I got up this morning, and took a groggy shower. Silly me for thinking that that would be the only time I’d get wet today.

One of the perks of my new job is that my office is all the way across campus from where our mail gets delivered, which means that at least once a day, I get to take a walk. Some people would think this to be a pain in the ass, but for me, it’s a little reprive from sitting in my office alone, straining my eyes on my computer screen.

Today I took that walk, picked up the mail, dropped some grade sheets off in the registrar’s office, and when I walked out, it was raining. Not gentle, dampen the ground rain, but driving, soaking rain, complete with deafening thunder. I didn’t bring an umbrella with me, because I just wasn’t thinking. I stood there for a couple of minutes, under the overhang of the building, trying to wait out the worst of it. Unfortunately it really didn’t let up, and I needed to get back to work, so I just started walking. I tried to convince myself that at heart I’m still mostly an Oregonian, that my ability to dodge raindrops was an innate talent, one that I could access at any time. Yeah, that didn’t work so well. I got back to my office dripping, feeling grateful that while I was wearing a white top, at least there were two layers of white happening there.

I spent the rest of the afternoon drip drying, and by the time I reached the end of the day, only a few damp spots remained. The rain had stopped and the air temperature cooled off enough that it was pleasant walking weather. I headed for home down Market St., my sights set on a stop at Trader Joe’s. As I walked past 30th Street Station, talking to both my parents on my cell phone, I noticed a car driving towards me, going pretty fast. I happened to be positioned right next to a large puddle, which was shimmery with road oil and not to clean looking. Before I had a chance to react, the car drove right through that puddle, showering me with its contents. My hair was soaked, I looked like I was ready for a wet tee-shirt contest, and my glasses were wet to the point where I couldn’t see well, and I didn’t have a scrap of dry clothing on which to wipe them off.

Yep, it’s been quite a day.