What is the first thing you think about when someone says "London"?

If it isn't Big Ben or Harrods, it's probably rain.

It does rain an awful lot here. Mostly it isn't a big deal. You carry an umbrella, you get wet, you get over it. What is strange is that people who actually live here seem to think it is a strange phenomenon.

Just this morning I looked out my window and thought, "Alright, it's raining. It is a boots and umbrella day." But when I was leaving Warren Street Tube station the exit was blocked by people waiting to unfold their umbrellas (because rain water CAN kill you) or just simply waiting for the already mild drizzle to die down. This really annoys me. You live in London. It rains here. What is the problem?

One specific incident of this nature happened last Friday, when I was meeting a friend for dinner. I won't name this friend, but I will say that he is an abnormally tall, mildly anal retentive Indian man. The first thing he said was, "I am warning you, it's raining." No sh*t, I was just outside! After dinner he nearly insisted we stay at the restaurant for drinks "because of the weather." It's not like there is lightning, or strong winds, or anything else outside that could possibly pose a threat! There was no way I was staying at a Mexican themed bar all night, plus I had agreed to meet Ashley just a hop away in SoHo. So I convince him to step outside.

So, he actually "prepares" himself for the rain (again, because it will KILL you) before he leaves the restaurant. Then he pouts like a child for about five minutes while walking to SoHo in the rain (no umbrella, because WHY would you carry an umbrella in this town?). He actually makes some kind of comment about what it is going to do to his hair, which is about three-quarters of an inch long. Just hours before I actually used a hairdryer to make mine "straight and pretty," but I wasn't upset, because again... sometimes it rains here.

This concludes my rant about British people.
The photo: That is of my bus stop on Oxford Circus. It often looks like that. You know, wet!

















UPDATE 1: I finished my chlamydia paper last night. Now I am having a hard time getting into the HPV mindframe. Uhhh, is it the 14th yet?