As terrible as it may be to admit, rain season (or as Instagrammers and Snapchatters might say #RAINSZN) is totally upon us. The alerts, alarming breezes and downpours are back and ready for action. Here are some thoughts I had last Monday as I feared for my life looking out the window of Dirac. A storm, almost as frightening as Hurricane Hermine in the fall of this year, hit us hard.
1) How many alerts can this school really send?
This may actually be the biggest mark of the storm. I have few connections to 40,000 students or at least the 20 or so in the room I am in until the murmurs of “Hello, this is an Emergency…yada yada yada..” comes to unite us into a bond of annoyance experienced by these alerts. We get it: There is a storm. The alerts are almost as talked about as the storm itself. I’m sure every school gives as many notices as FSU, so there is always going to be this outburst of severe weather warnings as the spread of information hits campus. I think it's cool that we all become united by them and that as we wonder about the severity of the storm, we have these alerts to talk about to.
2) Are classes going to be cancelled?
I don't think I'm alone in hopelessly fantasizing about cozying up to my laptop and binge watching more episodes of my latest Netflix obsession than usual. Warming up some tea or making hot cocoa all snuggled up in my bed ignoring obligations because "Hey, this storm could be serious." What better excuse is there to do absolutely nothing productive than that it is totally raining cats and dogs out there? I am not walking to class in the rain and I’m hoping neither are my professors.
3) Is the world going to end?
You don’t have to be Chicken Little to feel like the sky is falling. The outside world looks so different in disgusting weather. It is dark and gloomy and kind of looks like the world might just stop forever. The floods might drown us all and leave us in a post-apocalyptic universe. The end seems near and saying that out loud will totally lighten the mood. It’s not going to end, but over-exaggerating makes the situation less dramatic to most. I am that person that loves when things are exaggerated and the world ending is a great one.
4) Where the heck is my umbrella?
If you are anything like me, you only lug the essentials around campus, laptop, maybe a notebook and occasionally a pencil are the only things in my book bag at most times. In unfortunate weather conditions, I have to also worry about that pesky umbrella. Where did I leave it? When was the last time it rained? Finding that usually useless waste of space can be super obnoxious. It sits patiently in the back of my closet for these occasions when I thank my lucky stars that I even have one (that isn't broken). Walking through this weather with no shield is NOT recommended. Get an umbrella as soon as possible.
5) All clear?
Then before you know it, the all clear message is sent and you say good-bye to your weatherman days. It really did look bad, but that’s it, it is over and done with and you can go back to classes and remember that you would have binge watched a new show wether it was raining or not.
Staying safe during these severe weather conditions is still super important. I just wanted to share a short list of the funny thoughts we all might have. Stay dry people.
