Checking Out The Models

by Brendan Smith
Weirs Times Editor

When I was a young boy I enjoyed looking at models. Often they were on the pages of magazines I wasn’t supposed to be looking at in the first place. It didn’t matter if the models were American or European, they all were fine with me, but I certainly couldn’t let anyone except my closest friends know I was looking at them.
Today, as an older and more mature man, I still look at models, but not with as much enthusiasm. In fact, sometimes I prefer the European models over the American ones or vice versa. It really depends on the day.
The models I focus on today aren’t in the pages of forbidden magazines, but on television. In fact, I will often gaze at these models intently on TV, with my loving wife by my side. She will often study them as well. In fact, many other folks are also very interested in these models.
These models are, of course, the different scenarios of weather patterns that may or may not affect our lives over the next few days. My appreciation of either the American or European model truly depends on what kind of effect either model will have on my upcoming week.
I had not really paid that much attention this winter to any of the models until this week. I wasn’t too concerned if it was the American or the European model which was correct. The weather patterns have been fairly quiet, precipitation wise, so there wasn’t that much cause for concern. I wasn’t very interested in what the weatherman and his models were up to.
But, of course, this is winter in New England and eventually the interest in models is inevitable at some point.
This week is the first time in a long while I thought about the models. One of them was showing two storms making their way towards New Hampshire within days of each other that might cause a bit of disruption. I’m not sure if it was the American Model or the European Model, but neither one looked too good to me.
It really didn’t matter. It looked as though the first really significant snowfalls of 2021 were upon us. Depending on which type of model you prefer, this would mean a feeling of despair or one of overwhelming joy when one sees the signs of that first cold front that is about to move in as it takes aim on a front of passing moisture moving in our direction that together may, or may not, drop copious amounts of that snowfall upon our well-insulated heads.
Some of us, who have nice, warm inside jobs worry will study the latest models to see if maybe that European beauty that is on its way might disrupt our morning and evening commutes. Those of us who work in businesses that depend on copious amounts of snowfall wait anxiously, hoping that the American model, predicting more snowfall, will beat down the European model which suggests much less.
We watch the weather reports like they are election night returns; both parties waiting, fearful that things might not go their way. Their reactions will differ dramatically over what the results may be. The anti-snow crowd throwing empty hot cocoa packets at the TV screen when the latest update shows a probable direct hit and mounds of snow which will need to be moved from driveways, while the pro-snow crowd puts away their coffee mugs, breaks out the champagne and proceeds to do a happy dance in their living rooms dreaming of skiing and snowmobiling.
In rare instances, the anti-snow party will go to bed feeling defeated as the forecast shows little hope, the weatherman calling it a victory for the pro-snow crowd, only to awaken to find that some kind of weird jet stream (or so the weather forecasters will claim to cover yet another mistake) showed up at the last minute and that foot of snow that had infiltrated the night’s bad dream, was no more than a dusting to an inch.
Of course, when we are talking about weather, there are no recounts.
When the news that these two models were both approaching the area, both parties came to life in hoping the best for their constituents. No longer were the other news stories of the day important. This was real thing.
As I write this, it looks a lot like the pro-snow constituency is about to have their day while the anti-snow crowd will most likely be disappointed and try to cheer themselves up with cries of “Wait Until Next Week!”
Meanwhile, I will, like most of you, come home, turn on the TV and follow these American and European models as they cross the country, following their every step.
I won’t tell you which side I am on, but I can only say that the European model is looking pretty darn good to me right now. And my wife agrees.