John Scalzi, Award-Winning… Meteorologist?
Posted on April 5, 2014 Posted by John Scalzi 28 Comments
No, I haven’t started a sideline business for when my writing career craters under me. There’s a John Scalzi (no relation, or at least no relation that doesn’t go back several generations), who works as a meteorologist for WWSB down in Sarasota, Florida, and he just won the “Best Weathercast” award from the Florida Associated Press Broadcasters. So that’s excellent for him! As I noted when I congratulated him on his Facebook fan page, the name “John Scalzi” always looks good on an award.
One day the two of us will meet and it will be confusing but fun for everyone involved.
In any event: Congratulations to John Scalzi, from John Scalzi.
I live down in the area of the southern John Scalzi and hear him on the radio occasionally. If I’m not paying full enough attention to the radio it will startle me to thinking it’s the northern John Scalzi (because, for example, I’m paying attention to trying to avoid being driven into by someone else who’s paying more attention to their cell phone than the multi-ton vehicle they’re driving at speed).
One more reason for you to encourage your publisher to send you on a book trip to FL. Preferably in the winter of course. Although it’s much less crowded in the summer.
The John Scalzi award for being John Scalzi. Of Scalzi, by Scalzi, for Scalzi.
(scadenfredepiechurrowafflesbaconcat not included)
Fun, isn’t it? I maintain a running list of John Barneses I am not (can be found on my Amazon profile; it’s long because it’s such a common name. In fact there are three other John Barneses in science fiction and fantasy alone). I am far surpassed, though, by my friend Huan Xi, who has one of the very commonest names on the planet (and is in fact the 3rd Huan Xi I’ve met); his list stretches to well over 100 (and includes the other 2 I’ve met).
My dissertation advisor, the theatre historian Dennis Kennedy, was at a conference having a drink with the director, Dennis Kennedy, comparing notes on how much of each other’s mail they’d gotten over the years, when they noticed they were being pointed out to a third man, who came over and introduced himself. It was Dennis Kennedy the lighting designer.
I share my name with a NM state senator. A friend shares his with someone on a watch list, which is annoying/causesqa problems, especially when trying to cross borders.
Presumably the two of you would team up to fight a horrible world-destroying menace with a lot of zany quips and hilarious identity confusion along the way, so, sure.
the world should be afraid of the Scalzi’s, if you pronounce it the way i do, you’ll get scared by the name itself for sure… Just kidding, but that’s one funny story, i’d like to see how the two of you would team up if you do: it’s either gonna turn out to be brilliant and genius or a complete disaster!
When you two meet, make sure in advance that you have matching suitcases with valuable contents and meet in a long hallway with many doors. Classic farce has stringent requirements.
I share my name with exactly nobody as far as I can tell. It’s kind of refreshing.
I’ve no doubt but that Weatherdude John Scalzi has been congratulated for winning a Hugo, so congrats, Writerdude John, on the weather award! ;-)
Several doctors, race car driver of some note, basketball player of note, and I even have my own Jr Sci Fi book series! (I’m the network engineer in case anyone knows who I am.)
Here’s an exchange of letters between two people who seem to have found themselves in a similar position.http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?p=6160
There’s also an award out there named AFTER another John Scalzi: http://www.masonrysociety.org/index.cfm?showincenter=http%3A//www.masonrysociety.org/html/about/awards/index.htm
I’d love to see a picture of you holding his award and him holding your latest Hugo. With maybe a cat or two lounging artistically nearby.
I, for one, welcome our award-winning Scalzi overlords.
@Penn Davies: refreshing, but not always so good when the Googles are involved…
Could this be an exception to the “I WILL NOT REMEMBER YOUR NAME. Whoever you are.” problem? https://twitter.com/scalzi/status/452124664501121024
Dear John,
So many people in the world.
What got me to join Facebook was being informed there were two other Cteins there… and that isn’t even a real name! (Well, it’s my legal name, but it got created out of whole cloth).
We Friended each other, of course.
pax / whatshisface
I was once startled to learn that I had apparently won a posthumous award for songwriting from the CMA. I would have congratulated myself, but that’s hard to do when you’re dead. :)
Winston Churchill, later British Prime Minister, started out his writing career as a journalist covering the Boer War. At the time, an American author, also named Winston Churchill, was better known, having been editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. When the British Churchill published his first book, he wrote the following to the American Churchill:
It goes on in that vein for a while, the conclusion being that the British WC would publish as Winston Spencer Churchill. The American’s response is also at that link, and has the same Victorian formality.
This obviously points to the immanent creation of the sub-genre of meteorological science fiction.
It’s been done.
Yes, it’s been done, but has it been done by the inimitable duo of John Scalzi and John Scalzi? No, it has not. Only you and John Scalzi can fix this, John Scalzi. You know what to do.
I assumed this had to do with your award deserving Fogbear posts. I’m a bit put out.
I have an uncommon first name, but a pretty common last name. And yet. There was another person with my name a)working at the same university, b)banking at the same place, and, most annoyingly, c)getting her hair cut at the same salon.
I’m wondering if I will discover time travel at some point in my life.
What got me to join Facebook was being informed there were two other Cteins there… and that isn’t even a real name
That’s going to be a bit confusing. Mind if we call you Scalzi?
Imagine the crossover potential… but what sort of villain-of-the-week can be defeated by the joined forces of whip-sharp dialogue and meteorilogical acumen?
My Two Scalzis debuts this fall on FX.
Also, you can legally (if not morally) add the line “John Scalzi is an award winning meteorologist” to your jacket blub and bio!
*excuse the double post
At least you aren’t getting email wishing you death and ill-luck because you recently defeated [insert name of your favorite MMA fighter here] in your most recent bout.
Poor Matt Hughes.