7:23 p.m. - 2003-07-08
Sightings
"I believe for every drop of rain that falls - a flower grows" Well we should see thousands of them tomorrow then.
On the local news tonight, after acknowledging that the daytime high was 5 degrees C/10 degrees F cooler than forecast, the meteorologist turned his attention to the reason for that. A major cold front bringing in a thumping thunderstorm. Not only did it pass over the city once unexpectedly, it then reversed directions and passed over it again. Time lapse photography showing something that looked like a flattened funnel cloud spining back and forth overhead. Baseball size hail on the outskirts of the city to the south.
Just as the forecaster was saying that the weather warning for the area had been removed and that no further storming was expected,there was a loud crack and the station went off the air. A couple of minutes later, the signal was restored and the forecaster was sheepishly admitting that the reason for the lapse was that their broadcast tower, located over the station, had been hit by lightning. Somedays, in this city, it is just better to admit that Mother Nature will have her way with us and they really don't know what form that will take.
Called my Dad to see if his car had been fixed. He said yes it had, but that it had broken down again today. The people at the garage said rebuilt carbuerators were a constant challenge for them. Maybe it's just something to do with companies whose name begin with "P". Pontiac/Panasonic. Anyway, it's back in the garage waiting for another part to be brought in.
Lots of celebrity watching going on these days. An awful lot of movies are shot here - we have a large production facility built in an old armory/hanger. Photos of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez graced the papers last week and there was a shot of Tom Selleck - love his humour and imagination - at the rodeo on Monday. I think the reason is because just about any type of scenery or weather can be shot here. One just has to wait a few days for the correct conditions.
Last year a Steven Segal movie was being filmed, using the main bridge into downtown, just a block from where I worked at the time. One morning, I walked through the lobby and saw him (or his double)sitting and waiting in one of the lounge chairs. At that time of the morning it didn't really register - coffee was the only thing on my mind then.
My number two son and one of my brothers-in-law occasionally work on set pieces for the production companies and my Dad's business provides period pieces dating back as far as the earliest radios and electronic appliances. A very small part of the set for the Jackie Chan movie set in the Forbidden Palace in Beijing was built in my basement - there's still spray paint on the wall to prove it. That's good for the economy and it makes life interesting, because we never know who might be walking down our streets at any given time. The newspapers try to respect the actors' privacy by reporting about their activities after the fact. Keeps everyone happy I guess.
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