A hard rains a gonna fall............

It was a biblical day in the Bay Area yesterday, meteorologically at least. The weather was appropriate to the post election mood in a city where 80% of the voting population threw their hats in with John Kerry - me included. Ominous clouds scurried hither and thither overhead for most of the day. Despite the stratacumuli, the rain defied gravity all afternoon. I knew it wasn't gonna fall until later. When you grow up in a country with 280 days of rain a year you develop a sense for these things. At lunch a workmate and I decided to brave potential inclemency, (he's from LA a Valley boy born and bred, so I had to assure him my weather sense was non-pareil), and cycle up San Bruno mountain. It's a relentless 5 mile climb to the top, a few clicks short of brutal, but do-able door to door in an hour, i.e during lunch. The mountain is a stones throw from where we work, the town of Brisbane nestles in its embrace and it overlooks the traffic whizzing up and down 101, and beyond that to my cube. Cubes suck but I could do a lot worse. At the top one is rewarded with a 360 degree view of the bay area, the Pacific on one side, San Francisco Bay on the other. The clouds were high enough that you could see all the way to the Farallon islands on the Pacific side, and on the bay side, Mt. Diablo poked over the East Bay hills like a giant ragged dorsal fin. Where else in the world could you do this on your lunch hour. One of the many great things about SF is the easy access to spectacular scenery. Most big cities require at least an hour of driving to get to anything equivalent. With a bike and some will power SF offers mama nature at her best and on the cheap. Our building sits right on the bay, and I try to take a few minutes each day to appreciate the gorgeous view over the bay from the lunch room.
By the evening commute it was raining, real rain, Irish rain, windshield wipers on full rain, hopping off the freeway and freaking out the Californian drivers rain. Cats, Dogs the whole managerie. 101 runs right along the bay, and it was so windy I swear I saw some surfable waves crashing along the shore. I don't think I've ever seen waves on the bay before. I've been feeling wistfull for Ireland and the pissing rain made me feel right at home. My Younger brother Hugh (younger bro no. 1 in terms of birth order),helped by finishing an IM session yesterday morning with this exhange. With the time difference it was end of day for him.

hugh: I'm off to the Cobblestones for the creamiest pint in Dublin
me: Have one for me!
hugh: You have the weather, women and the lifestyle, I've got Guinness!!
me: True.

Very True. Ireland has the perfect pint, The U.S has everything else - we'll call it a draw.