the rainy season

It is supposedly the rainy season in Japan right now, though actually, it's only rained about twice. However, I became too lax and made several cardinal mistakes yesterday.

First, on my way to school in the morning, I considered taking an umbrella, but then decided not to, because the weather report wasn't predicting rain until after 6. MISTAKE. Then, when leaving the teachers' room that afternoon, I glanced out the windows and thought, "Oh, it looks like rain." MISTAKE. Next, as I was changing my shoes at the teachers' entrance, I smelled coffee from the infirmary, and thought, "A hot drink would be nice. Oh, no, that's silly - by the time I get home I'll be so hot that tea is the last thing I'll want." MISTAKE. And, finally, the last nail in the coffin. As I walked through the parking lot to the gate, I thought, "It would be a nice night for a thunderstorm." MISTAAAAKE.

Literally within ten seconds, as I was still crossing the lot, it started to rain. And I don't mean sprinkle. These were huge, fat drops, which hit so hard that I momentarily wondered if it was sleet. But they were widely dispersed, so instead of going back into the school, I hurried onwards. By the time I'd gone a block, it was an out and out shower. Even occasionally dodging under awnings when the rain moved from steady to torrential and back again, I was completely drenched by the time I was halfway home.

At one point as I sped along in the wet, I was considering all the aforementioned mistakes, and realized that all the conditions had been fulfilled - it was raining, cold, and I definitely could use some hot tea. The only thing missing was the thunder, and even as I thought it, there was an ominous rumbling from the sky. I actually laughed aloud and said, "No kidding." It was like some bored kami had just decided to mess with me.

Of course, I eventually made it home in one piece, though that was a particularly wet one piece. The bottom well and truly let out about a block from my apartment, and I gave up the ghost and ran the rest of the way. Of course, when I got to my building, I duly discovered that all my second floor neighbors were out in the hallway with their children, and were having a good laugh at my drowned rat expense. When I came up the stairs, looking like someone had thrown me into a pool with all my clothes on, they just lost it. (They lost it again when I came out of my apartment in dry clothes ten minutes later, at which point I said in Japanese, "Wow, it's really raining, huh!" That really set them off.)

The moral of this story is don't tempt fate, and especially don't tempt it a good four times.

priorities

It's raining with intent today, and so it was during my walk to school.

At one point, I passed an old man walking what appeared to be an equally old dog. And despite the rain falling on him, the man was bent over, holding the umbrella over his pet.

:)