I interviewed Al Roker a few weeks ago. Not really a big deal – unless you consider that I wanted to be a “weatherman” when I grew up. Seriously. No joke. Look at that freakin’ cloud, man!

I still remember going to “WHO” company picnics as a kid (my grandfather worked at the radio tower in MItchellville, and my uncle was an amazing director for their television news broadcasts). At one of those summer events, I recall asking Mike Lozano for his autograph – he was the weatherperson for WHO TV 13. I suppose I was the only kid who cared more about the weather than sports?

Years later, when I was a high school senior, my school (Southeast Polk) was selected to house a special computer terminal. This PC came bundled with a 2400-baud modem (!) and weather software. Nobody knew how to use it; the documentation was incomplete, and the interface was astoundingly difficult to navigate. There were eight other machines just like it (sitting in other high schools around the country). My affinity for digital tools (combined with excellent communication skills) earned me a week-long, all-expense paid trip to New Orleans to demonstrate this system at the American Meteorological Society’s annual convention.