Weather Woes

This morning, as my eyes fluttered open, I heard a strange noise coming from outside and peered out the window upon something for the first time since I have arrived: rain. In some ways it felt a little like when I went to college in Maine and saw snow falling outside. Although I knew it happened, I was surprised to see it just the same.

Prior to this, there has been no precipitation of any kind since I arrived in California. At first I didn't notice, just enjoying the sunny days. But eventually some of the ramifications of this lack of rain began to become clear. For one, my car gathered a layer of dust and dirt that was quite visible. I'm not much of a carwash-er, figuring that the '98 Sentra isn't really impressing anyone anyways, but the dirt began to bother me nonetheless. Second, the constant dry air gave me a bit of a sore throat for a while. I began closing my windows at night to try to preserve any moisture from cooking in my apartment and pondered buying a humidifier. Alison, who has been here since early June tells me this was her first rain shower too and someone from work told me there hasn't been real rain since April. How strange!

This rain business is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my weather woes here. I tell you I just can't figure it out. The first shocker came as I was unpacking my clothes and got to the two distinct parts of my wardrobe: Winter clothes and Summer clothes. Prior to now this clothing never coexisted, passing briefly in October and April. But when I arrived here in August and realized on my first trip into San Francisco that I needed a sweater and closed toed shoes I knew that those days were over. The old rituals of swapping wardrobes twice a year, hauling out the new season's clothes, rejoicing at the pieces I had forgotten but love, are over. And now, somehow, everything has to fit in my closet.

Alison, my fellow east coast refugee and I have spent hours upon hours discussing the weather and our inability to dress for it. I fear that my lack of understanding has been quite stressful at times, especially when I show up somewhere in grossly inappropriate clothing. The real challenge for me is not only the unpredictability but the extreme variation in temperature on any given day. There have been times when I arrive somewhere all bundled up only to sheepishly strip down to my tee shirt or I show up in sandals and a skirt and find myself shivering most of the day. I am learning that I need to be able to wear anything from a short sleeves to a sweater and jacket. It's sort of like being in a foreign country. I'll figure this all out, but until I do I may just look a little like an outsider.