that it looks like temps will still be on the mild to warm side so summer looks to be around for good.  This weekend is normally the big weekend for people to open their pools and it will be quite fitting with the warm temperatures.  Well have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Thoughts on LOST

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Still not sure.... although the final episode was beautiful and had a "full circle" ending.... the "episode to answer all the questions" did not answer a single question.... in fact it had more questions.... Why did they have to leave the island on the plane last night if they were going to die and have a reunion anyways?   I am still not sure what to think and am still letting it all soak in.... more thoughts after I a little meditation this afternoon as I cruise around on my 50cc adventure.

UPDATE: So I let it soak in and talked it over with other enthusiasts.  The whole premise of show was to keep you asking questions, if they answered all of the questions, it would be a let down and a disservice.  However, I still an very happy with the ending that it brought it full circle, I just wished more of the larger questions were answered, but it is what it is...

Hope you enjoyed the warmth today.... It was kinda hot with a helmet and jean jacket riding around on my moped... safety first though, many people fail to see moped riders until its too late.  Hot for the coming days which isn't great news since I will be in Arcanum talking to some high school students(no air-conditioning until they move to the new school in a year or so)  Rain bringing a little relief late Wednesday (slight chance), but a better chance for rain Thursday evening as a cold front swings into the area bringing less humid air for Memorial Day Weekend.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

LOST!!!

Tonight is the night, LOST will wrap up and there will never be another episode or another show quite like it.  The writers have done a phenomenal job up to this point in keeping everything a secret.  The climax has been building ever since the first episode of season one when we first heard the smoke monster and saw it tearing though the jungle snapping trees.  Since the final episode is on from 9PM until 11:30PM, the ABC news will be going on a half hour later, and since we will have the FOX news at 10 as normal, I will miss 30 minutes and have decided to wait until after work to watch it with Dawn.  I am so giddy right now....I am like a school boy on Christmas morning.... the only downside is this will be the only Christmas, there won't be anymore Christmases after tonight....  Tomorrow I will blog on how it went, and how it feels now that it is over.... so if you don't want to be spoiled, do not read my entry for May 24th.

Now in order to avoid any spoilers myself, I have stayed off twitter and other social medias starting a short time ago.  I also plan on shutting off my phones at 9 PM to avoid any texts or calls from my other LOST-addicted friends.  It is finally here and my hopes are set so high on tonight's episode.  I do have some sad news, apparently we are doing a story on people getting together for a LOST party for our news tonight..... I will need to avoid seeing or hearing any of the story as not to ruin my hopes and dreams.... You may say I am crazy, but really I am LOST. 

"Live Together, Die Alone"
Andrew Buck Michael

Break out the slip-n-slide!!

Break out the slip-n-slide!!
05/22/10

Well summer is making a strong entrance this upcoming week.  Today we have we topped out in the mid 70's and the warmest day of 2010 so far is 83.  Tomorrow we should climb to around 84, making it the hottest day of the year, but it doesn't stop there.  We will stay in the mid 80's, for highs, for at least a week, if not a little longer.  The dew points (mugginess) will be in the upper 50's and lower 60's meaning that it will be uncomfortable, but not yet oppressive.

Either way, a great week to open up the backyard pools, if you have one.  I wish I did, but I am sure I will get by another way.... slip-n-slide used to be my favorite as a kid.  When I was younger, my brothers and I all pitched in and went to Lowes and bought a 100 foot x 10 foot plastic tarp and made a huge slip-n-slide on the hill next to their house.  The only problem was that my dad never rolled our yard, so there were little bumps everywhere.... after about 10 times going down on your stomach, it was probably equivalent to about 10000 crunches.  I remember my abs hurting for days.  It was a blast, we eventually took whatever we could find and at the bottom and raise the sides to make it into a splash pool.  We even experimented with oils and soaps to see how we could make to to the bottom faster, good times!

One of my best/worst memory of the slip-n-slide was when we saw a funnel cloud a few miles away.  It was a warm afternoon, obviously, and a storm popped up just south of my parents house and my dad, (who has a Meteorology degree from Purdue) turned into kid and we all wanted to get closer and watch it.... well we were all soapy and oily and I went running into the garage to get into the family van. Also worth mentioning, the garage floor is suuuuuper smooth, and I was barefoot. I fell, slipped and slid across the garage floor into a few bikes like Barry Larkin into second base.  I cant remember if I was bleeding from the falling bikes; I was too excited.  Anyways we loaded up and rode a few miles south and watched the funnel dance across the sky before pulling back up into the cloud. Great times!!!

So warm and humid for the next week, and with the warm temps and humidity, an afternoon pop-up shower isn't out of the question, although I think most of us could see a completely dry week.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Some fear smoke, but I love two-stroke smoke

Well today has been an interesting day here in the Dayton area.  The huge fire at the scrap yard has been burning away for close to 24 hours.  The good news is that the crews have it almost completely under control due to the help of the local airports assisting in the use of foam rather than water.  The flames earlier were insanely high and the smoke could be seen from surrounding counties, but like I said, crews almost have complete control once again after the long roar.

I managed to find a few free minutes(more like an hour or so) and hardwired my other Maxi moped.  The reason I needed to rewire the mopeds is because with all of the switches, etc from 1970's they don't work properly always.  So instead of trying to pin-point what switches don't work or why, I just leave the lights on constantly and if something blows, the bulb is to blame, not any switches...  Anyways, I got my last moped running, so now all of them are runners.(super excited!!)  There is one small part I need (being shipped currently) to have three complete bikes, but other than that, they are set.  I plan on "souping" one up and leaving the others pretty much the way they are.  I can have friends ride with me now and if one breaks, I still have others to ride.  It is quite a thrill of reviving an old motor and then taking it for a peaceful journey to work (normally smelling of the two-stroke smoke)...gotta love it.

The sad news is that I probably will not be riding them to work anytime soon as rain is arriving for the next 36-48 hours.  After the rain we will be see the warmest temperatures and stickiest airmass of the year so far.  Temperatures will be in the mid 80's.... who knows, maybe part of the area could give 90 a run for its money next week... guess we will have to wait and see, have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

What's with my bad luck?!?!

So I explained about the washing machine turning into a fountain flooding the new place, AND about the dryer vents coming out of the ceiling and roof when trying to clean them.... Well it didn't stop there apparently.  Dawn and I went to have dinner last night and when we tried leaving my truck wouldn't start...(head hanging low and shaking)... I got a friend who lived nearby to drive us home to get my tools and Dawn's car.  I messed around with the fuses and eventually jumped the truck, it started, and then it died as soon as I put it in Drive....(head hanging low and shaking)...  After jumping it again, I let it get enough juice do drive it to Fox Motors in Miamisburg, which is owned by a friend of mine.  Got a new battery, service with a smile, and it started perfect.....  Then, we went home and as I went into the bathroom, I opened the door and the hinge screws (that were loose) in the door frame became dislodged and the door fell off its hinges....(head hanging low and shaking)....  It was so late I just left it. 

This morning, I fixed the door; the plumber came and fixed the fountain (corroded cast iron pipes).... and we are back in business.  After I fixed the door, Dawn just said, "We have to count the small victories."  I fell back on the ground and just laughed in desperation, Buckeye came over, stood over me, trying to see what was wrong with me....  I did hardwire (rewire with only necessary wiring) one of my mopeds and got it running for the first time today, so that was a victory.  Regardless I am not buying a lottery ticket anytime soon. 

Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully the sunshine will bring better luck, if not at least sunshine will raise the moral (I am not a fan of extended cloudy spells).  Hope you started planning your LOST series finale party for this Sunday night (and your after-party to watch ABC 22 following, with my forecast)  Hopefully there will be a lot of answers in the final episode because I have been still yelling, "What the heck is going on!?!" at the TV during the last few episodes.  I can't wait to see the big answers come to fruition.  Anyways have a good one and enjoy the sunshine before more showers and storms roll into the area for Friday/Saturday.

UPDATE: Dawn just texted me saying the washer doesn't spin the clothes dry.... she had to go to a laundromat to wash enough clothes for work, since we haven't washed our clothes in over a week due to the move.... good thing she likes laundromats and dreams of owning one one day, maybe she will be a good mood later, maybe...

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Cold Shower Blues

Well the last three and a half days I have submitted myself to icy showers until the gas company could make it out.  I cannot come up with words to describe how cold the showers were.  Try it sometime, barely turn it on, so that NO warm water at all comes through.... But the good news is that it was turned back on this morning and I just took a GREAT shower!

I got a fun, more like horrific, story as well.  I got most of the stuff inside unpacked yesterday and Dawn wanted to help bring in the washing machine.  Everything was going pretty smooth and then it hit the spin cycle and needed to empty out the water.  Well apparently the plumbing was clogged and we had a geyser in the utility closet.  We shut off the washer as quick as possible, but by then the damage was done.... water everywhere... the sub-pump got rid of some of the standing water, but some of the new carpet got wet and we had to soak it up with towels, nightmare.... But that wasn't the start of things, earlier last evening, I did some work on the drier ventilation.  I was told to not run the dryer until the ventilation was fixed and the lint was unclogged in there too.... turns out there was very little lint in the ventilation, although the tubes weren't fastened correctly in the attic. How do I know this?  I took apart two tubes to try to look at the lint inside, when the top pipe came down through the hole in the ceiling.  Dawn and I cleaned the pipes and I crawled into the attic to properly secure the vents.... good as new.

It is always fun moving into a new place.  At least you know when you put the work into something and fix it properly, you shouldn't have to worry about it for a long time, if ever.  Today was a day for cleaning out the garage and organizing everything... now time to run a few errands before starting my workweek tomorrow, have a good one and enjoy the final episode of LOST ever tonight, with the exception for the Series Finale on Sunday night.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Another Dreary Day

Well today the showers have been more scarce than yesterday, but the rain is just knocking on the door of the Ohio River.  Monday will be pretty wet for the entire area maybe even a few afternoon rumbles of thunder, but I do not think it will be a complete washout.  Tuesday will be chilly with a few showers sticking around before we start warming up and drying out for the middle of the week.  Another system looks to swing through late this week, hopefully it changes it course though, all these rainy and cloudy skies seem to be getting a little old, if ya know what I mean.

Also, how about those Reds!?!?! Top of the N.L. Central!  Now that I live closer, I look forward to dragging Dawn(Indians fan) to a few more games.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Moved

I am beat....and no longer residing in Sidney.  I now a citizen of Montgomery County, but the move was anything but easy.  My brother Clark came up from Ohio State and stayed in Sidney with Dawn and I last night and we woke up around 8 AM and went straight to loading.  By ten or so, my father, other two brothers and sister arrived and helped finish loading.  Almost all of the small stuff was already taken down to the new place, so it was the essentials and the large furniture that needed moved today.  One of Dawn's cousins, Mike, let us borrow his 17 foot trailer, which was the perfect size, got it all in one trip and everything was nice and snug. As we were about to leave Sidney Clark noticed his tire was about ready to pop so he left and drove back to my parents in Darke Co. and changed his tire.  The rest of the group all went to the new place and my good friend, Luke Marshall, stopped by to help after volunteering at the VA hospital, American.  I think the last 4 times I have moved, Luke has helped me move, I have returned the favor several times as well, but his reliability and help is second to none.  He stuck around and helped after my family had to leave to get ready for a wedding.  Luke also took one of my mopeds out for a spin and he was addicted....(we will soon see how addicted)  Anyways, back to the move, another thing I am flabbergasted about is Dawn's cousins and family.  The yard needed mowed, but we were just going to focus on getting everything moved in for today.  Well one of her cousins, Dave, shows up with a lawn mower and cuts the grass.  Mike(trailer guy) showed up and took the stove out to the driveway and completely cleaned it as good as new.  Another cousin, John, showed up and supervised.... haha, just kidding (Dawn works for him).  Some of her family was even out pulling weeds from the flower bed, unbelievable. (Also Mike, Dave, and John are brothers)  Dawn and her mother are unpacking boxes and stuff today and I look forward to meeting them for dinner later tonight.  Thanks to EVERYONE for their help.....maybe a barbecue is in the works in the near future when everything is put away and we have settled down....and my aching body has recovered.... 

Anyways, few sprinkles tonight for part of the area, more rain later tomorrow which will stick around for the start of the workweek before we finally dry out and warm back into the upper 70's.

Oh yea, one other side note, Dave got us a house warming gift, three rocks.  On one side they read: GET....IT.....RIGHT!   The other side said: RAINY....SNOWY.....SUNNY.   "Leave no stone unturned."  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Another Late-night Update

So it's 1AM and the cold front is still out to our west, we could see a few isolated strong storms, but they look to be stronger up to the north of Indiana and Ohio.  The front should roll through close to dawn.   Mike Terwilleger is keeping an eye on things and will have updates all morning long on ABC 22 starting at 4:57, and FOX 45 starting at 7 AM.  I dunno about you, but I am ready for non sticky air to arrive, have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Evening Update

Well I am back at the station.  The storm cells moving across Indiana wore themselves out.  Apparently they thought it was a sprint and they used up too much energy from the atmosphere and they fizzled out.  Someone should have told them it was a marathon instead.  Anyways, as I thought, not as much of a threat compared to last week.  Overnight the front will push through, but a lot of the energy will be gone.  I will update the blog later tonight on my thoughts of the overnight showers/storms.  Should remain dry for the rest of the immediate evening, so enjoy.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Afternoon Update

Tornado Watch until 9PM.  Southern Ohio and Indiana has seen slightly more sunshine and has warmed up just enough to fire off a few showers.  These showers will feed off the moisture and continue moving towards us in the coming hours.  The watch is until 9 PM because after the sunsets(shortly before 9PM) we will lose a lot of energy.  Jeff Booth will be monitoring everything from the First Warning Weather Center, and I am getting ready to head out and follow the storms on the ground to get great video and also to relay what I am seeing back to the station.  I am still sticking to the main threat(or more of a widespread problem) will be hail, some locations in Indiana have already reported hail over an inch in diameter(HUGE!!).  There is the slight chance for the quick spin-up of a tornado, but straight line winds will still be a big problem.  Again, I will be updating my twitter as I am out in the field.  Maybe even a blog entry on here if the cards fall just right.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Update on Today/Tonight's Storms

Well not a whole lot has changed.  The main line of storms doesn't look to arrive until later in the evening/overnight.  As I said yesterday it will cut down on the energy for the storms to work off of and thus weaker than what they could be.  Now if we happen to get warm enough to get afternoon showers, they will likely quickly become strong to severe thunderstorms.  The warm front is pushing through the area now, so expect the afternoon to be much warmer and stickier than this morning.  I will keep an eye on things this afternoon, but as stated in yesterday's blog, they should be weaker than last week due to the fact that ALL of the ingredients aren't in the perfect mix today, but we still will see strong storms, MAYBE some severe ones.  I don't want to alarm people by saying, "It is going to be horrible!" and I don't want to have people let their guard down either.  Keep an eye on the sky and I will be updating my twitter if things turn for the worse.  Have a good one.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Thoughts on Thursdays Thunderstorms

Well I hope you have enjoyed the dry spells and your plants have enjoyed the rain.  Tomorrow evening we look to see a few strong to severe storms roll through.  The afternoon will be warm and humid, we have a very slight chance for an afternoon pop-up shower/storm, although our best chance for widespread storms will be later in the evening.  The main threat will be hail because the winds in the upper atmosphere will be weaker than what we saw last week, so tornadic storms and straight line winds will be less of a threat, although it doesn't completely rule them out, and straight line winds would be more of a threat of the two.  The storms look to arrive later in the evening and thus losing some of the daytime heat and they will weaken once the sun has set.  The timing of the storms will play a large part in their strength. 

Comparing these storms to last week, I expect these storms to be weaker due to the fact that we do not have all the proper ingredients together like last week, but we will keep an eye on things.  I will update the blog tomorrow, especially after seeing what the conditions are once they send up the weather balloon at 8AM.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Moving and Mopeds

Well it is official, Dawn, Buckeye, and I are are moving to the Dayton area.  She got a job with an appraisal company and so all I have seen lately is newspaper and cardboard with all the moving.  We have been taking down boxes on our commutes to work each day, and hopefully this weekend we will be tackling the large items.  It honestly is one of the most stress-less moves I have done.  Almost every other time, it is grab everything on one day and take it all at once.  With this it seems like half of our stuff is in one place and half of it in the other currently, so when it comes to the "official moving day" it will be pretty easy.  Heavy, but easy. 

I also took some time out today with the nice weather to work on the new mopeds I got last week.  Both of the Puchs had horrible rust in the tanks so with some advice from a knowledgeable friend, I was bought some phosphoric acid and today was a fun day in the sun eating acid out of the gas tanks.  The electrical on both of the mopeds is horrible with wires cut in random places, so it looks like my next project will be hardwiring each of the mopeds, which means I will only use absolutely necessary wires: spark plug(to make it run) and head and tail light (so others can see me).  I use my hands to signal turning and slowing down.  Anyways, super glad I was able to eat the rust out of the tanks today, but word of the wise: acid IS dangerous, I forgot to put on my rubber gloves when I was rotating the acid around.... learned the hard way the dangers of acid(no worries, I am fine now).

Hope you enjoyed the sunshine today, rain overnight and lingering on and off for the next 4 days not a complete washout for the four days, but pretty wet regardless as it comes in waves..... (good thing it will be dry for the big move on Saturday morning, haha) Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Recap of Friday's Severe Weather.

Well, yesterday afternoon and early evening seemed kinda dull with no severe weather happening, as a matter of fact, nothing really happened until about 9PM, but when it rains it pours.  A storm just to the east of Indianapolis really collected its wits and composure and came barreling towards the Miami Valley.  The storm reached its peak near Arcanum and kept that energy as it went into Miami County, more specifically Troy.  I met the storm just west of Arcanum and followed the storm as it continued to snap trees like twigs and topple aged barns like Lincoln Logs.  There was a report that it was a tornado, which I never saw an indication of, and earlier today the NWS confirmed that it was straight line winds.  I went back earlier today to take a look at the damage, (actually I was already heading back to my parents to see my mother for Mother's Day), and I got some impressive video of the clean-up efforts.  Hopefully nothing like that will return, but then again, we are the most prone area in the country to see straight line winds.

Well, cool the next few days, frost is likely actually so cover up your plants, but then we warm back into the 70's next week with on and off showers and storms from Tuesday all the way until Friday.  Keep the umbrella handy and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Severe Weather Friday

Well tomorrow we will have the best set-up of 2010, here in Ohio, for severe weather.  Early tomorrow morning a warm front will lift from the south; with this we could see a few showers in the morning hours, although not looking too promising.  A surge of warm, moist air will arrive for the afternoon.  We should be able to reach 80 degrees without a problem and enough humidity to make it "feel" like the warmest, stickiest day of 2010 so far... meaning great conditions for storms.  Tomorrow, Friday, evening a strong cold front will punch into the area with a line of thunderstorms. This "squall line" will likely contain very strong winds and potential for dangerous hail.  However, there is more....

Think about a time you were outside before a storm came through, remember how the winds kicked up before the rain or storm actually got to you?  Think of that wind as a wave.... This wave will travel in front of the squall line and cause the air in front of the line to lift into the atmosphere.  Think of the fair weather, puffy cumulus clouds you see in the atmosphere on a nice day....they are short, but if you stretch them higher (with an updraft) and they become storm clouds, cumulonimbus.  The wave may fire off a few supercell storms in front of the squall line.  There is a slight chance, if conditions are proper, for tornadic activity with these supercell storms.  The chance is pretty small, but non-the-less we will be on top of the storms all night.  It also appears better storm conditions will be in place to the east of us, so they may see worse weather, but we still need to be on our toes for what we get as the storms start really developing.

Now for the timing.....the actual front looks to pass through the Miami Valley between 6PM and 2AM Friday night. The storms out ahead of the cold front will fire up near or shortly after peak heating with the line forming in a SW-NE line and sliding from the NW.  I originally had Friday off, but with the circumstances, I was given today off in order to cover the storms tomorrow night.  Jeff Booth will be monitoring things in the station tomorrow night and I will be out in the thick of things keeping an eye on the situation from the ground.  I will be updating my personal twitter account www.twitter.com/AndrewBMichael with the conditions I see from the ground, and for up-to-the-second updates on the watches and warnings check out www.twitter.com/ABC22FOX45. 

Also, I posted the links to my first couple of stories from Natural Disaster Week, and here is my final video on Weather Spotters.  Hope you enjoyed the series and took away some useful information...  See you all tomorrow, and make sure not to let Dorthy or Toto wander off in the afternoon... Just tell the lady on the bike and basket to keep on pedaling.  Have a good one, and for all our sakes, I hope there is no tornado tomorrow.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Earthquake Prep

Second entry in one day.... I bet you are feeling the luckiness spread around you, QUICK go see if you can find a four leaf clover!!!!

I just wanted to post the link to my Earthquake prep video that aired tonight for Natural Disaster Week.  I got another great video that is set to air tomorrow night.... I you love severe weather, you will love this next story!!!  Have a good one.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Mopeds and Earthquakes 05/04/10

So if you are wondering how they are in common, its just the dates.... 

For Natural Disaster Week, tonight we take a look at how Shelby County is preparing for a major earthquake.  There may have only been a few light tremors in the last couple of years, but there have other major quakes along the fault, which runs directly under the town of Anna down towards Sidney.  When I went to the meeting it was a lot of fun, and since I was the only television media present, they needed input on how the media would react during a significant earthquake.   So not only did I go an get a GREAT story on how we are preparing for the earthquake, I was designated as a "media liaison," if you will, which was a lot of fun to be part of the discussions.  Anyways, make sure to tune in later tonight to catch the story.

Now on to mopeds.  So I bought this, rather rare, moped from a guy in Anna about 18 months ago.  Naturally I nicknamed the moped "Anna."  So I had to do some pretty extensive work on the bike because previous owners managed to hook up a lawn mower exhaust to it and really left the bike in not-so-great condition.  So I spend a lot of my winter time in 2009 restoring the bike and finally got it running really well.  Well last year at a moped rally in Louisville, I blew the condenser, and had to replace it.  After doing that and then a lot of other work, I still could not get the bike to run reliably.  Well yesterday, after a lot of cross-checking and analyzing, I decided to take the wires running to the rest of the bike and ground them out, so the only wire would be running to the spark plug.  I know it sounds crazy, but yesterday I took Anna out for one of the best rides I have ever taken her on.  Now the job isn't quite finished, I now need to determine that which of the two grounded wires is to blame for all the headache.  That, along with packing, will be my job for the rest of afternoon.  One benefit of working weekends, I get beautiful week days to wrench, haha, have a good one and make sure to vote!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Strong Storms Tonight & Natural Disaster Week

Well the strong storms tonight were in perfect timing with the start of Natural Disaster Week.  Take a look at the Tornado Siren story that aired tonight.  More awesome stories will be playing in the coming days as well.  Hope you get to catch them.  I will be back on early tomorrow to blog, but gotta head to bed early tonight.  Have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael

Big Changes On the Way

Well the 7 day forecast is one with a lot of twists and turns.  Heavy rain likely this morning through Monday morning.  Could see localized flooding so keep that in mind if you live or drive through low areas.  Then we dry up and should get close to, if not break the 80 degree mark for the middle of the week.  Another front will arrive by the end of the week, and then highs in the mid 50's possible for next weekend.  You gotta love Ohio right?!?! 

We may have dodged a bullet tonight.  It is now 4:44 AM Sunday morning and I have been in the weather center all night just in case severe weather broke out...  We did have a very strong cell of storms move from Richmond East-Northeastward toward Darke, Miami, then to Logan/Champaign Counties until it finally exited the Valley.  There still is a tornado watch box that is to our west.  The box does overlay several counties, but the National Weather Service did not "technically" include them in the watch.  That being said, the storms could have still produced dangerous weather, and it is much better to err on the side of caution and be prepared for the storms.  Things look to start quiet down in the coming hours after one final line to our south will move through.  More rain and severe weather could be possible for Sunday PM, so as soon as the all-clear is given, heading home and getting sleep will be top priority just in case we see a repeat.  Have a good one and keep the umbrella handy for Sunday.

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael