Rain, rain, go away!

Let's start with this: I LOVE the rain. I really, really do. The little soft sprinkles in the morning that make everything glisten, the steady dripping rain of a gloomy day, the Wagnerian rain that makes you think the world will wash away, I love it all. I never thought I'd want it to stop, but I do, and here's why:

Rain when you're trying to make a .5 mile trek from the tube station is no big deal. (Oh, and I absolutely adore http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/. It's the best thing since... well, Google Maps.) Anyhow, it's not a long walk, and even if you walk slowly like I do, it's about a 15 minute leisurely walk, or a 10 minute hike. So I get out of the tub station, and it's not too bad. I get about 1/3 of the way there, and it starts raining just a little bit. I get about 1/2 way there, and it's time to put on the umbrella. Then I turn onto the street, and it's a pretty long block, and to quote U2, "the sky ripped open like a gaping wound, pelting the women and children." Holy shit, where's Noah because here's the flood. So I ponder whether I should take cover in a stoop and let it blow over, or keep walking. I decide to keep walking because there's a ton of stoops I can duck into if it gets any worse. I figure, well, at least it's coming down straight, right?

Then it gets worse. It is like there's someone about 50 feet up hauling buckets at me. The house is 50 yards away, but I have to cross the street, so I can't just make a straight dash for it. My leather shoes are starting to leak, I'm wet up to my knees, and my jacket is 100 times heavier because it's so wet. I duck under the nearest stoop and consider my options. If I run, I won't be able to hold my poor inadequate umbrella well enough. If I walk, I will wash away. I finally decide to power walk because it doesn't seem to be letting up at all.

It's gotten worse, if that's even possible, and it's about 30 minutes later. I have NO idea how I'm going to get home (I'm at a computer lab a 20 minute walk away from my flat), but at least I've found out that my backpack is largely water-resistant. If only my clothes were too.

At least I won't have to take a shower tonight. Hee!

UPDATE:
Apparently my backpack isn't as waterproof as I had hoped because when I opened it, I found my camera staring at me with a dead, unseeing eye. Yes, my camera and water don't get along, and hopefully it might limp along once it's dried out a bit on the inside. In the meantime, I hold out hope that my little friend will make it. Poor camera... it's served me so well!