Diaries I Read:
There�s something strange happening outside.
Water is falling from the sky.
The temperature has dropped below 80 degrees.
The sky is gray.
I guess fall has fallen. Even here in Southern California. It�s actually raining. Real rain, not just a little drizzle. The streets are wet. I wore long sleeves. I dug through my closet to find an umbrella.
Around here, people literally FLIP OUT when it rains. It�s like they�ve never witnessed such a phenomenon. The roads are a very dangerous place. Some people drive, like, 10 mph in 65 mph zones. Others still insist on driving 85 mph in 65 mph zones. Everyone is like Chicken Little running around in circles crying, �The sky is falling! The sky is falling!�
Sheesh.
Personally, I like the rain. It�s so rare around here that it�s a nice little treat. It will turn our brown hills green in a few days. It smells good.
I don�t really like being outside in the rain, though. I prefer sitting on my couch with some soup or hot chocolate, maybe even with the fireplace going.
I even like running in the rain. Not in a downpour, mind you, but a light rain during a run is kind of nice. It makes you feel like you�re really hard-core, with your hair soaking wet and mud on the backs of your legs. My neighbor Mark is such a wimp, for the last few days he�s been saying, �If it�s raining in the morning, I�m not running.� You can�t train for a marathon like that! You have to do the training, whether you like it or not. What�s he going to do if it�s raining the day of the marathon?! I tell him, �Well, I�m running, rain or shine.�
I hated the rain when I was in college. HATED it. I was in Davis, where it rains much more than it does down here. On top of that, my sophomore year was the year of El Nino, and it literally rained from October to May. And when you�re in college, you�re out and about, trying to get from class to class. There�s no avoiding getting soaking wet. Ugh, I remember riding my bike to class in the rain. Talk about pure misery.
But now when it rains, I mostly experience it from the inside looking out. Rain is nice when you can stay warm and dry.
Look at the adorable Halloween costume I ordered for Dixie today.
Of course, she�ll look much better in it than that dog. I can�t wait.
Working at home - Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004
Toronto - Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004
On the way to Toronto... - Tuesday, Nov. 09, 2004
A Good Day - Monday, Nov. 08, 2004
Another letter - Thursday, Nov. 04, 2004