Just because you're interested in one thing doesn't mean you can't show interest in another -- at least, that's what Penn State writer and editor Paul Yeager thinks.
Yeager, Class of 1985, graduated with a meteorology degree and worked as a forecaster for his first 21 years out of college. But he had a hobby of writing as well -- while he worked as a meteorologist and content manager of a weather website, Yeager did local freelance writing and a restaurant review column in State College Magazine.
Now, Yeager works for the Administrative Information Services on campus, writing and editing copy for services like eLion, though he still writes weather stories for AOL News.
In 2008, he published his first book, "Literally, the Best Language Book Ever." And last month, Yeager released his second book, "Weather Whys: Facts, Myths, and Oddities."
"I like to tell people I'm a little confused because I wrote a language book when I was a weatherman and now I wrote a weather book when I'm a writer," Yeager said, joking.
But Yeager believes his work as a meteorologist sparked his idea for his first book, he said.
"You notice that a lot of meteorologists say the same things in the same way every single day," Yeager said. "I said, 'I'm going to write a book on all the things we should never say again.'"
Yeager's language book describes words and "prepackaged phrases" people should reconsider using. Its
sarcastic yet helpful chapters are filled with erroneous grammar, informalities and downright wrong expressions, he said.
"I was sincere in my recommendation that maybe we need to think about how we say things," Yeager said. "But it's not like I expect everyone to literally ban every entry in the book."
One interesting topic in Yeager's language book touches upon expressions that started in sports, he said.
"Like the expression, 'It is what it is,'" he said. "You hear that all the time. That probably started in the sports world, and now everyone's saying it. But what does that phrase even mean?"
Another commonly used word that bothers Yeager is "issue."
"You used to say you had a problem, and now it's always, 'We have an issue,' " he said. "I hear them refer to professional athletes having knee 'issues.' That's a 'problem,' not an 'issue.' "
Yeager's recent book is about how weather affects our lives, homes, health, sports and
historic events, he said. He believes the weather is interesting to everyone -- even those who don't know much about
it -- so he writes about bizarre weather myths, folklore and sayings.
"Like the saying, 'It always rains in Seattle.' It actually rains less in Seattle than it does here in Pennsylvania," he said. "I try to incorporate my weather experience and try to apply it in ways people can relate to."
One reason Yeager remains interested in the weather is because he doesn't think it gets the attention it deserves.
"In weather, you never get analysis or opinions by experts, you simply get the weather itself. I'm trying to add some commentary about the weather," he said.
