Acclimatizing

I learned today that no one pays much attention to severe weather alerts here, even when they happen in the middle of class. We all got this same alert today during social psych and looked at each other, wondering whether it meant we might not have to sit through another two hours of article discussion (flash flooding=better get home, right?). Our professor was unfazed, which turned out to not be a big deal at all because we weren’t actually in harm’s way. I’ve never been anywhere but at home when a tornado alert comes through, either, so I was a bit startled when I heard what I recognized as a fire drill go off about ten minutes after receiving the flash flood alert. I wondered, quietly, to the girl next to me why the administration thought conducting a fire drill during a heavy rainstorm was appropriate/necessary. She chuckled and informed me that it was a tornado alert, meaning that there was a tornado on the ground somewhere near us. It was kind of hard to get worried, actually. We’d just spent three hours with the lights off, in a Cinder Block Box of a classroom with only one tiny window (blinds drawn), looking at a powerpoint, and were looking at another two hours of the same. The outside world seemed far-removed from reality. 

By the time class was over the rain had stopped, essentially, the flash flood warning was over, and the tornado had sped away. I walked home trying so hard not to get my Keds wet in the surprisingly deep and numerous puddles that I forgot (more than once) to dodge the overhanging branches that exist in several places along my walk. Holly hedges are kinda sharp, guys. I won’t be doing that again. I did enjoy opening up my Songza app and choosing the “Rainy weather playlist,” which turned out to be full of upbeat songs like “Treasure” by Bruno Mars. Good walking pace, energetic, upbeat, and optimistic. It was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits after a day spent in the dungeonous classroom. 

#100LearnedDays continues, hopefully not Over the Rainbow (Ha!). No more tornados for me, thank you!