Raining in Vienna...

[epilonious]

Today I was forced to confront something that I haven't really thought about needing to confront in a very long time: Taking a long walk in the rain.

I walked into the rain outside the hotel after just checking out. My mind aflutter with how gracious the Mariott was to split up my hotel bill into two items, one with the room service I got Monday Night, and one with everything else to be charged to the corporate credit card. It was one of those things where it took a long time and the person who was handling the computers couldn't recall how to do it at first... but she managed to do it without sighing or otherwise making me feel like that asshole who just had to pull the underutilized transaction that early in the morning. After she finished, she handed me exactly what I needed and hadn't even asked for yet (two receipts) and said "thanks" with a smile.... making me feel right as, well, rain.

Getting back to the rain, I realized I would basically have to walk about a mile and a half in a spitting drizzle. I sneaked the precious paper of the receipts in a zip-up portfolio and further shielded them inside my bag... threw everything onto my shoulders, pulled the hood of my hooded zip up sweatshirt over my head and away I went.

The last time I can ever think of getting really stuck in the rain without an umbrella, I was caught in a cloudburst whilst walking from the east-west bus to the physics building during Freshman year of Duke university. I was drenched and wearing only a "natural cotton" (off white, unbleached) shirt with a scant permanent press of Calvin and Hobbes on it... and I remember being severely self-conscious because I was about 50 lbs heavier than I am now and felt like I had just as much titty to reveal as any other girl. I exaggerate of course, as it was an 8:00 AM calculus class and I don't even think the professor had enough coffee in him to notice or care..

But still, the embarrassment of the moment had me making my next stop at the Duke store to get a large umbrella with (but-of-course) the Duke logo on it. I always carried my umbrella with me after that... being sure to promptly buy a new one if after a rainy day I accidentally left one under my seat at some class, a $15 bonus gift to whoever sat near my seat the next class.

Until now. I was usually pretty good about the umbrella. I know exactly where it is in my house, but I have placed my car in the garage so I'll only need it should I have to run an errand in the worst of downpours. The fact that the umbrella has been relegated to "when the heavens open a hole in the bottom of a massive flying pail"... I have the massive golf umbrella that is designed to take gusts and still keep me dry despite rain falling at 30-degrees.

This means I don't have a conveniently sized umbrella to shove in a manpurse or a duffel bag before a flight.

Luckily, I was wearing my old-navy hooded sweatshirt which appears to be quite good at repelling rain as is the power of polyester. Thus, the fact that I was walking 1.5 miles in unpleasant weather and didn't damage equipment or my pride... and if it WAS raining so horribly that I didn't want to go out in it... it was 6:30 AM so I could have waited.

I guess this means... that I can stop fretting about rain. I suppose that it was one of those cares they sing about being able to throw away. Thinking on that, I need to identify other stuff I am being overly fastidious about that I could afford to drop. I think I'll start with some need to feel offended and get defensive I have picked up in my many travels on the internet.

It is easy for me to forget things that are obvious sometimes. Like forgetting an umbrella because you were so used to having one available. I feel I have also forgotten that it's 10 times better to read 3 responses to something thoughtful and positive and/or funny than it is to read 17 negative responses to some knee-jerk hateful comment done for attention.

And I shouldn't just quit because sometimes I get drenched in my forgetfulness.