On my way to school this morning I looked up and noticed a weather system approaching. It looked a little ominous, considering the Bay Area's beautiful climate the past couple weeks. Then, as I walked to a friend's place, it began drizzling, like I was in Oregon or Washington state. A nice little smattering of water to wake me up a little more than the caffeine provided.
As I arrived closer to my destination, the dew point dropped and more water came down. I stowed my gear away and headed out... but not before slapping on my bandana (Suicidal-Style) and winter hat. I was going to put on the hoodie by decided to carry it instead. It wasn't coming down all that bad for the hoodie to be worn. Plus it felt good, the rain; it felt very good, in fact.
I was raised in Southern California (South Bay [Long Beach] area) so I did not grow up handling adverse weather conditions. Sure, it rained... buckets at times sometimes, but that was a rare exception. I was raised to believe that "inclement weather" was something to be feared; that it was something to avoid at all costs; that it was a hindrance; something that always seemed to ruin whatever (shallow, self-serving) activity we wanted to participate in. Any time it would rain down there, the weather people for the "news" would freak out. They would coin it something like, "DOPPLER 2000 STORM TRACKER!" and have you glued to your seats as though your existence depended on your knowing just how much water is coming.
Sure, they have magnificent mudslides, because they will get fires during the summer months, which burns all the vegetation of their hills, which turns those bare hills into a mud luge all the way down into their precious neighborhoods. So there is reason to panic every once in a while. But on average, not really. Unless you're driving someplace while it's raining. Some of them do not slow down when it rains. The oils that accumulate from all those cars over all those dry months turn into oil slicks when the rain finally does return. So that means those idiots who do not slow down become a battering ram of sorts to unsuspecting Fools.
But enough about Stupid People.
I like the rain now. Sure, as a homeless man it does cause me some minor inconvenience. One of the hardest things to protect yourself from, as a homeless person -- besides (a-few-misguided-and-manipulated) businesses, city hall, and their Hell Hounds messing with us -- water can make my day or week Hell. It's always good to keep a few bucks on you during these times, so you can go to a laundry mat and dry your stuff. Nothing is worse that being wet and homeless... the smell of mold is never good, either. And sleeping must be done in dry conditions.
Unless you're poolside at a Vegas Hotel, sleeping-while-wet sucks.
But lately I find myself liking this stuff. Being afraid of rain seems... lame. I am so happy I escaped that Land of Complicit-Conformity of Complacency and (Fearful) Compliance. Well... minus Slayer, Black Flag and a few others. At least the underground Art down there is equally as maddening in the other direction. Thank the Creator for Artists! Anyway... let it rain... it's cleansing... it's healthy... it's life. It washes out all the crap and replenishes everything it touches. Rain is beautiful. It's something to be loved and enjoyed and not feared. Fearing something like water... the element that gives and sustains your existence, is ludicrous and is counter-intuitive to the survival of the species.
People should never Fear what is natural and pure.
-James Richard Armstrong II
