Rainy Day Cackle Box

When it rains in NYC, we must all take the necessary precautions. Get a good umbrella and weather-proof boots! The first week we moved here, I bought the boots, the rain boots. All New York women own a pair. Some are in a bright color or a fun print, which is an attempt to make us forget that the weather sucks....and oh by the way our hair sucks too. But its a failed attempt though. Sorry, cheerful little duckies on lime green boots don't make sloshing through brown muck puddles along the side walks of the city any more tolerable. The duckies are pissed about the weather too.

It only takes about half a block of moderate rain and a slight breeze to ruin your hair and begin the soaking process, by the time you reach your destination, whether it be at the end of the block, or the end of the island, your look is effectively ruined. So before you leave your apartment on a rainy day, don't even bother blow drying your hair just go straight to the hairspray for the extra stringy look, and go ahead and apply your eye make-up ...anywhere below your eyes... it'll end up there anyway. Nice.

So just imagine, any given rainy day, I'm walking down the street, half soaked/ half frizzed hair, pretty much looking a-fright. One arm is dry, while the other is drenched and trying desperately to guard my leather handbag from the downpour. (why I continue to carry a leather bag on rainy days, I do not know). My rain coat is off of one shoulder because I'm also trying to shove said handbag into the opposite side of my coat. (hmmm...I'm seeing more than one problem solved just by a simple handbag switch....I just don't know that I'm ready for that.) The raincoat cannot, therefore be properly secured around my waist with the belt, so it is hanging freely, dangling in the wind.... now its down the block.... and now lost. On a bum cart most likely. Nice. My pants are drenched up to my thighs from all the splashing and the only thing left in tact from the outfit assembled this morning are the frigging boots. Nice and shiny.

To top it off, as I'm trying desperately to shield myself from the wind and rain pummeling me head-on, a sudden gust comes along, causing my umbrella post to smack me directly in the middle of the forehead.

Now to be honest, this has has happened to me on several occasions. Not with the downpour, and the raincoat, and the guarding of the handbag... I'm talking I was just walking along in the rain, holding my umbrella in front of my head and BAM. Wind. Smacked myself!

I was talking with Hub the other day about how we've gone through a total of 4 umbrellas in the 6 months that we've been living in NYC, and how “Man I wish we could get one that could stand up to the wind! Cuz I keep smacking myself in the head!” He gave me the look, you can imagine. “What?” “You know! How when the wind gusts and you hit yourself with the umbrella!?”

Turns out he'd never done this before in his lifetime, and apparently I'm the only one to whom this happens! Ha!

So, just 2 days ago, when it was drizzling, and it happened, YET again. I was also LIMPING because of my gimpy leg, and I just had to crack up. Here I am, limping down the sidewalk all by myself, in the rain, DONK myself in the head with my own umbrella, and then laugh hysterically all the way home. Please tell me somebody got a pic of this.