ANOTHER downpour

I swear to God, I saw the pigeons and ninja sparrows going off two-by-two down the street. Thanks goodness I finished Harry yesterday -- I wouldn't have wanted to carry the book around in the rain. Although I did give it to my roomie to read -- be careful with it out there! Wrap it in plastic!

There's something about a downpour in New York City that's just twice as miserable as rain elsewhere. Sure, the hoi polloi can just hop in their private cars and ride to where they need to go in comfort, but subways get flooded, buses are packed and full of people with dripping umbrellas, and there really isn't anything to do sometimes but walk in the rain. Umbrellas -- unless they're the giant ones that get in other people's way -- don't really cut it, so some part of you is always getting wet.

It's just miserable, and for the first time that I can remember, I heard myself say "I hate it here." I don't, not really, but I do like the fact that I can envision a time not too far off in the future when I'm not going to be bothered by rain in the same way anymore.

I'll be able to get dressed at home, open the front door, go into the garage via my covered walkway, get in my car (this one? maybe this one? but I want this!), and drive to where I need to be. Maybe there I'll need my umbrella, but that's nothing in comparison to my three-quarters of a mile walk this morning in the pouring rain. Ahhhhh...