Rainy Days and Mondays
Nov. 12th, 2007 04:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoutfellowI do not have any classes on Mondays, and the morning paper predicted scattered storms. Normally, I wouldn't have gone onto campus, but I had to prepare a quiz for tomorrow's stat classes, so I tucked an umbrella into my briefcase and headed out at about 9:15. The trip to the bus stop was dry, but it was beginning to sprinkle lightly by the time the bus reached the university.
After preparing the quiz, I went over to the University Center to pick up a little lunch - this was about 11:30 - and was caught in a downpour on the way back. That wasn't the bad part, even though I hadn't taken my umbrella, and even though the sprint back to the office left me wheezing for five minutes or so. The bad part is under the cut.
The rain had died back to a light sprinkle again when I went out to the bus stop on campus, but by the time we reached Shop'n'Save it was raining harder. Even though it was nearly 1:00, the clouds made it dark enough that some of the streetlights had come on. I had to pick up some groceries - milk, some canned dog food, a loaf of bread - so I went in.
A gallon of milk weighs about eight pounds. Eight cans of dog food - two per dog per day, for two days - weighs another six and a half. Both items are quite bulky. I also had my briefcase and my umbrella, and I needed the latter, as it was pouring down when I came out. There were obvious logistical problems.
I have to describe the geography a bit. Coming out of Shop'n'Save and turning north, I had a large parking lot to my left; to my right was the long building that houses SnS (south) and Kohl's (north). There is an access road that runs along the north side of Kohl's; its other end debouches into the warren of twisty little streets, mostly named after colleges, which is where I live.
As I stood near the Shop'n'Save entrance, I decided on a plan of action: I stuck the shaft of the umbrella down the back of my windbreaker and took the briefcase and the bread in one hand and the rest of the groceries in the other. It took two or three tries to get the umbrella to stay put - it tended to tilt to my left - but I found a posture that worked and set off. It worked reasonably well, although the umbrella was low enough that I couldn't really see where I was going. The pedestrian traffic was thin enough that this wasn't much of a problem.
Then I turned the corner onto the access road.
That was when the wind hit me.
That was when the umbrella leaped into the air, clearing my head in a single bound.
That was when I dropped everything and made a desperate (and successful!) grab for the handle. (Reflexes again, donchaknow.)
I wound up carrying the umbrella and the bread in one hand and the briefcase and other groceries in the other. I staggered lopsidedly the remaining two and a half blocks to my house, with frequent stops to rest.
Now my back hurts a little, whether from the lunge or from the ill-balanced load I don't know.
I've had better days.
After preparing the quiz, I went over to the University Center to pick up a little lunch - this was about 11:30 - and was caught in a downpour on the way back. That wasn't the bad part, even though I hadn't taken my umbrella, and even though the sprint back to the office left me wheezing for five minutes or so. The bad part is under the cut.
The rain had died back to a light sprinkle again when I went out to the bus stop on campus, but by the time we reached Shop'n'Save it was raining harder. Even though it was nearly 1:00, the clouds made it dark enough that some of the streetlights had come on. I had to pick up some groceries - milk, some canned dog food, a loaf of bread - so I went in.
A gallon of milk weighs about eight pounds. Eight cans of dog food - two per dog per day, for two days - weighs another six and a half. Both items are quite bulky. I also had my briefcase and my umbrella, and I needed the latter, as it was pouring down when I came out. There were obvious logistical problems.
I have to describe the geography a bit. Coming out of Shop'n'Save and turning north, I had a large parking lot to my left; to my right was the long building that houses SnS (south) and Kohl's (north). There is an access road that runs along the north side of Kohl's; its other end debouches into the warren of twisty little streets, mostly named after colleges, which is where I live.
As I stood near the Shop'n'Save entrance, I decided on a plan of action: I stuck the shaft of the umbrella down the back of my windbreaker and took the briefcase and the bread in one hand and the rest of the groceries in the other. It took two or three tries to get the umbrella to stay put - it tended to tilt to my left - but I found a posture that worked and set off. It worked reasonably well, although the umbrella was low enough that I couldn't really see where I was going. The pedestrian traffic was thin enough that this wasn't much of a problem.
Then I turned the corner onto the access road.
That was when the wind hit me.
That was when the umbrella leaped into the air, clearing my head in a single bound.
That was when I dropped everything and made a desperate (and successful!) grab for the handle. (Reflexes again, donchaknow.)
I wound up carrying the umbrella and the bread in one hand and the briefcase and other groceries in the other. I staggered lopsidedly the remaining two and a half blocks to my house, with frequent stops to rest.
Now my back hurts a little, whether from the lunge or from the ill-balanced load I don't know.
I've had better days.
