h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

So yesterday it was that kind of muggy hot that means that you can't blink without getting covered in buckets of sweat. The kind of hot where you go and stand in front of the open freezer just to be able to breathe. Sleeping last night made a "me" shaped pattern on the sheets from all the sweat.

Then, at 5am, the storm broke. This was the kind of storm where there were nothing but sheets of rain. No dripping, no letting up, no lessening for 2 hours. Thunder and lightning were continuous for the full 2 hours as well. Tree branches whipped by my window. If I didn't live in the city I'd have worried about tornados. They get that kind of weather out in the suburbs, but rarely in the city because of the thermals. Not only was it fantastic to lay in bed and watch, but it brought with it a lovely cool breeze. I love real summer storms.

I don't want to give you more to worry about , but a tornado passed through about a block away from my last apartment a couple years ago. And it was *in* the city, though granted this city has lots of weird hills, rivers, etc. that probably helped it along a bit. It's a rarity. If I recall, it's the only tornado ever recorded in the City of Pittsburgh since they've been keeping track. Nothing happened to my place except that the power was out for a couple days, but it was freaky. We watched its approach from our office window, wondering if it was a tornado, watched it float over the hillside, then a few minutes later we heard reports of a tornado touching down in that part of town. Very, very strange.

Well, I don't think it's completely unheard of in Chicago either (I'll have to check) but it is really fantastically rare. So rare that it's actually not worth worrying about.

*completely fails to worry about it*

That's the stuff! Now, put this blindfold on and no one will be able to see you!!

So... are we doin' Harvey, Mystery Men or The Hollow Man - blinfold you say...

I have no idea...I'm just trying to get you blindfolded so I can take advantage.

*be's blindfolded*

*takes advantage*

Ooo er!

Um, yes, okay, not meaning to interrupt, I just wanted to look back on my childhood and say, don't taunt a tornado, it's just not worth it.

As natural disasters go, I'd say tornados rank up there in the sheer awesome terror of it all. Generally not as devastating as earthquakes, and probably not as scary, but still not things to be reckoned with. I mean, it's something that appears to be rearranging the sky. Well, the sky, your neighbor's house and everything in between, that is...

I for one am glad that I don't have to deal with the weekly wail of the tornado sirens anymore. Of course, I haven't really been through a hurricane here yet, so maybe I should knock on wood...

We had tornados all the time when I was a kid. That's why I live in the CITY!!

I'm not fond of that siren either, KM, and the green sky scares me.