The Storm

The Northwest is so funny when it comes to weather. So many times have we been caught off guard by "extreme" (for such a mild climate) weather conditions- example: the snow storm this last winter that gave us about a foot and a half of snow. But the funny part isn't when the weather actually happens; the funny part is when there is all of this anticipation for some huge storm and then it doesn't happen. Like today.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day up until about 4:30pm. Then these evil looking dark clouds began to blanket the sky in a seriously threatening manner. It has been very humid the past few days, so I've been waiting for it to rain so that I can stop sweating CONSTANTLY.. so I'm thinking, 'Yes. Finally.' I was at work training a client and the t.v. was on (because it is ALWAYS on unless I turn it off, these people don't know what to do without information overload- ALL THE TIME..) and I noticed that there was some text written across the screen, I read it and it said "Severe thunderstorms for the following counties:" and my county was listed. I looked outside again and the sky was almost BLACK. I thought, 'I wonder if I can get home on my bike before it's too nasty out." But by the time I was done training my client, the Emergency Broadcast System had come on, no, not the test, the actual Emergency Broadcast System. Damn. I don't think I have EVER seen that (of course I don't have a t.v.)- it was as if we were being attacked or we were waiting for a tornado to hit.. in OREGON. I was about to get on my bike and race home, but my boss/friend advised me not to because he thought I would get caught in the worst of it. So, I waited... about 45 minutes later, still nothing had happened except for a 30 second downpour and a couple small flashes of lightening. I looked outside and it looked like it was clearing, so I hopped on my bike and pedaled my heart out so that I could get home before it REALLY hit. Here I am, almost an hour and a half later and still NOTHING has happened.

And I was getting all amped up for a thunderstorm.