odd little bean

i laughed.

i ran as fast as i could in my new yellow suede high heels, and i laughed at the top of my lungs while the sky mercilessly caned rain onto my helpless little body. i ran past people ducking in doorways, huddling in the backs of open moving vans, and gathering in droves in small dry shops. i ran past all of the people who did not want to get wet. silly little bostonians. unlike them, i wanted the rain to soak through every pore in my body. i waited 8 years to feel rain like that. i wanted to feel it with fervor. feel it i did.

i definitely had a choice in the matter. it wasn’t raining when i stepped out of the park T station on my way home from work. the air was, however, gusty and wild, and trash was flying about with abandon. girls screeched as their skirts flew up, and people were sprinting for cover. I was mainly just confused. I thought maybe a tornado was coming. cool. i sauntered out of the station, seemingly the only calm person anywhere in sight. then the rain began to fall. i could have still easily turned back. i was only 15 steps out of the station when the rain turned into full on sheets of water and the thunder and lightning began. i shouted out a little yelp of joy and kept walking.

about 3 blocks into my 6 block walk home i was sure i was going to get hit by lightning and die, but i was SO EXCITED to be caught in a rainstorm that i couldn’t bear to seek shelter. i made it home a sopping mess, passing people who stared at me from their cars with shocked smiles and empathetic chuckles. maybe they had lived in california too. maybe they understood.

two days later (today) it rained like a hurricane on crack once again. i planned to leave work by 2:30pm (people here work “summer hours” on fridays) but i decided to wait out the rain this time. in 30 minutes the skies were clear again, and i walked my 40 minute walk home and all was good. my coworkers informed me that there are typically 2-3 downpours per week in boston, and that i really need to go out and buy a rain jacket and umbrella this weekend. an umbrella? really? the last time i owned one of those i was 15 and living in portland, oregon. i don’t even know what features to look for anymore. quick open? curved handle? HELP! i probably need galoshes too, since i really love the word galosh.

for the record, all of my california friends say i will be feverishly missing california by the time winter comes around, if for no other reason than because the weather there is so much better. i scoff. better? BETTER? california doesn’t even HAVE weather. boston, thank you for giving me a warm and wet welcoming party. i will gladly bathe in your rain, frolick in your leaf piles, and bury myself in your snow. in return, i only ask two favors from you, and they are completely unrelated to weather:

1. could you PLEASE convince target to open a new store in downtown crossing? pretty please?

2. i’ve been waiting for my blue recycling bin for over a week now and you refuse to answer my e-mails. i understand that being green isn’t a big concern of yours, but i’m getting really frustrated. i hate throwing away perfectly good aluminum cans.

okay. i’m done. now when is the next storm coming? i want to make sure i unearth my puddle jumping boots in time!