Write About Now

One of the things I will miss most about living in southern California is the absolute panic that (arguably) otherwise sane people go into when the weather is going to be anything but 72 and sunny. It’s especially fun when 1/8″ of rain is predicted; local meteorologist Dallas Raines (seriously, that’s his name) pulls out the “Doppler 7000″ and spends half the 11:00 news reassuring Los Angelenos that life will continue—but they may want to stay inside, just to be safe.

I know cold temperatures are difficult for the homeless and the farmers here, so I don’t mean to be insensitive. But I attended college near Pittsburgh, which averages 275 cloudy days a year and where 50 degrees is considered shorts weather. So my perspective is somewhat different from my Orange County neighbors, and I was amused by last night’s lead news story on the state’s current “Arctic Blast.”

It got down in the 30s yesterday. Come on, people, as I type ice is covering eastern Oklahoma. Let’s man up.