Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

Despite the torrential rains and the gale-force winds, the shoppers will not be deterred. Yesterday, we had to go out to Cupertino to do some rearranging of Leslie's classroom, and had a bit of a severe weather situation.

The storm we are having this weekend is actual weather. Really. This is is a storm worthy of states other than California. Don't believe me? Click here.

So, anyway, we're in the classroom when the power goes out. We have light through the windows, so we continue working. Then we try to take a box of books we just packed up out through the neighboring classroom - a short cut to the resource center. When the door is opened Leslie is taken out of one of her shoes and thrown against the outside wall, holding onto the door handle to keep from being lost forever. Inside, the heavy wall map comes crashing down into my wrist (still hurts) and papers are sailing through the two rooms.

Once we got Leslie back inside we did our best to straighten up and gave up the idea of bringing boxes to and from the resource center. I suggested that it might be time to leave the school, while it was only a lack of power and high winds to worry about. We didn't manage to get out of there, however, for another half-hour, when the rains had come with a vengeance.

When we left the quiet, deserted, neighborhood school (still in the dark) and pulled out onto De Anza Boulevard, however, it turned out we were not the last people stupid enough to be out of their homes on such a day. Hence, the line in the opening sentence about "the shoppers will not be deterred."

You see, Californians don't believe in weather. And if we ignore it, maybe it will ignore us. Lack of electricity and tree branches across all the roads could not keep these people from their holiday shopping rounds. It's good that they have priorities. Hope you've got all your priorities straight this holiday season.