Summer Plans 2008

Finished my last final ~11:15 AM on Thursday, got back to my apartment to finish packing things and was on my way home in the early afternoon. It is finally summer, but that doesn't mean I'll be taking it too easy for the next 3 months. I'll be running my own business (Jayson Prentice Photography), having an internship (KICD Radio, Spencer, IA), storm chasing (TWISTEX 2008), and probably having an actual job later this summer (Monsanto).

Staring off with my summer plans, I've started up my own 'part-time' business out of my local area of northwest Iowa, Jayson Prentice Photography. I'm offering several of my landscape prints for sale, and outdoor portraits sessions for your family, children, and soon-to-be graduating seniors. I will also be doing a lot of athletics photos of local sports teams, mainly Graettinger/Terril, but potentially others as well if there is interest.

I will once again be 'working' at KICD Radio in Spencer, IA this year. This time around it will be for a college credit internship, so you can expect me to be at the studio there one or two days a week throughout the summer. I'll likely pick days where we can have at least some interesting weather, or the day before so I can have the whole day to forecast the event.

You may remember last June, where I was storm chasing with Tim Samaras and others as a part of TWISTEX. This year TWISTEX is once again back despite funding issues with Iowa State, the ISU Crew will consist of one mesonet car that will mainly be involved with attempts to sample RFD areas of thunderstorms. The car will be under directions from Bruce Lee and Kathy Finley of WindLogics, Inc. Today the TWISTEX crew is down in far eastern Oklahoma where a significant severe weather threat is in place, previous obligations left me unable to chase with them today. However, from Sunday through May 22nd I will be a part of the TWISTEX crew whenever we are active. Currently the first day of chasing for me and the TWISTEX crew looks to be next Tuesday and potentially next Wednesday. Then the flow hits the fan, with northwesterly winds throughout the mid-levels for a majority of my scheduled time with the crew.

A few final things for this summer will include my potential employment at Monsanto for the months of July/August. I worked last year during the pollination season in their test plots, helping them in the process of seed testing. This year I may be a crew leader instead, providing me with a little more money per hour and the ability to be in charge of a few high schoolers ;) .
Another 'job' for this summer will be getting started on my senior thesis that is coming up for my final fall semester as an undergraduate at Iowa State. I will likely be working in collaboration with a current SPC study that is looking at significant tornado outbreak days and some of the conditions that were a part of those outbreaks.

With all of that going on, I'll be sure to put up forecasts for the state and surrounding areas throughout the summer. You'll likely see the blog very busy whenever the threat of severe weather is upon the state of Iowa or anywhere else in the central US if I'm chasing it. Be sure to let me know what you want to hear or what you want to see on the blog by leaving a comment. Enjoy the summer!