[The internet tubes at home are clogged, and we totally spaced buying some digital Draino last week. I'll only have limited access for the next 24-48 hours, meaning at work, meaning tomorrow, meaning my the day of heaviest workload for the week. What does this mean to you? If you sent me an e-mail or commented, it might be awhile until I get back to you. I don't hate you, I'm just stuck.]

One of the things I love about Albuquerque is the seasonal stubborness that comes out. Once that thermometer hits 75 degrees three days in a row, an official proclaimation goes out declaring it's spring, man. Doesn't matter what the Weather Nerd says, doesn't matter how many late season cold fronts plow through the state, it's friggin' spring. Dress accordingly.

On my way into work this morning, I saw this practice embraced by every pedistrian I passed. Even though it was barely 40 degrees, there was the guy running in shorts and a tank-top, the mom in a mini skirt pushing her toddler (dressed in a t-shirt and howling, because it was friggin' cold, Mom!) to playgroup. Kids out on spring break were lounging around in jeans and t-shirts, their hands shoved into their arm pits, their lips turning a lovely shade of blue.

It's spring in Albuquerque. It's not cold. You're just a wuss.

Its the same sort of willful suspension of disbelief that sees homeowners on the roof Thanksgiving weekend, finally getting around to winterizing their swamp coolers. Until then, the chore was put off with the irrational argument of, "Well, you know, it always get really hot in October, and you'll want the cooler then."

For the record, it's never that hot in October.

Ah, Albuquerque, this is why I love you.

Labels: albuquerque, meta, weather

It was a record high of 79 today in the Duke City. And a happy Pi Day to you, too.

A month ago today, I was freaking out over Winter Storm Hoth. Today? Chillin' on the Starbucks patio with Dan, Steve and Racquel. That is the Albuquerque weather I know and love.

(Yes, I did say "chillin'." I don't care if 1995 called, it's not getting its slang back.)

Of course, with temperatures scraping the 80s, it does beg the question of when to switch over the swamp cooler. Tradition dictates Memorial Day weekend, but the weather of Aught Seven has been tempremental enough to mix it up. BUT! -- and there's always a -- the possibility of Winter Storm IG-88 making an appearance and freezing all the tulips remains in play until the first week of May.

Never discount that late season storm.

Still, I'm loving today. It's been all-sunglasses, all-sunscreen, all-top-down-all-the-time, even if I was stuck inside for most of it. We need more warm days like today. More!

Labels: weather

Oy, the wind. Right now, it's blowing at the house and screeching through the gaps in the windows (gotta love that tract housing!), and it sounds exactly like a toddler I babysat a million years ago. She (and the wind) would start out with a low moan of discontent before amping up into a full-blast wail of "WAAAAAAAAAAAA" before mixing it up with pauses and shrieks.

And now that I'm flashing back, I'm realizing that toddler will be graduating from high school this year, and good lord, that's just not right.

Wind in New Mexico is something to be endured. The joke is the windy season starts in January and ends on December 31 -- or if you prefer -- New Mexico has three seasons: hot, cold and windy.

Like the Santa Ana in California, the New Mexico wind makes people crazy. Everyone's on edge; one minor inconvenience away from going "Falling Down." It's the constant howling, the dust obscuring the sky and the mountains, well-mannered pets going nuts, and the pile of tumbleweeds lodged under every single car in the lot that pushes everyone to the breaking point. It's like being marooned on top of Mt. Washington with 750,000 of your not so nearest-and-dearest.

Add the full moon into the equation, and you've got one big pot of crazy. There was a lot of road rage today; apart from the usual tailgating and cutting off, people were using their horns. You folks back east might snicker, but if there's one universal rule of the road in these parts, it would be You. Don't Honk. Ever. And today everyone was honking. The commute was an exercise in automotive meditation, kicking back, signaling early, not speeding but not going too slow and not trying anything stupid. I was not the person cutting off the ambulance today.

I'm serious.

Wedge the Weather Nerd is promising that the wind won't be as bad tomorrow, but still blustery. I'm trying to look at this as a positive -- I get to wear my spiffy new hat! -- but I'm just as on edge. My dear sweet husband is making the normal noises of being a living human, and it is taking all of my self-control not to bite his head off. Nails on a chalkboard combined with a dentist's drill, mashed-up with a Rush drum solo has nothing on this right now.

I'm going insane.

Kisses,
Not the Preying Mantis

Labels: albuquerque, meta, weather