it’s winter in LA, which means it’s the rainy season. this year reminds me of the winter of 2004, my first winter in southern california. my family came to visit for christmas and it rained all week. this year, we are experiencing the same: sometimes there’s a break in the rainfall, but it has been constant for over 36 hours at times, too.

in 2004, i was a dog walker. i walked all sorts of dogs, sometimes more than one at a time, and sometimes it was my 120-pound akita and 80-pound husky pair. carrying an umbrella just wasn’t a practical option. so winter meant donning my gore-tex parka, hiking boots, and nylon pants and slogging around in the rain for 6-8 hours. i stayed warm and dry and had the sidewalks all to myself.

so it’s really no surprise that today, when it’s pouring rain, i didn’t even think twice about going out without an umbrella. driving didn’t even cross my mind, either. my destination was only 3 blocks away. i can walk further than i used to be able to so i ventured out of my warm, dry home to mail some xmas packages sans umbrella. i don’t have the same rain gear that i used to, but it didn’t matter. when i got home, i changed into dry pj pants and my slippers. no harm done.