This should be cause for celebration, right?

Wrong. Why?

First of all, I hate the sun. I mean, it's nice that it's up there to provide energy and all, but I really don't like it. It's bright, I have to put on sunglasses, I have to slather myself with goop to protect myself from the rays, it makes it hotter here than it would be without it (which is hot enough, given the latitude). One of the things that I love about coastal California is that it is so reliably cloudy and foggy (and cool) almost every day, at least part of the day if not all day.

Second, the last couple weeks have been predicting rain every day. I look at the radar, and see thunderstorms all around, but they never make it here (the Gulf coast looks like it's been getting drenched, though). It's tantalizing. I see green blotches heading towards us, or standing right next to us, but not moving at all, and either they don't move, or they move and dissipate before they actually get here.

Today, we were supposed to get Yet Another Tropical Wave that was supposed to bring us wind, and rain, and miserable (by the local standard--what do they know?--they like sun. And flat. And hot. And humid) weather, and yet, the sun has been shining all day.

I've filled the pool, I've watered the lawn, in vain, to attempt to cause some non-trivial precipitation, but no go.

One of the few things that I like about this God-forsaken (if an agnostic can use that phrase) land is that it gets thunderstorms. But not here. Not now.

[Rant Off]

I think I found your rain and thunderstorms. They're right up here in the sky above Montreal, Canada. We've had about 50/50 sun/rain since the start of Spring, and I'm getting mighty tired of it. Especially since the rain seems to fall mostly on weekends, holidays, and when I come back from work.

Hey, I'm sure I can find them in Seattle, too. The point is that they're not here. And they're one of the few tolerable things I can find about the place, when they actually happen.

NJ has been slapped with rain and thunderstorms for the past three weeks. You can have some of my weather. BTW, I thought you were an atheist? Have you moved away from that position?

As I said, it was just a figure of speech.

Rand, you were aware before you moved to Florida that its nickname is "the Sunshine State", correct? Did you think that nickname was ironic?

... Got myself a nice little sunburn yesterday afternoon while waiting for Discovery to launch. Maybe I should have slathered some goop on.

I guess that's better than 'the Lightning Fatalities State'. Thunderstorms are one of the more dangerous natural phenomena in Florida; I don't see why Rand likes them. The big (and deadly) positive bolts from the tops of the clouds can strike many miles away, even if the sky above you is clear.

Rand, you were aware before you moved to Florida that its nickname is "the Sunshine State", correct?

I didn't move here by choice. And the fact remains that, despite the nickname, the forecasting has been atrocious for the past week and a half that I've been home. Tonight they're saying, "well, OK, we didn't get that much rain today, but tomorrow, it's really, really going to happen."

The big (and deadly) positive bolts from the tops of the clouds can strike many miles away, even if the sky above you is clear. I don't see why Rand likes them.

Because I spend as little time outside as possible in general (really, Paul, compute the probability that I'm going to be hit by lightning, even if I were an outdoors buff), and I like the sound and fireworks, and rain. I grew up with it, and didn't get it for a quarter of a century in southern California.

really, Paul, compute the probability that I'm going to be hit by lightning, even if I were an outdoors buff),

Well, there are about 50 lightning injuries in Florida each year and maybe 10 deaths. The population of Florida is about 16 million. I don't know what fraction of people in Florida are outside at any time.

Hehe, people used to ask me why I was so pale, and I would just look at them and say: "I'm from Arizona, I'm not stupid enough to think Mr. Sun is my friend."

Now I live in Massachusetts, and I'm MUCH happier. :)

Personally I think humankind should just stop paying our light bill, then we can keep paying the heat bill and we'd be fine, so they turn the sun off, so what? That's what we have electric lights for. Right? Right?

"I didn't move here by choice."

I bet the chains and leg irons that they used to force you to come to Florida were uncomfortable. Did the slavemaster's whip hurt much?

Fine, Ed, everything is a choice up to the last breath. But I think that you know (and I'm sure that the bulk of my readers know) what I mean.

I was in central Florida this past weekend doing the Disney thing with the wife. Hot, humid and full of rednecks. I think I'm going to only go to Disney on the third Thursday in February or something strange like that....

Ick...

I was in central Florida this past weekend doing the Disney thing with the wife. Hot, humid and full of rednecks.

And that differs from a Georgia summer how?...

OK Rand, I've been a little snarky in the comments above, but really I don't know what you're talking about. Did you move to Florida because your employers told you to? Did your wife insist?

Let me tell ya, Florida has a heckuva lot better weather than where I'm from (Calgary, Canada).

I like some winter myself.

Let me tell ya, Florida has a heckuva lot better weather than where I'm from (Calgary, Canada).

To each his own. You don't have to live here. I'd prefer Calgary. At least there's some terrain there.

And to answer your question, it was her job.

Rand,

I will tell you what often tell my brother who has a house in Titusville so you can share it with your neighbors who are so high on the place.

Florida is a temporairly abandoned coral reef with an attitude. At some point in the past, without the help of Algore, it was all under water. At some point in the future, it will become Atlantis.

I prefer my firmament to at leat predate the big rock that made the Dinosaurs go bye-bye. Give me some good Oridvician Limestone and Silurian Sandstone Caprock any day!