"Nor'Easter"- New England speak for "Hell"

good morning everyone. so i was watching the news last night and all the stations were talking about a "nor'easter" - now i thought this was a storm that happened a few years ago in which is snowed a lot in new england. what i didn't know is that a nor'easter can happen year after year and can involve water in other form besides snow. such as rain. a lot of cold rain. ms. blythe purdin informed me of the definition this morning after i left her a message freaking out.

this is a storm that's called a Nor'easter storm in which it rains (or snows) heavily and the ocean gets involved and there's flooding and wind and it makes you want to stay inside all day.

now, i know i'm tough on the east coast (but seriously, i'm tough on everything - don't take it personally) but why do people choose to live in a place like this where things like these nor'easters exsist? and yes, i know right now i am one of those people. and people have the same curiousity about how people can live in the bay area (or even right on the san andreas fault like we do) with all the earthquakes. but as a bay area native who lived there for a good 11 years i can confidently say the only earthquake i felt was in the golden gate park science museums. and i can't think of one person who has lived on this coast for 11 years and not dealt with miserable snow storms every year.

note to eastcoasters reading this: you have a lovely coast, good for many things, like career advancement. however, please do not be angry, but my california soul cannot take your weather - even after 5 years over here. i do try - i promise. i've bought the REI rain coat, the boots, the scarves and gloves, silk long underwear, earmuffs, all these things - but i can't seem to purchase the fond memories all people over here seem to have of snowy winters. so please excuse me - i just don't understand it.

in other news: RENT is coming out as a film. now i was lucky enough to be in high school when RENT made it's orginal spash on broadway. lucky enough to be in a high school where everyone felt that this musical (about life on the streets of New York, featuring AIDS, homosexuality, eviction, drugs and all other manner of things NOT found in castro valley high school) connected to their lives somehow. so i was forced, in every choir performance i had to go to, every orchestra concert i was forced to play in, to hear the same god damn songs from this musical over and over again, performed by the whitest and most suburuban kids you could find in this country. please. i have to say i got way more than my fill of RENT in high school. way more. i'll admit, i enjoyed it the first go 'round - but much of the magic is lost upon a second viewing - and it keeps losing more and mroe ground everytime i hear about how many minutes are in a year. my main point here is that if i am forced to endure a holiday season filled with RENT commercials i may just kill myself.

and yes, i'm bitter today because it's pouring rain and cold. but i'm making an effort to make things better - i now have a portable heater in my office and i'm wearing my hillary shirt today in order to motivate myself beyond a normal level.

in exciting news - my first hartford visitor is coming in this weekend! connecticut will be proud to welcome ms. blythe purdin as an honorary member this coming friday through sunday.

in even more exciting news - 23 days to fiji! where i almost guarantee no portable heaters will be needed.